Review

Felix Mendelssohn
Chorale from Festgesang:

Arranged by Greg Furlong


Delevan, NY, United States
Publisher: Kendor Music
Date of Publication: 2001
URL: http://www.kendormusic.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 4 trombones

Mendelssohn’s Festgesang (WoO 9), a setting of a text by A.E.Proelss for male voice choir and band, was written in 1840 for a festival in Leipzig celebrating the 400th anniversary of the first printing of the Bible by Johannes Gutenberg. Its second movement later gave us the tune of the well-known Christmas hymn Hark the Herald Angels Sing. This is the opening chorale, beginning with the words Begeht mit heil’gen Lobgesang, die grosse Freudenstunde (Sing holy praise this joyful hour).

This is a straightforward piece, offering no great difficulty, with the chorale tune in mostly stepwise progression, four-part harmony throughout, and thoroughly idiomatic to trombone quartet. Ranges are e–g1 1st, d–e1 2nd, A–c1 3rd and G–c1 4th. First and second parts are printed in both tenor and bass clef. Phrasing and dynamics are clearly indicated. Greg Furlong is a Canadian trombonist, conductor and composer currently living in Ottawa.

-Keith Davies Jones
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada