Review

Sir Arnold Bax
Two Pieces: Country Tune and Burlesque:

Arranged by Ralph Sauer


Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2010
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Piano score and solo part

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with piano
Secondary Genre: Solo Bass/Contrabass Trombone - with piano

Retired principal trombonist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Ralph Sauer, has yet again given the trombone community another exemplary arrangement to add to the instrument’s ever-growing collection of solo repertoire. This time Sauer has turned to the English composer, Sir Arnold Bax (1883-1953). An accomplished pianist who never had the desire to perform, Bax explored many genres of composition including, but not limited to, three ballets, seven symphonies, many tone poems, and an impressive number of piano and choral works. His compositional style can be described as Romantic and Impressionistic, both of which can be found in these two transcriptions from piano miniatures.

Both works originate from 1920. Country Tune evokes a pleasant mood, utilizing the major and Lydian modes. Its lively melody is well transcribed for trombone and is accessible to the college level student. Burlesque also elicits happiness and a sense of joy, but with more bounce and attitude. This piece is a bit more difficult as the meter revolves irregularly between 3/4 and 4/4 in a tempo marked Allegro vivace. The tessitura of the tenor trombone version remains high adding difficulty. One measure stands out as almost impossible as it moves from 16th notes to a 16th note quintuplet to a 16th note sextuplet all in one 3/2 measure. This flourish may have been best left to the piano. The bass trombone version is identical to the tenor version with the exception of strategically placed octave displacements. Overall range of the tenor version spans C to d2; the bass version ranges from AA to e-flat1.

-Cory Mixdorf
University of Arkansas