Review

Chris M. Sharpe
Appalachian Fantasy:
6 tenors, 2 basses

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Publisher: C. Sharpe Editions
Date of Publication: 2021
URL: http://www.CSharpeEditions.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 8 trombones

This work was written ‘for the Carolina Trombone Ensemble,’ a group of 12 professional trombonists from North and South Carolina who have contributed to the repertoire with at least six new works commissioned through a nationwide consortium. They are identified individually in the publication, which was partly supported by funds provided by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. Sharpe is a bass trombonist and professor at Murray State University in Kentucky.

Quoting from the score: “In addition to some references to Eine Alpensinfonie in this work, there are also two Appalachian folk songs; versions of Harm Link and Jack Went A-Sailing, as recorded by folk song collector Cecil Sharp in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, and they can be heard in the section representing a hike through the mountains, as well as melodies inspired by other folk tunes. The North Carolina state song, The Old North State, is the primary melody heard during the section depicting the vistas from a mountain summit”.

The piece has six distinct sections: The 1st, Sunrise over Smoky Mountain, is in F major with the upper four parts each in turn playing a four-note descending phrase, with the 4th note held to the 8th measure, giving a chord of c/g/a/c1 over F/f held piano for the first nine measures in the three lower parts. The 2nd section, Hiking the Mountain – Allegro moderato, is in F major/B-flat major; the 3rd section, At the Summit, is in B-flat. Here, ten measures of the 1st part are marked Solo and are especially lyrical. The 4th section, Race back to campsite, is in C major, and in this section the bass trombones have low C’s held for five measures. The final section, Safely back at the Campsite, relaxes in A minor/F major; and the piece ends piano on an F major chord spread over two octaves, the lower four parts held over three measures.

All parts are in bass clef: 1st covers A – a1, 2nd bass trombone goes down to FF. This is a quite demanding work suitable for moderately advanced players.