|
|
 |
Composer: Forrest L. Bucchtel
Title: Gladiator
Publisher: Kjos
Level: Beginner
Range: c"
Description: This is a bit more advanced than "My Buddy" by the same composer, and also reviewed on these pages. The range is still low, the highest note being only a c", but there are rhythmic challenges, a change of key and various tempi to deal with.
This is a good introduction to the style of the plentiful cornet solos produced by H.A. VanderCook. There is a slower introduction, with a fermata in the middle of a phrase, so the concept of building tension can be introduced, even to a very young player. The piano leads into the main section, which is in the style of a polka. The tempo picks up, the rhythms get a little faster, and the feeling is happy and light, as opposed to the dramatic introduction. This leads us to a trio section, with the customary addition of a flat to the key signature, and yet another change in feel. This is a slightly sweeter section, which also follows the tradition of a trio, and predictably, the trio leads back to the polka for one more statement.
This is a fun piece, eminently playable, and it provides a great opportunity to teach a student about a form they will encounter numerous times in their trumpet playing life.
Composer: Forrest L. Bucchtel
Title: My Buddy
Publisher: Kjos
Level: Beginner
Range: c"
Description: "My Buddy" is a waltz for trumpet and piano. The rhythms are simple, the melody is catchy, and the piece is super playable by even a first year student.
There are a good number of things on the page for the performer to take note of: dynamics change throughout the piece, there are phrase markings indicated, and there are rehearsal numbers, so the young trumpeter can start to learn about the "road map" concepts involved in reading music. There is also a D.S. al Fine, so there are numerous things to discuss and understand.
There are small rests scattered through the piece, so the soloist can get used to counting time, while at the same time giving their chops a short break.
I think this is a good choice for a beginner who wants to work on a solo with piano accompaniment. There are many things to gain from careful learning this piece.
Composer: R. A. Dhossche
Title: Invocation
Publisher: Southern Music Company
Level: Jr. High to High School
Range: f" (optional Bb")
Description: This is a slow, expressive piece which makes many demands on the performer. Again, here is a piece written without any real rest for the trumpet player. Yet, a player with a strong embouchure can get through and do the music justice.
This is a very romantic, almost gypsy-like tune in 3/4, which grows in intensity from the first note to the climax, just before a soft and resigned ending. The dynamic range required is great, as is the sense of pacing for the music to hit its height just at the right time, before coming down to a peaceful and quiet close.
Done well, this is a very dramatic piece. It's short -- almost too short -- but worth taking a look at.
Composer: Arcangelo Corelli, arr. Richard E. Powell
Title: Prelude and Minuet
Publisher: Southern Music Company
Level: High School (Jr. High Advanced)
Range: g"
Description: The Prelude in this piece is the same one found in the famous Sonata VIII arranged for trumpet and piano by Bernard Fitzgerald. It's fun (for me) to see it in a different setting, with the musical figures dispersed a little differently between the piano and the trumpet parts.
Though set in a lower key than the Fitzgerald, this version of the Prelude has its challenges. There is basically no rest for the trumpet player, though the piece is playable without rest. The challenge in cases like this is for the player to be strong enough to be able to play musically while feeling tired as the phrases develop. This is a good thing to learn, as we don't always get the rest that we'd like to have.
The Minuet, in my opinion, contains less music, but presents more technical challenges, so a student may find it a fun thing to tackle. The time signature is 3/8, which may be an unusual thing for a young performer, but is a valuable thing with which to acquire ease. The form is typical Minuet - Trio - Minuet, with the trio section posing the most challenge due to large intervals and several accidentals.
Overall, a fun piece to work on, and a useful one for performance opportunities that might come up.
Composer: Lee Adamski
Title: Feelin' Fine
Publisher: Shawnee Press, Inc.
Level: Beginner
Range: f"
Description: From the composer: "Feelin’ Fine is a composition designed to feature either a young trumpet or alto saxophone soloist accompanied by either band or piano. All band parts are very easy and well within the performance abilities of first or second year instrumentalists."
This is a fun piece with a rock sort of feel to it. The solo part is fairly repetitive, which I think is a good thing for a piece aimed at performers of this level. It has a more lyrical middle section which also repeats, then leads back to the rock theme to end the piece.
The piano reduction is also a very simple thing, so this is a piece that can be played by friends, or siblings where one is the pianist and the other is the trumpet (or sax) player. A well written and fun piece to play!
