Review

Francis Poulenc
Four Christmas Motets:

Arranged by Ralph Sauer

3 tenors (2 in tenor clef), 1 bass

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

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 4 trombones

Originally scored for SATB choir, Francis Poulenc composed Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël as a musical setting of four scenes from the Christmas nativity — 1. O magnum mysterium, 2. Quem vidistis, 3. Videntes stellam, and 4. Hodie Christus natus est. Aside from simple transposition and a few minor logistical adjustments, Ralph Sauer’s arrangement for four trombones is an exact transcription of the original choral version. These are thoroughly beautiful motets that are perfectly set for four trombones. As one might expect from Poulenc, the harmonic progressions are at times striking yet always handled with a sense of elegance and grace.

While this music is not particularly complex in terms of texture or contrapuntal density, there are a variety of metric changes with an abundance of harmonic and intervallic dissonance that may be a challenge for less experienced trombonists. The first and second parts are written exclusively on tenor clef and span a range up to c-sharp2, while the score suggests that the fourth part be played on bass trombone and contains pitches as low as BB.

The parts and score are well edited for ease of playability and legibility. Ralph Sauer’s gorgeous arrangement of Poulenc’s Christmas motets will surely find its way into many holiday trombone quartet recitals for many decades to come.