ABSTRACT 
 
 
 
 
Title of Dissertation: NEW, FORGOTTEN, AND RARELY 
PERFORMED WORKS FOR BASS 
TROMBONE AND TROMBONE ENSEMBLE 
OR WOODWIND QUINTET   
  
 Skyler Joshua Foster, Doctor of Musical Arts, 
2022 
  
Dissertation directed by: Distinguished Professor Chris C. Gekker, and 
Senior Lecturer Matthew Guilford, School of 
Music 
 
 
The bass trombone has seen a veritable explosion of solo repertoire since the 
1960s, but not all this music has been accepted into the known repertoire. Like any living 
repertoire, pieces fall out of favor or simply fail to gain popularity. This dissertation seeks 
to bring attention to and aims start the process of integration (for new repertoire) and 
reintegration (for old) solos with chamber winds, specifically trombone ensembles and 
woodwind quintet. A new composition from Adrian B. Sims and works by John Frith, 
Charlie Small, Williams Schmidt, Manny Albam and Hidas Frigyes were recorded. Two 
known works (Frith and Hidas) were included as a vehicle to interest listeners in the 
album and to invite a soft comparison to show the quality of the other works and stir 
interest in programming them.  Three topics are discussed for each work: composer 
biographical information, program notes including structural and harmonic analytical 
information when appropriate, and suggestions to future performers. Adrian B. Sims? The 
  
Sword of Orion is examined in detail as it is the composer?s first work for solo bass 
trombone, and he is unknown to the wider trombone community. Insight is given on the 
compositional process and the composer?s thoughts and interpretation of the work as the 
author worked with him to commission and record the work. Exploration of musical 
character is given prominence to aid future performers in attaining the right style and 
characteristics for each section, and analysis is done to understand the harmonic and 
thematic development style of the work. There are many pieces written for bass trombone 
and chamber winds, with the trombone ensemble being the most popular and well known. 
However, the woodwind quintet is just as satisfying an ensemble to pair with the bass 
trombone, and there are other solos out there with this ensemble setting that have yet to 
gain traction or be recorded. It is also arguably a more versatile ensemble. It is the hope 
of the author that solos will continue to be written with woodwind quintet as it offers 
opportunities for blend and character that do not exist when performing with trombone 
ensembles.    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NEW, FORGOTTEN, AND RARELY PERFORMED WORKS FOR BASS 
TROMBONE AND TROMBONE ENSEMBLE OR WOODWIND QUINTET     
 
 
 
by 
 
 
Skyler Joshua Foster 
 
 
 
 
 
Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the  
University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment 
of the requirements for the degree of 
Doctor of Musical Arts 
2022 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Advisory Committee: 
Distinguished Professor Paul C. Gekker, Co-Chair 
Senior Lecturer Matthew Guilford, Co-Chair 
Professor Daniel Falvey, Dean?s Representative  
Lecturer Aaron LaVere 
Professor Robert Gibson 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
? Copyright by 
Skyler Joshua Foster 
2022 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
Preface 
The concept of this recording is rooted in two places: a love of trombone 
chamber music, and curiosity of works that are essentially forgotten, or rarely 
performed.  
I was first introduced to trombone chamber music as a senior in high school 
by Professor David Vining at Northern Arizona University?s trombone day in 2007. 
The final concert of the evening was the trombone choir, and prospective students 
were invited to perform one piece with them: Vaclav Nelhybel?s Tower Music. Even 
though I was a novice to chamber music and the wider world of the trombone, from 
that point on I was hooked on trombone choir. The following year I was introduced to 
the bass trombone soloing with a chamber ensemble from a recording of Eric 
Ewazen?s Concertino for Bass Trombone and Trombone Choir, which I later 
performed on a recital. Performing with a trombone ensemble is a rewarding 
experience for many reasons, including the homogeneity of the trombone sound 
across its considerable range of four and a half octaves. Many compelling works have 
been written for solo bass trombone and trombone ensemble, ranging from trombone 
trio to undecet (11 players), and new works continue to be written. 
As is evidenced by the plethora of modern digital recordings, the same group 
of works are routinely recorded and performed, arguably creating a positive feedback 
loop promoting the awareness and popularity of the same core group of solos. My 
repertoire selection is the search for the new, or the old made new, to bring awareness 
to these forgotten works. As with any living repertoire, music ? whether a specific 
ii 
 
 
 
piece, composer, ensemble or style ? can thrive once introduced, but it can also fall 
out of style or simply fail to be accepted into the regularly performed and 
remembered repertoire. Solo bass trombone with woodwind quintet is on the edge of 
this boundary. Frigyes Hidas? 1+5 is a piece that has gained a modicum of acceptance 
into the solo repertoire. But there are other pieces that are performed rarely or not at 
all. I have chosen one recently recorded work with each ensemble to contrast with the 
lesser known to show their musical quality is inherent to the work, not whether it has 
been recorded by a well-known or currently active soloist.  
 My exploration of this repertoire yielded pleasant results that this ensemble 
has several pieces that have flown under the radar of modern soloists since their 
creation, and are worth bringing to attention for their quality, stylistic variety, and 
accessibility to performers and audiences alike. The opportunity to record works that 
have never been recorded is as thrilling and daunting opportunity that I am thankful to 
have been able to undertake. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
iii 
 
 
 
Dedication 
For my grandpa, David Morgan Foster 
Si fractus fortis 
iv 
 
 
 
