Review

Johann Sebastian Bach
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring:

Arranged by Russ Schultz


Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2005
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 8 trombones

This Russ Schultz transcription of the Bach favorite stays true to the original and, if you have the horses, will make a fine addition to a trombone choir concert program. Schultz uses a 9/8 time signature to keep parts clean and readable. The choir is divided into 2 quartets where parts 1 and 5 are lead voices, 4 and 8 are the bass for each group. Parts 1-4 carry the opening melody, parts 5-8 the flowing counter melody. The difficult parts are 1 and 2; each having only two measures rest at measure 10 and measure 25. With solid players on these two parts the piece is accessible for almost any college choir. One small misstep in this reviewer’s opinion is the infrequent scoring of all eight players simultaneously. The few times it occurs the effect is excellent. Parts are readable with no page turn or clef difficulties. I recommend this transcription as a fine feature for two, strong, tenor trombonists.

-Tom Zugger
Capitol University