Review

Otto Henry
Divertimento di Tre Toni:

,
Publisher: Media Press
Date of Publication: 2008
URL: http://www.mediapress.us

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with piano

Divertimento comes to us as a result of musical experimentation from the composer’s student days in the 1950s. His desire was to “wring out all the possibilities” of composing a work using only three notes. Eventually he incorporates transpositions of the “original three” and allows for piano runs and glissandi, but amazingly sticks closely to his three-note limitation. The result, especially in the piano part, is at times minimalist (before minimalism was cool). 

Henry organizes the work into three movements that he requests be performed without pause. The first movement begins with a declamatory introduction marked Allagramente.  The Allegro con brio and Con fuoco e marcato sections that follow contain angular, motivic writing often characterized by large leaps. The second movement Moderato begins with slower, deliberate note repetitions now utilizing transpositions of the original motive. Its rhythmic and dynamic intensity gradually increase as the movement proceeds.  The final movement begins Allegretto and moves through several subtle tempo and mood changes. The trombone writing is more technically challenging here. The work gradually slows, reiterating the opening motives of both the first and third movements. It closes with the piano slowly and mysteriously recalling once again the “original three.”

The trombone part has moderate range requirements, F to c2. Its chief difficulty lies in the negotiation of angular lines that often include wide leaps. The piano part is also of modest difficulty and contains repetitive, motivic writing that in some instances necessitates wide hand stretches. Divertimento is a work that displays clever compositional technique, but the narrowness of its melodic and harmonic focus eventually became tiresome; others may disagree. The Composer’s Note prefacing the publication informs us that Eugene Watts performed the Divertimento on his Master of Music degree recital.

-Paul Overly
Bob Jones University