Acknowledgements 
There are so many people to thank during the 3? years of working on this 
Degree. Matthew Guilford for guiding me not only as a student of the trombone but 
as an example of an excellent person who was always approachable and 
understanding. Also, for guiding this project and performing on three of the works on 
this recording. You stood by me during the scariest and most confounding crisis of 
my life and your compassion, understanding, and flexibility meant the world to me. 
You truly went above and beyond your duties as a teacher. Your guidance, feedback, 
and the example you set will stay with me throughout my life. 
To Aaron LaVere, Brian Hecht, and Nathan Zgonc, who have shaped me 
musically, provided me with professional opportunities, and given me much food for 
thought on what it means to be a musician, a trombonist, and a critical thinker. 
To my mom who has been my constant and unfailing source of support and 
encouragement and, along with my sister Anja, for suffering this degree vicariously 
through me and knowing how difficult, rewarding, frustrating, and exciting this whole 
process has been. Even though we basically talk daily, I still think you underestimate 
how much your steadfastness and outside perspective have made this degree possible. 
To Aaron Muller at UMD who fought for me to be able to record on campus 
in a manner that provided me with my best opportunities for success. 
To my friends and colleagues at UMD who have supported me, given 
feedback, and helped me have a life outside the classroom. 
To Adrian Sims for writing a new solo that I?m excited and proud to have 
been a part of. 
v 
 
 
 
To Antonino d?Urzo, my recording engineer, for being patient with a first-
time recording soloist, for offering invaluable feedback and suggestions on the 
recording and editing process, for rescheduling more times than I can remember 
because of Covid causing venues and people to be unavailable like it was going out of 
style, and especially for or your excellent work. 
And finally, all the musicians on my recordings who stuck with me even 
though Covid made everything an enormous hassle. 
Thank you all! 
  
vi 
 
 
 
Copyright Licensing 
A Beautiful Noise 
by John Frith 
? Copyright 2009 Warwick Music Ltd (ASCAP) 
Used with permission 
 
Concertino for Bass Trombone (or Tuba) and Woodwind Quintet 
by William Schmidt 
? Copyright 1980 by Avant Music, Distributed by Western International 
Music, Inc. (ASCAP) 
Used with permission 
 
The Sword of Orion 
By Adrian B. Sims 
? Copyright 2020 by Adrian B. Sims Music (ASCAP) 
Used with Permission 
 
The Significant Other 
By Charlie Small 
? Copyright 1995 E. Williams Music Publishing Company 
All rights reserved 
 
The Significant Other #2 
by Charlie Small 
? Copyright 1994 by Charlie Small 
Used with Permission 
 
Escapade 
by John Frith 
? Copyright Almitra Music, Inc. (ASCAP) 
Used with Permission 
 
1+5 
By Frigyes Hidas 
? Copyright 1994 by Universal Music Publishing Editio Musica Budapest (ASCAP) 
All rights reserved 
 
 
 
vii 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 
 
 
Preface........................................................................................................................... ii 
Dedication .................................................................................................................... iv 
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... v 
Table of Contents ....................................................................................................... viii 
List of Figures ............................................................................................................... x 
Chapter 1: Repertoire and the Selection Process .......................................................... 1 
Repertoire .................................................................................................................. 1 
Tenor vs. Bass Trombone ......................................................................................... 2 
Selecting Repertoire with Trombone Ensemble ....................................................... 3 
Choosing Repertoire with Woodwind Quintet ..................................................... 6 
Chapter 2: Works with Trombone Ensemble................................................................ 8 
The Sword of Orion by Adrian B. Sims ................................................................... 8 
The Composer and the Collaborative Process ...................................................... 8 
About the Work................................................................................................... 13 
Performance Considerations and Suggestions .................................................... 22 
A Beautiful Noise by John Frith ............................................................................. 31 
About the Composer ........................................................................................... 31 
About the Work................................................................................................... 32 
Performance Considerations and Suggestions .................................................... 41 
The Significant Other by Charlie Small.................................................................. 42 
About the Composer ........................................................................................... 42 
About the Work................................................................................................... 44 
Performance Considerations and Suggestions .................................................... 51 
The Significant Other #2 ......................................................................................... 56 
About the Work................................................................................................... 56 
Performance considerations and Suggestions ..................................................... 60 
Chapter 3: Works with Woodwind Quintet ................................................................ 63 
Concertino for Bass Trombone and Woodwind Quintet by William Schmidt ....... 63 
About the Composer ........................................................................................... 63 
About the Work................................................................................................... 64 
Performance Considerations and Suggestions .................................................... 70 
Escapade by Manny Albam .................................................................................... 73 
About the Composer ........................................................................................... 73 
About the Work................................................................................................... 74 
1+5 by Hidas Frigyes .............................................................................................. 81 
About the Composer ........................................................................................... 81 
About the Work................................................................................................... 83 
Performance Considerations and Suggestions .................................................... 90 
Appendix A ................................................................................................................. 94 
Bibliography ............................................................................................................... 96 
 
 
   
viii 
 
 
 
 
ix 
 
 
 
