Review

Jean Sibelius
Hymne Op. 21 No. 2:

Arranged by Justin Chiang

3 tenors, 1 bass

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2023
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 4 trombones

This very beautiful piece was originally a 4-part choral work, also known as Natus in Curas. It was written in memory of Josef Pippingsköld (1825-1892), Professor of Obstetrics at the Imperial Alexander University in Helsinki, now the University of Helsinki. He is noted in medical history as being one of the first clinicians to recognize the importance of asepsis in obstetric practice.

The arrangement is scored for three tenor trombones and bass trombone and is appropriate for intermediate to moderately advanced performers. The piece is in 3/2 time, and almost all its notes are half notes, whole notes or dotted whole notes, which are sometimes tied over bar-lines, calling for good breath control as well as expressive playing. Dynamics are marked in 35 out of 124 measures. All parts are in bass clef. There are three distinct sections; the marking throughout is molto cantabile. The first section is in G major and in 3/2 time, Moderato and piano. The second section, Un pochissimo allegro has a key signature of C major and begins on a chord of B-flat. The writing is highly chromatic and this section ends on a chord of D-sharp major, carried over into the final section, which has a signature of G major. The writing is again quite chromatic. The piece ends with a diminuendo on a G major chord spread over three octaves.

All parts are in bass clef; range for 1st is e – g1, and for bass trombone is BB – g (optional GG in the final chord). Apart from one general pause measure, 2nd part has no full rest measures; 1st has the most at 11 measures.

Justin Chiang is a euphonium and trombone player from Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, and has a dozen other published arrangements to his name.