Review

Eric Culver
Suite for Unaccompanied Bass Trombone:

Newton, IA, United States
Publisher: TAP Music Sales
Date of Publication: 1988

Primary Genre: Solo Bass/Contrabass Trombone - unaccompanied

Eric Culver began playing the trombone at age 10 and earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in performance with a minor in composition from The Julliard School. He also earned a second master’s degree in composition from Michigan State University in composition and theory. In addition to composing a substantial number of works for brass, Mr. Culver has also performed with the big bands of Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Bill Holman, and many others.  

This four movement “contemporary baroque “Suite has been referred to by Douglas Yeo, former bass trombonist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as "the finest piece for unaccompanied bass trombone I have ever played” (yoedoug.com). Mr. Culver’s own notes about the piece read as follows:

"This suite of four pieces is structured along the same forms as found in the Bach Unaccompanied Cello Suites. The melodies are directly related to the harmonies and, as in the Bach Suites, unmistakably outline the harmonic progression.
One particular characteristic on the suite is the many interval leaps in the melody. This was the only direction suggested by Robert F. Sanders, who commissioned this work. He asked that I include lots of interesting, fun, and nearly impossible interval jumps that make the work more challenging. As a result, the four pieces within this suite should provide the performer with ample room to cover the complete range of his or her instrument."

Taking into consideration the various forms found in the Cello Suites, the first movement is similar in style to a Prelude. Titled “Fantasia,” with a tempo range between 60-80 for the quarter note, it has a wide melodic range and a number of meter changes that tend to emphasize the harmonic changes. The second piece, “Dance of the Delicate Sorrow,” resembles a Courante with a moderate compound meter and flowing sixteenth note passages. Movement three, “Ballade,” is cast in a slow triple meter like a Sarabande, and while each movement contains difficult interval jumps, this particular piece features multiple leaps that exceed two octaves. The final movement, dubbed “the Jubilant Gallop,” is the Allamande of the suite set in a moderately fast 4/4 that begins with an upbeat. This movement also involves occasional meter changes that, like the first movement, accentuate its harmonic changes.

Like many advanced unaccompanied solos, this is a challenging piece that will test a trombonist’s ability to communicate to the listener both the melodic and harmonic progression.  It is full of difficult leaps and has an extensive range of nearly four octaves, DD to c2. It is an ideal companion piece to study alongside the Bach Cello Suites or the Fantasies of Telemann.  The piece has been available for some time and may be hidden in your personal library. If so, give it a thorough read. If not, consider adding this one to your collection and performing it soon.
-Eric High
St. Norbert College