List of Figures 
Figure 1 measures 26-29, the full "nebulosity" theme in trombone one and two, and 
the first statement of the primary theme in the solo.................................................... 15 
Figure 2 measures 35-36 ............................................................................................. 16 
Figure 3 measures 39-40. top line is in tenor clef (F natural notated), all others are in 
bass clef ....................................................................................................................... 16 
Figure 4 measures 68-71 and the return of "nebulous" harmonies ............................. 17 
Figure 5 meaures 117-120, the motif the piece is built upon...................................... 18 
Figure 6 measures 195-198 ......................................................................................... 19 
Figure 7 measures 43-44 ............................................................................................. 21 
Figure 8 measures 296-302, the final harmonic argument ......................................... 22 
Figure 9 measures 18-19, a pseudo-cadenza............................................................... 23 
Figure 10 measures 96-99 ........................................................................................... 26 
Figure 11 the first and second statement of the P theme ............................................ 33 
Figure 12 measures 25-27 ........................................................................................... 33 
Figure 13 measures 32-35 the choir's P theme chords ................................................ 33 
Figure 14 movement 1 glissandi ................................................................................. 34 
Figure 15 clockwise from top center: measures 81-84; 117; 142-147; 113-114. ....... 35 
Figure 16 the upwardly moving "searching" motif ..................................................... 35 
Figure 17 measures 6-9, the primary theme of the second movement, the ?lonely? 
motif ............................................................................................................................ 35 
Figure 18 the complete P2 theme, measures 34-48 .................................................... 37 
Figure 19 measures 18-25, the second statement of the P theme. The printed key 
signature is G major, one sharp................................................................................... 37 
Figure 20 measures 66-70. this carries on for three more measures in this fashion ... 37 
Figure 21 measures 74-76 ........................................................................................... 38 
Figure 22 measures 78-82 ........................................................................................... 38 
Figure 23 measures 132-136, the P theme from the first movement .......................... 39 
Figure 24 excerpts from movement 3 (L) and 2 (R) ................................................... 39 
Figure 25 third movement (L) and second movement (R) ......................................... 40 
Figure 26 measures 1-2 ............................................................................................... 45 
Figure 27 manuscript, measures 6-7 ........................................................................... 45 
Figure 28 measures 17-18, intro to the B theme ......................................................... 46 
Figure 29 measures 19-20 ........................................................................................... 46 
Figure 30 measures 23-25 ........................................................................................... 46 
Figure 31 measures 36-38 ........................................................................................... 47 
Figure 32 measure 52 .................................................................................................. 48 
Figure 33 measures 54-56 ........................................................................................... 48 
Figure 34 measures 89-90, the second "truce figure" ................................................. 49 
Figure 35 measure 82 (bass clef in both parts) ........................................................... 49 
Figure 36 the last three measures of The Significant Other........................................ 50 
Figure 37 measures six to eight .................................................................................. 57 
Figure 38. measure 36, tenor trombone (L) and measure 44, bass trombone (R). Both 
are in bass clef. ............................................................................................................ 58 
Figure 39 the last two measures of the piece .............................................................. 58 
x 
 
 
 
Figure 40 measures 97-101, the possible C theme ..................................................... 59 
Figure 41 measure 33?s rhythmic interplay (B theme) ............................................... 59 
Figure 42 measures 74-75, both in bass clef ............................................................... 59 
Figure 43 measures 83-94, built on the A theme?s bass trombone part ...................... 62 
Figure 44 B? clarinet, measures 20-21 ....................................................................... 66 
Figure 45 B theme, measures 22-26 ........................................................................... 66 
Figure 46 Schmidt movement one, measures 8-10 ..................................................... 66 
Figure 47 The opening measures of the second movement ........................................ 68 
Figure 48 movement three's A theme ......................................................................... 69 
Figure 49 B theme ....................................................................................................... 69 
Figure 50 C theme ....................................................................................................... 69 
Figure 51 Theme E...................................................................................................... 69 
Figure 52 Measures 92-96. Trombone on top, missing a grace note, tuba on bottom.72 
Figure 53, the second statement of the opening theme. .............................................. 76 
Figure 54, measures 136-138. ..................................................................................... 77 
Figure 55, measures 6-7 .............................................................................................. 78 
Figure 56, measure 1-4 of  Escapade .......................................................................... 78 
Figure 57. The first ad lib section in Escapade ........................................................... 79 
Figure 58 the second cadenza-like section.................................................................. 80 
Figure 59 the final cadenza-like section ..................................................................... 81 
Figure 60 measures 1-4 of the first movement of 1+5 ................................................ 83 
Figure 61 measures 21-25 ........................................................................................... 84 
Figure 62 movement 2 opening measures .................................................................. 84 
Figure 63 measures 53-56, the slow section's primary theme .................................... 85 
Figure 64 the final measures of movement 2 .............................................................. 86 
Figure 65 movement four, the A section primary theme ............................................ 87 
Figure 66 the B section of the fourth movement ........................................................ 88 
Figure 67 movement 2, measures 116-121 ................................................................. 92 
Figure 68 visual comparison of a tenor (single valve) and bass (double valve) 
trombone ..................................................................................................................... 95 
  
xi 
 
 
 
Chapter 1: Repertoire and the Selection Process 
 
Repertoire 
With Trombones 
The Sword of Orion (2020)..................................................... Adrian B. Sims (b. 2000) 
A Beautiful Noise (2009) ............................................................... John Frith (b. 1947) 
1. A Beautiful Noise 
2. Vocalise 
3. Rondo-Finale 
 
The Significant Other (1994) .............................................. Charlie Small (1927-2017) 
The Significant Other #2  
 
With Matthew Guilford, tenor trombone 
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
With Woodwind Quintet 
Concertino for Bass Trombone and Wind Quintet (1977).................. William Schmidt  
 (1926-2009) 
1. Movement 1 
2. Movement 2 
3. Movement 3 
 
Escapade (c. 1972) ............................................................. Manny Albam (1922-2001) 
1 + 5 (1994) ......................................................................... Frigyes Hidas (1928-2007) 
1. Moderato 
2. Allegro giocoso; Moderato 
3. Sostenuto 
4. Allegretto; Allegro; Moderato 
 
 
1 
 
 
 