Composer: Gounod/Bach and von Paradis, arr. Falcone
Title: Two Pieces -- Ave Maria and Sicilienne
Publisher: Southern Music Company
Level: High School plus
Range: c’"
Description: This is a set of two arrangements by the famous Leonard Falcone. The first is the classic Ave Maria, by Gounod, set to the 1st prelude from J.S. Bach’s "The Well - Tempered Clavier".
This is perhaps one of the most moving and beautiful pieces ever written, but it does pose some real troubles for a brass player. The first of these is that the slow, languid mood of the piece is integral to its success, and slow and languid is hard to keep up when your corners are burning and you’d sell your grandmother for three bars rest. (Ok, maybe that’s extreme, but I know you all know what I’m talking about!)
The second is that those three bars of rest never come. The gorgeous line keeps spinning out and out, growing to a magnificent climax a handful of bars before the end. It’s very dramatic, but only if the performer has enough strength to get there and still maintain the proper control. It’s a challenge.
The third problem is related to the other two, in that the climax entails the highest notes in the piece, in this case b", just when you want to take the horn off your face for a moment. There are optional notes written down the octave, but nobody should play them there -- then the climax becomes an anti-climax, and you have to reconsider your choice to play the piece to begin with.
This movement is great if you have the chops to pull it off, but many people won’t.
The second piece is called Sicilienne, written by Maria Theresa von Paradis. Mr. Falcone has presented the piece with all of its repeats, and has edited in some dynamics to indicate use of echo effect. Once again, however, the tempo is very slow, the range is demanding, and there’s not a single rest written in the solo part. I can’t even say that the piece itself is half as engaging, musically, as the Ave Maria.
The set comes with parts for both baritone and cornet players, which is a nice plus. On the whole, though, I can’t recommend the piece for most young players.
Composer: Larry Delinger
Title: Brass Rings
Publisher: Tromba
Level: Advanced Jr. High/High School
Range: g”, some lip slurs and large intervals
Description: This is a set of two pieces written for trumpet and piano. The first is called “Nocturne”, and the second is called “March”.
The piece was written in a modern style, but still is approachable by a young player.
The Nocturne is a beautiful piece with large downward skips slurred for the trumpet player. The dynamics are overall quiet, so connection of the intervals and maintenance of the flow of the music will present challenges. Those challenges are well rewarded for those who achieve the goals, though – this piece is worth working on.
The March is a great change of pace. The challenges presented in this movement are again, intervalic, but now also technical. There is a lot of fast work for the fingers and tongue, and the player must also have a good ear to make all the passages pop. There’s a muted section towards the end, which makes for a nice introduction to how mutes can color a sound, and may open the conversation between teacher and student as to the pros and cons of different brands of mutes.
This is a piece that can be tackled by a mature young player – it’s also a viable choice for an older player, perhaps as a “rest piece” in a longer recital.
Composer: Persis Vehar
Title: Lord Amherst March
Publisher: Kendor
Level: Jr. High
Range: e
Description: This is a relatively simple piece for both trumpet and piano player, which makes it a nice choice for two young friends to work on together. (If the friends happen to be a trumpet player and a piano player… you know…)
There are certain demands on the trumpet player, such as octave jumps (C to c), sixteenth notes (only in groups of twos) and some accidentals, but a player who is a quick study could learn to play this piece with good style and good success. There is adequate rest for the developing player, which is sometimes a rare thing.
It’s a good teaching piece, as there are all kinds of different rests to deal with, such as eighth rests and even dotted eighth rests; there are also some “road map” elements, such as repeats with different tempo instructions for each time through the section. There is a nice trio section here, so the players can learn about simple march forms, as well.
This won’t be the piece of music you want played at your wedding, probably, but I think it’s a decent choice for a solo and ensemble festival, or a talent show. I think young players can learn some valuable things through preparation of the “Lord Amherst March.”
Composer: David Uber
Title: Romance
Publisher: Kendor
Level: High School (and beyond!)
Range: a”, some lip slurs and “crooked” intervals
Description: This is a beautiful piece that gives the trumpet player a chance to show their more tender side, emotionally. The range only goes up to a”, but don’t let that fool you -- endurance is a huge factor in a successful performance of this piece.
Another factor at play with this work is emotional maturity. The style requires a very relaxed, laid back feel which is a thing many young players find difficult to achieve, especially when their chops are getting tired.
“Romance” is a great mix of styles, with an overall jazz ballad feel, but with very legit overtones, reminiscent of the Claude Bolling “Toot Suite”. I recommend this piece to players of any age who have the chops and the maturity to enjoy it.
