Review

Alan Pierce
Trio in D Major :
rumpet in B-flat or C, horn in F, and trombone

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Publisher:
Date of Publication: 2009

Manuscript

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 3 brass

Alan Pierce’s Trio in D Major is perhaps best described as the brass trio that Victor Ewald never wrote. Although a recent work, it is written in a late Romantic style that is basically untouched by the musical developments of the twentieth century. Fans of late Romantic music will particularly enjoy this work.

The first movement is written in a march-like style with strong themes and good, contrapuntal material. Trumpet is scored extremely low, so horn dominates. The theme of the second movement borrows heavily from the Fain/Webster standard “Secret Love.” Trombone is given the first statement of the theme—but care needs to be taken so that it is not overshadowed by trumpet and horn counter lines. The third movement is particularly challenging, especially for horn and trumpet. Fast scalar runs predominate, sometimes obscuring the thematic statements. The final movement includes interesting multi-metric writing that is the closest this work comes to the music of the past century.

Pierce creates interest exclusively through counterpoint and thematic development, avoiding dynamic changes or the use of mutes. As a result, there is a danger of creating a kind of uniformity across the four movements. A sensitive trio might be able to do a little creative “tweaking” of dynamics and tempo to produce quite a musically satisfying result. That said, Pierce’s Trio in D Major contains fun moments and is a real challenge to play. It has the potential to be a popular contribution to brass trio literature. There is little original work for brass trio in the Romantic style, which is so beloved by brass players. It is definitely worth a reading by an advanced trio looking for pieces outside of the twentieth century genre. This work can be ordered directly through Alan Pierce: piercebatons@aol.com

-Chris Buckholz
University of Northern Iowa