 
Tenor vs. Bass Trombone 
 To the untrained eye, today?s tenor trombone and bass trombone may seem 
very similar in size, however, a short explanation of differences between them is 
required to put the importance of bass trombone solo repertoire into its proper 
context. Unlike instruments such as the clarinet and bass clarinet or viola and cello, 
the tenor and bass trombone are both set in the same register: there is no octave 
displacement in pitch between the two. For physical differences, the bass trombone 
has a larger bore size (the interior diameter of the tubing of the instrument), a larger 
bell, a larger mouthpiece, and almost always a second valve.1 This second valve is 
critical for the modern bass trombone to be fully chromatic, as the first valve (and the 
only valve on a tenor trombone) is pitched in F, making a low C2 difficult at loud 
volumes or technical passages, and a B1 a half step lower only possible by bending 
the pitch down with the embouchure (lips), which can compromise the tone. The 
effect these physical differences have is that the bass trombone specializes in 
performing in and below the bass clef whereas the tenor trombone operates primarily 
in and above the bass clef. Both instruments can technically play the same notes 
 
1 The typical bore size of a ?symphonic? tenor trombone is 0.547?, compared to the bass trombones? 
0.562?. ?Dual bore? options also exist where the top tube of the hand slide is the same as just 
mentioned, and the lower tube is larger at 0.547/0.562 for tenor and 0.562/0.578 for bass. Bell sizes are 
typically 8.5? in diameter for tenor and 9.5? for bass, although these can range from 7?-9? and 9-11?, 
respectively. Most modern bass trombones and bass trombonists perform on instruments that have two 
valves.  Sometimes using a single valve bass is preferred for a lighter tone/balance/blending reasons, or 
when repertoire not requiring a second valve is being performed. Not all tenor trombones have an F 
attachment (valve). The tenor trombone also comes in smaller bore sizes from 0.547-0.485?. A smaller 
bore size coupled with a smaller mouthpiece usually makes the high range easier, increases endurance, 
increases the ?point? on articulations, and reduces the size and breadth of the sound. Pictures of 
various trombones can be found in Appendix A. 
2 
 
 
 
without pitch bending (except for B1 and B0 on tenor)2, but the tonal characteristics, 
high range endurance, and ease of notes in the extremes are noticeably different. The 
bass trombone has a larger sound, and it generally has more low and mid-register than 
high overtones in the sound compared to a tenor trombone, making it what is 
typically described as ?warm? or ?dark? compared to tenor trombone. The sound and 
articulations are generally less pointed, and the larger mouthpiece reduces endurance 
in the high range (which varies depending on the player but is generally considered to 
start between F4 and B?4) compared to tenor while increasing the ease of playing 
below the bass clef staff. Because these two versions of the trombone focus on 
different aspects of register, they have largely developed separate repertoires. The 
tenor trombone has concerti for it dating back to the 1800s (and the alto trombone to 
Leopold Mozart) but the bass trombone did not start to be written for as a solo 
instrument until the mid-to-late 20th century.3 The instrument itself didn?t frequently 
have a second valve (and therefore an easily accessible fully chromatic register) until 
the second half of the 1900s.4  
Selecting Repertoire with Trombone Ensemble 
The process for selecting repertoire was to pair a known, recorded work with 
each ensemble ? trombone choir and woodwind quintet ? with works that have either 
never been recorded, new commissions, or works that are not available in a digital 
 
2 The tubing on some F valves can be pulled to E to play an in-tune C2 and lip down to a B1, however, 
this is usually only done when those two notes are needed, which is rare for tenor trombone in the 
western classical literature. 
3 Douglas Yeo, ?Evolution: The Double-Valve Bass Trombone,? International Trombone Association 
Journal, vol. 43 no. 3 (July 2015). 
4 Yeo, ?Evolution.? 
3 
 
 
 
format. Additionally, these other works must be outside the commonly performed 
solo repertoire. The two known works included are John Frith?s A Beautiful Noise and 
Frigyes Hidas? 1 + 5. Denson Paul Pollard of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra 
recorded A Beautiful Noise in 2013 on an album of the same name with the Columbus 
State University Schwob Trombone Ensemble on Summit Records. Gerry Pagano of 
the Saint Louis Symphony Recorded 1 + 5 in 2014 with members of the St. Louis 
Symphony on the self-published album Ubiquity. Michael Eversden, the retired bass 
trombonist of the North Netherlands Symphony, also recorded 1+5 on the CD Out of 
Bounds in 2014 on the Aliud label. Hidas? work has gained wider acceptance in the 
known repertoire than Frith?s, whether by virtue of being older, less difficult, 
composer recognition, or other factors. 
 The Frith solo was chosen as the known work for its relative newness, the 
existence of only one professional recording, and the unique sounds, styles, and 
demands of the soloist when compared to other works. Works that were ruled out 
because of too many existing recordings and being too well-known include pieces by 
Ewazen, Tommy Pederson?s Blue Topaz, Steven Verhelst?s Capriccio, Tomasi?s ?tre 
Ou Ne Pas ?tre, Koetsier?s Falstaffiade, John Stevens? The Chief, and many 
arrangements of music for other instruments. Some works, like Stephenson?s The 
Road Not Taken were ruled out for their virtuosic demands on both soloist and 
ensemble members, as well as the size of the ensemble.5 Of the previous selections, 
 
5 This project was taken on during the Covid-19 pandemic. Repertoire was chosen before any vaccines 
were developed, and adjustments had to be made to account for a restricted number of performers and 
recording location availability. 
4 
 