Composer: Georg Phillip Telemann (freely transcribed by L.W. Chidester)
Title: Presto from Sonata in Bb Major
Publisher: Southern Music Company
Level: High School
Range: a”, large intervals
Description: This is a nice piece for a student who doesn’t know that huge intervals are hard to play on the trumpet. It very obviously was not originally written for a brass instrument of any kind; it’s more likely a string or flute piece.
That having been said, however, it’s a good piece, and well worth playing. The tune is bright and spirited, there is adequate rest, and there are many great “teaching spots” in the piece, where good dialogue can be had between teacher and student, i.e. about Baroque style, echo dynamics, articulation… the topics one could cover with a piece like this one are numerous and interesting.
The troublesome skips are a problem, but they offer a great opportunity for discussion of ear training, and working on skips of a tenth or more, since these do occur in other prominent trumpet works.
I liked this piece and think, for the right student, it could open many avenues of learning.
Composer: Edward S. Solomon
Title: Solitary Trumpet
Publisher: Southern Music Company
Level: High School
Range: Ab”
Description: This is a different sort of piece. It’s very modern, and a bit on the difficult side, despite the limited range required.
The intervals can be large and “crooked” -- this piece needs a performer with very good ears. The slow pace makes the rhythmic demands less of an issue, but the melody spins out and out, making breathing decisions rather difficult. There are also times when the notes in the melody are a little unclear -- there are accidentals tied over from the previous measure which could use clarification, in two separate spots.
Some people will find this piece very interesting. I’m afraid I’m not among them.
Composer: Emile Joseph Trognee, edited by Anatoly Selianin
Title: Valse Lente
Publisher: Editions Bim
Level: High School +
Range: c’”
Description: Here’s a fun piece, a sort of throw-back to a bygone time. This is a classic cornet showpiece, with a sweet waltz tune, a flashy second strain, and a delicate trio. The piece lies well, in F major and Bb major, and the more “difficult” spots really only sound that way… they actually fall out fairly easily.
My only problem with the work is the amount of repetition. If I may be so bold as to suggest another edit, I think it works well in a shorter version, which would entail the cutting out of the full restatement of the waltz and go straight to the last page, after the trio. The waltz tune is pretty, but only stands so much repetition before it gets monotonous.
Of course, that’s one trumpet player’s opinion, and others may choose to preserve the integrity of the form. Either way, this is a nice piece to work on and perform. It would be a great recital choice.
Composer: Max DiJulio
Title: Shane’s Toon
Publisher: Tromba
Level: Advanced Jr. High/ High School
Range: g”, optional c’’’
Description: What a great piece! This is a really well- written work aimed at the younger player. From the score: “ Shane’s Toon is from a new catalogue for the young performer. The goal is to introduce contemporary styles and challenges into a format which is musically viable and yet accessible to the progressing student.”
Mission accomplished! The piece is in ABA form, with the first theme being a very energetic, very idiomatic allegro, full of sixteenth notes, but in concert Bb, and mostly in a scale-wise pattern. There are some challenging runs, as well, but this is an achievable work for a talented young player.
The B section is very expressive and beautiful, with a short cadenza-like section towards the end, which then goes back to the A section for a D.S. The Coda is a quick, exciting build to the end -- the piece is a joy to play.
There is one typographical error at the very beginning of the trumpet part. The initial rest should be marked as being two measures long, as it is at the recap. As it is, it’s marked as just a measure. Knowledge of this problem can save a lot of time at the first rehearsal with the pianist!
There are many things to be learned from this piece, perhaps the most important of which is that modern music can be great, and great fun to work on. Congratulations to Mr. DiJulio on a great contribution to our repetoire.
Composer: Frank N. Ellis
Title: Trumpet Trip
Publisher: Kendor
Level: Jr. High/Early High School
Range: f#”, not much rest
Description: Trumpet Trip is a happy piece, which requires good stamina from its players, but not a lot of technique or range. There are some sixteenth note passages, but never more than two sixteenths and an eighth at a time. There are also places where there are octave jumps, but only from e to e’, and there are optional low e’s to substitute if the octave isn’t happening.
The piece reminds me of those early Disney “documentaries”, where you watch people ride around on the LA freeways, circa 1964… the tune would be perfect for one of those soundtracks, even though the piece is from 1979. Take a look at it and you’ll know what I mean.
The other great thing about this work is that the piano part is pretty simple, so this is another piece that two young friends could perform together, with a bit of practice. It’s in concert C, so the pianist doesn’t have any sort of key issues to deal with, and it’s good for the trumpet player as well, because it will give that third valve slide a good workout.
This is a good choice for a strong young player.
|
