Review

A. Hildebrandt-Sørensen
Nocturne:

Arranged by Niels-Ole Bo Johansen


Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2024
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Organ score and solo part

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with organ

Alfred Hildebrandt Sørensen (1885-1923) attended the Copenhagen Conservatory of Music from January 1903 to December 1905, majoring in composition and violin. Nocturne for trombone and organ, four songs, and a piece for violin and organ are the only works of his found in the Royal Library, all as manuscripts. The songs and the violin piece were composed between 1912 and 1915.

Nocturne was dedicated to Anton Hansen, who performed it for the first time at Tivoli Concert Hall on August 8th, 1918, and then in the King's Garden at the Copenhagen Municipality's Free Concerts, ‘undoubtedly’ in arrangements for symphony orchestra and wind band respectively. The material in this publication was obtained from Hansen’s sheet music collection in the Royal Library in Copenhagen, and it would appear that this piece has not been published or played in the last 100 years.

It’s in A-flat, with a short central section in D, in which the writing is highly chromatic. It’s a lyrical and beautiful piece and should be played and recorded now. It’s marked Andante Espressivo. The solo part is given in bass clef, range E - f1 (a-flat1 alt), and is ‘suitable for intermediate performers’. The organ pedal part, playing in only seven measures, doubles notes in the left hand part, and might well be considered ‘optional’.

The score and solo part are provided on organ-size score, 12 x 8½ inches; they can be printed ‘sideways’ on three regular pages, 8.5 x 11, with a font size of 75%.