 
 
only the Koetsier doesn?t have a recording that is well-known by today?s young and 
upcoming American trombonists.   
The repertoire for solo bass trombone with trombone choir is, relative to solos 
with ensembles other than piano, diverse and thriving. However, there is always room 
at the top for new works, so having a professional and personal friendship with the 
composer, the author commissioned Adrian B. Sims, via consortium, to write a new 
solo for bass trombone and 6 trombones. The result is The Sword of Orion, which the 
author recorded April 4th, 2021. Its public premier, where it received two 
performances, was at the International Trombone Festival at Columbus State 
University on July 14th, 2021, by Brian Hecht (Atlanta, now Dallas, Symphony 
Orchestra), then by George Curran (New York Philharmonic) the following day. 
Matthew Guilford (National Symphony Orchestra) followed this with a performance 
of the work in late July at the DC Trombone Workshop at Shenandoah State 
Conservatory. The work is receiving positive attention and it may quickly make its 
way into the standard bass trombone solo repertoire, although its exceptional 
difficulty will likely limit performances to professionals and highly skilled graduate 
students. 
 Charlie Small wrote Conversation for tenor and bass trombone in 1976, and it 
has arguably set the standard for substantial, ?serious? trombone duets. It is well- 
known and perhaps the most-recorded trombone duet by professionals with no fewer 
than four recordings on five officially published albums.6 At least one prominent 
 
6 Ron Barron and Douglas Yeo (In The Family, and Proclamation, 1996), Joseph Alessi and James 
Markey (On Base, 2009), M. Dee Steward and Peter Ellefson (Dee Plus, 2005), Colin Williams and 
Goerge Curran (Roadwork, 2009), Charlie Small and David Taylor (unpublished recording on 
YouTube). 
5 
 
 
 
trombonist thinks it is the ?finest duet ever written for tenor and bass trombone.?7 The 
author first heard a recording of Conversation in 2008, so when more music by Small 
was sought out, it was a pleasant surprise to find this second duet, The Significant 
Other on the market. Curiously, there were no recordings of the work, not even on 
YouTube or other accessible locations. Thus, this work was chosen as an opportunity 
to record an unknown work by a well-known composer is rare. It was while 
communicating with former teacher Douglas Yeo (Wheaton Conservatory; Boston 
Symphony Orchestra, retired) that the existence of an unpublished part two to this 
duet existed. Through contact with Douglas and Charlie Small?s son David Small, the 
executor of Charlie?s estate, permission was given to record the work. The unique 
opportunity presented was cause enough to include a duet on this recording in lieu of 
a true bass trombone solo with trombone ensemble.  
Choosing Repertoire with Woodwind Quintet 
Hidas? 1 + 5 showed the author that bass trombone can fit into and blend quite 
complementary with a woodwind quintet. It is also the only professionally recorded 
solo with that ensemble available in digital or CD format, thus making it a reasonable 
starting point for the woodwind component of the recording. Other works with 
woodwind quintet were found in addition to the two additional works chosen for this 
recording, and a recommended resource can be found in the Appendix. The initial 
goal was to search for at least one substantial multi-movement work. After ordering a 
copy of the Schmidt Concertino, playing through the solo part, spending time in score 
 
7 Douglas Yeo, ?Conversation?, last modified November 3, 2016,  
https://thelasttrombone.com/2016/11/03/conversation/. 
6 
 
 
 
study, and plucking out harmonies on a piano, it was evident that this work met the 
criteria. It was a substantial 3 movement work that has never been professionally 
recorded and it seems to have been largely forgotten. Written for and premiered by 
Terry Cravens, Professor of Trombone and the University of Southern California 
(USC) and prolific Los Angeles freelancer, it was a surprise that this piece had flown 
under the radar.  
 The final choice afforded the author a great deal of flexibility: it would not 
need to be a lengthy work in lieu of the other works, and something of a lighter style 
or nature would be welcome to balance out the repertoire already chosen. Including a 
composer of some renown outside the trombone community would be ideal. All the 
music chosen so far is of a serious nature, so Manny Albam?s Escapade fulfilled its 
namesake and was selected. It is in a commercial/straight jazz style with several 
cadenzas and has the widest range of any of the works with woodwind quintet of E?4 
to F?1.  This work does have a professional recording by Dr. Thomas Streeter, who 
recorded in 1972 on the album Thomas Streeter ? Music for Bass Trombone with the 
Kendor Music label. However, this was on a vinyl recording and it has not been 
digitized. It was only through Interlibrary Loan that the author was able to listen to 
the recording. With the repertoire selected the next process was to secure the required 
musicians and a location to record. 
7 
 
 
 
Chapter 2: Works with Trombone Ensemble 
The Sword of Orion by Adrian B. Sims 
The Composer and the Collaborative Process 
 Adrian B. Sims is a is a young but emerging composer hailing from Seattle, 
Washington. Born in 2000, he eventually moved to Maryland where he graduated 
from Catonsville High School and started a dual major in music education and 
composition at the University of Maryland College Park.8 The trombone is his 
instrument of choice, and he studies it with Matthew Guilford and composition with 
Dr. Robert Gibson. At the time of writing, he has found success writing for the grade 
school band repertoire, where he was written or been commissioned to write ten 
pieces for band and two for adaptable ensembles. He has eight chamber ensemble 
works, including The Sword of Orion to his credit. Sims counts Brian Balmages as his 
primary compositional inspiration, and Sims? music is intensely rhythmic and hard 
driving using thematic development and harmonic arguments to move his works 
forward.9 Of his composition style he states:  
?I like my ideas to be concise but developed. [the 5-note theme in 
measure 117] is simple but it goes all kinds of places. The way I 
develop is mostly related to harmony: I [as a performer] think it?s 
going to this place, then I bring it down [in an unexpected way] into 
another place.? For me, everything is one cohesive idea. I don?t think 
about the key signature?that section (measure 195) is in Db minor. I 
didn?t think ?I want to write in Db minor?, that?s what was there? I 
don?t think about what the articulations are, the dynamics are, about 
what the style is, the mood is, everything is just one cohesive idea. 
That section rings of that kind of heroic character, and that?s definitely 
 
8 Adrian B. Sims, ?About Adrian,? last modified November 20, 2019, 
https://www.adrianbsims.com/about. 
9 Adrian B. Sims, interview by author, College Park, Maryland, September 2021. 
8 
 
 
 
what I was going for. I can?t point to a specific image in the sky of 
that, but that?s what the character was.?10  
 
Sims is also branching out into film music and has started incorporating the fast 
turnaround times of the field, and therefore efficient compositional process, into his 
own methods.    
The title and image on the cover of The Sword of Orion is inspired by nature. 
While looking online for wall art, the composer found a composite image of the 
Orion Nebula taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2004 and 200511 and instantly 
knew that both the image and the nebula?s location ? a part of the ?sword? within the 
Orion constellation ? would serve as the title and inspiration for a future 
composition.12 The author and composer met through the University of Maryland 
where the composer started his Bachelor?s the same semester the author started his 
doctoral degree. After performing Sims? Trombone Quartet No. 1 that year and 
hearing his compositional style grow over the following years, the author decided to 
commission Sims to write a solo for bass trombone and trombone sextet of about 8 
minutes in length, with an expected performer skill of a graduate student or 
professional soloist. Sims has already achieved success as a regularly commissioned 
composer for grade school bands, but this was his first foray into a solo literature. An 
unusually large consortium of 20 members was assembled for two primary reasons.13 
Spreading out the costs associated with commissioning a commercially successful 
composer lessened the burden on the author to solely finance the whole piece while 
 
10 Sims, interview by author. 
11 M. Robberto, ?Hubble?s Sharpest View of the Orion Nebula,? Hubblesite, last modified January 11, 
2006,  https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2006/01/1826-Image.html. 
12 Sims, interview by author.  
13 A complete list of the consortium members can be found in the appendices. 
9 
 
 
 
ensuring Sims was paid a fair rate. Of equal or greater importance, the work would 
receive a wide initial distribution among many of the most prominent bass 
trombonists in the United States. Should the work receive a successful debut, this will 
hopefully lead to acceptance into the current repertoire as well as additional solo 
commissions in the future. 
As part of the collaborative process between composer and consortium lead, 
and to give a common starting point, Sims asked the author for things that inspire 
him. What do you do to relax? What are your interests outside of music? Hobbies? 
What do you draw inspiration from? To that, the author responded with nature, being 
in and enjoying the natural world, and space. The author spent many years in 
Arizona, known for hot summers, saguaro cacti, and the Grand Canyon. But it has a 
much wider variety of climates than is widely known, including pine tree forests, and 
a city at 7,000 feet of altitude (Flagstaff, Arizona) that experiences all four seasons 
and averages over seven feet of snow per year.14 It shares the wide-open skies and 
vistas of the great plains states, the mountain vistas courtesy of the many mountain 
ranges, and many national and state parks that preserve the natural beauty of the land. 
The author draws inspiration from hiking unnamed mountains and trails to ?get away 
from it all?. Once about 80 miles outside of Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona?s next 
natural inspirational wonder makes its appearance: night skies with little light 
pollution. The author spent hundreds of nights over the course of fifteen years looking 
at the night sky, with and without a telescope, enjoying the beauty of those vistas. All 
 
14 Adrian Skabelund, ?National Weather Service: Flagstaff sees on average hotter weather, less rain, 
snow than 30 years ago,? Arizona Daily Sun, June 19, 2021, https://azdailysun.com/news/local/state-
and-regional/national-weather-service-flagstaff-sees-on-average-hotter-weather-less-rain-snow-than-
30-years/article_e9b85eea-8d8f-5461-b93b-943e9500d8bc.html. 
10 
 
 
 
things related to space, astronomy, astrophysics, and near-science fiction are sources 
of interest to the author. That is the common inspirational ground between the 
composer and the author. 
The author?s intent with feedback on the work during the compositional 
process was to keep it minimal to avoid influencing or otherwise affecting the 
compositional process. Feedback primarily came in two forms: pointing out 
particularly enjoyable and effective sections and keeping the piece bass trombone 
oriented. Many sections of this work are above the staff, which is not an ideal range 
for the bass trombone to stay in, particularly for extended periods in a solo piece, so 
efforts were made to generally lower the tessitura to make it more accessible to a 
wider range of performers. Examples of changes of this type can be found in measure 
35 and 213-216, with their high octave written as an option to the performer, as well 
as measures 45-49, 66-71, and 176-183 being printed an octave lower than originally 
written. The composer also being tenor trombonist impacted the composition.  
?In a lot of ways, I was writing this for tenor trombone. A lot 
of lines were up the octave, and you said to take it down an octave and 
it was even better. So, in a sense?it was from a tenor perspective, I 
wasn?t hearing the lower stuff. But it works, especially in this piece. 
There?s high stuff too, like [measures 15, 31, 51 and] 59, so there?s 
that contrast there. When the low stuff is good, it really comes though 
[measure] 66 comes out and the listener is impressed at how wide the 
range [of the bass trombone] cane be, particularly how low [it 
goes].?15   
 
The range of this piece is substantial: D1 to B4. While this range is not exceptional to 
the professional or orchestral bass trombonist ? Kodaly?s H?ry J?nos Suite goes as 
 
15 Sims, interview by author.  
11 
 
 
 
high, and Berg?s Three Pieces for Orchestra is as low ? this work routinely goes 
between, or very near to, both of those extremes. In the end the author chose to err on 
the side of fewer suggestions and direct instruction to not stifle the creative process, 
especially considering many of these high sections were quite beautiful and poignant. 
Optional octave changes have been put into several moments that either allow the 
performer to retain the original higher octave or the raise the exceptionally low 
section from measures 66-71. That section can be particularly difficult after playing 
loud, and then high, a few measures beforehand. However, the printed octaves are the 
preferred and official octaves. 
 Changing the register of a passage changes more than just the register. It 
changes the timbre, the intensity, and the general feel of a passage. Therefore, every 
time an octave change was suggested, the author had very specific and carefully 
decided reasons for it. Some changes were a case of it being too much high playing or 
being too much for bass trombone in addition to what?s already in the work to have 
the piece be accessible to as many performers as possible. Examples of this include 
measures 36 and its previous tied note, and 213-216. The former moment also 
changes the emotional energy of the moment. Jumping from F?3 to A4, while 
difficult, has a certain bittersweet poignancy. Jumping down to A2 instead brings 
warmth and comfort. It also prepares the performer and listener for the F?1 in the 
following measure.   
The moments where an octave was lowered to below the staff were done 
almost entirely for musical reasons. Early in the collaborative process the author 
started making overdub tracks to play along with. As part of that process the 
12 
 
 
 
emotional-musical content was explored in depth and several sections were found to 
be enhanced by lowering the octave. Measure 46-47 (although also through 49) is the 
prime example of this. These measures used to be an octave higher (although some 
notes were changed in measures 48-49 when the register did), but the descending line 
of C?3-F?2 was a spot that instinctively jumped out as needing to resolve down to C?
2 instead of up. Doing so provides the first moment where the full richness and depth 
of the trombone choir is heard in this piece. The low-set C? major chord completely 
changes the texture and tone of the moment, going from a still tonally ambiguous and 
high-set, thinner texture to a sure-footed, earthy and powerful register of the bass 
trombone. The final octave change of note is measures 66-71. Again, when playing 
with an overdubbed choir, the dark, menacing character of this section was evident. 
On a hunch, the author played the section down an octave from the draft Sims had 
sent over and knew that that was that sound that would make this moment pop. The 
recordings with both octaves were sent to the composer and he agreed that this 
change was a keeper. Its increased difficulty might cause some performers to pass 
over the piece, so the option was included to perform it as originally written. 
About the Work 
The Sword of Orion is a dynamic and demanding work inspired by an image 
of the Orion Nebula within the Orion constellation. The work is approximately eight 
minutes long and is in a single through-composed movement. Instead of using 
structural forms such as Sonata, Rondo, Theme and Variations, or other defined 
13 
 
 
 
forms to organize the piece, Sims structures it through harmonic problems that must 
be solved, typically through basic motifs that can be developed in many ways.  
The work is divided into two distinct segments: A slow opening fantasia in 
three section that gives way to a more rhythmically and hard driving second half. 
Given its history as improvisatory rather than a strict structural style, the fantasia is 
most appropriate label for the opening slow section. The indicated instructions allow 
for rhythmic flexibility in measures 18 and 37, (including other changes not directly 
indicated by the composer) as well as the more florid writing of measures 30-37 and 
43-51 give it an improvisatory sense. The uncertain tonal centers and opaque 
harmonies add to this free feeling, as do character shifts that rebut each previous 
one?s argument. Finally, the lack of meaningful repetition precludes any defined 
structure from being applied. Harmonies in the fantasia section are informed by the 
concept of a nebula and the implied ambiguity that can be metaphorically described 
as nebulosity. 
The opening fantasia can be divided into three distinct sections: measures 1-
44, 45-60 and 61-71. The first 19 measures have relatively straight forward 
harmonies, but with added notes, whether an added fourth, seventh, or second, often 
preceded or followed by an open fifth, possibly representing the openness and 
vastness of space and the night sky. This changes in measure 20 with the introduction 
of the ?nebulous? idea. Starting in measure 26 this idea is added to by additional 
motion in the other parts, giving a sense of chaotic random motion that further 
obscures the tonality. This begins to coalesce in measure 28 around two alternating 
14 
 
 
 
chords, B and A major with a G pedal point (Figure 1). As the solo part becomes 
more complete, the ensemble further coalesces into simple quarter note motion while 
Figure 1 measures 26-29, the full "nebulosity" theme in trombone one and two, and the first 
statement of the primary theme in the solo. 
retaining harmonic ambiguity. Sims crafted this harmonic and rhythmic nebulosity in 
such a way that is still functions as the emotional stage for the soloist, increasing and 
easing tension and at key moments, without being too aleatoric or truly random. A 
moment of clarity and relative serenity is reached in measure 34, but it is still clouded 
by non-chord tones. The first moment of peaceful repose and pure harmonies without 
added notes is measure 36 where the works settles on a v- I motion arriving on a B 
major chord (Figure 2). This tonal motion of minor v to major I will be a recurring 
idea throughout the piece. The work quickly moves to great tension and dissonant 
harmonies with an exposed D-F third in the first two trombones which stands in stark 
contrast to the overwhelming number of F??s heard so far in the piece. This is 
15 
 
 
 
immediately met with the dissonant and 
surprising D split-third chord that provides at 
sharp, bitter moment that makes the 
previously peaceful moments that much 
more poignant for it, and the following 
section more meaningful (Figure 3).  
The second defined section starting 
in measure 45 marks the second sounding of Figure 2 measures 35-36 
the primary motif. It moves away from an 
introspective and harmonically nebulous character to 
a confident, powerful, and hopeful character. The 
low, thick chords in measure 45 for the first time 
show the richness of the low register of the trombone 
and rise to sound the primary motif in A?. The 
harmonies are now exceedingly clear and tonal 
consisting mostly of major chords. The ensemble 
texture builds and crescendos to the first tutti forte in Figure 3 measures 39-40. top line is 
in tenor clef (F natural notated), all 
others are in bass clef 
the work, a triumphant arrival on a D? chord with a 
rising and falling arpeggio in the solo voice. This outburst of clarity is in clear 
defiance of the murky beginnings of the tonally ambiguous opening. This slowly 
recedes to a peaceful transition that allows the soloist to show their quiet high playing 
with one last contemplative call. 
16 
 
 
 
Measure 61 initiates the final section of the fantasia by returning to the 
nebulous harmonies, this time without the rhythmic complexity. Sims states of 
measures 61-71,  
?I couldn?t tell you what it?s like being in a nebula, I?ve never 
experienced it, never been to space, but I imagine being disoriented 
in all of that, and that comes through being disoriented harmonically. 
I don?t know what key it?s in. I don?t care what key it?s in. I just 
know it?s the way I want this to sound and there?s something kind of 
uncomfortable about it, it feels kind of lost, but it?s [still] going 
somewhere. Every note goes somewhere and takes us somewhere 
and either adds or resolves dissonance.?16 
 
This section (Figure 4) is more akin to floating through space and seeing the chance 
alignments caused by one?s motion changing the harmonies, with sometimes random 
events interrupting the moment. Starting in measure 62, harmonies become more 
dissonant, and glissandi are used to add additional ambiguity and confusion to the 
moment. The soloist breaks through this now dark, gloomy, even menacing, mood on 
a pedal D in 
measure 66.17 
Through a 
series of split 
third chords 
the soloist 
starts to force 
the dissonant 
harmonies to 
Figure 4 measures 68-71 and the return of "nebulous" harmonies 
 
16 Sims, interview by author. 
17 In trombone terminology, pedal notes are all notes from B?1 and lower. 
17 
 
 
 
converge on beat three of each measure, finally arriving in measure 72 on an E major 
chord, coming from a ?VI ? V voice leading motion to a moment the composer calls 
?a ray of sunshine peaking over the horizon.?18 Another statement of the theme in a 
peaceful A key area leads to a repeat of the opening open fifth call from measure 14-
15 signaling the close of the slow section and the start of the fast section, which 
immediately starts with a measure in five-eight time tied over from the previous 
chord. This is a reminder that the nebulosity is still present. 
Almost exactly half the length of the performance time, the fast section is 
driven by the harmonic development on and reworking of the theme of the work. The 
original theme and the basic idea that ties the entire work together is found measure 
117-120 with measure 117-118 being the smallest, most fundamental part of the 
theme (Figure 5). This theme shows up in quickly recognizable forms in measures 27 
(the first statement of a 
Figure 5 meaures 117-120, the motif the piece is built upon recognizable form of the 
motif)(Figure 1), 46, 50, 75, 121, 127, 131, 135, 185-189, 195, 236, 240, 247, 253, 
267, 277, 283, and 289. These are the comparatively obvious version of the theme. 
Some are seen in diminution or augmentation, some in as partial segments (measures 
33, 48, 72, 232, 293), with a note added and/or removed or rest inserted between 
notes (9-10, 37-38, 77, 269), or a note placed out of order (56). Finally, some are 
otherwise derived from the measure 117 motif (35, 43, 51, 53, 151). As is evidenced 
by this list, the entirety of this piece is infused with material directly related to or 
derived from the primary motif. 
 
18 Sims, interview by author. 
18 
 
 
 
The solo entrance in the fast section serves as a vehicle for technical virtuosity 
and setting up the various elements of the rest of the piece. The frenetic transition 
calms down somewhat and the primary theme, and in fact the first notes that were put 
on paper, appears in measure 117. Here the theme is of a noble character. Frequent 
time changes add interest and variety, and the theme is heard in G, A? and G? in 
rapid succession. Sims then moves away from the primary motif and onto secondary 
motivic ideas that can sometimes also be traced back to the primary motif. A motor 
component starts in the ensemble in measure 142 and will continue almost 
uninterrupted for the rest of the piece. The solo line alternates between lyrical, 
sweeping melodies (measures 135, 
151, 176, 195) and shorter, buoyant, 
and intense ideas (167, 207). This leads 
to the first climactic moment of the fast 
section, the statement of the primary 
theme in D? with the solo now heard 
above the staff in lyrical form with the 
ensemble providing rich block chords 
underneath (Figure 6). This is the 
highest tessitura the soloist will use for 
the rest of the work and the highest Figure 6 measures 195-198 
since the rising fifth D-A call at the end of the slow section.  
 Measure 216 begins a new section that isn?t dominated, or even obviously 
influenced, by the primary motif. The character also changes immediately from clear 
19 
 
 
 
harmonies and melodic driven segments to harmonic ambiguity, dissonant intervals, 
and a thinner texture. Glissandi move from unisons to half steps and back, and an ?in 
one? feel emerges from the three-four time signature. While the ensemble starts to 
return to its ambiguous and menacing roots, the soloist once again bursts into the 
moment to change directions with a vastness and picturesque melody worthy of a 
movie scene. The harmonies change to major and hopeful as excitement builds to a 
frenetic series of ascending sixteenth notes in the solo part in measures 243-245. 
 From measure 247 to the end the harmonic motion starts to speed up. Key 
areas move from D? in 247 to B? in 253, E? acting as dominant in 264, and the final 
tonal center of A? in 277. The texture here mixes legato motifs from measure 41 with 
the short note motor element of the fast section. The triplets in measure 276 are a 
variation on measure 194 and the lead up to the respective theme statements. The 
final statement of the theme arrives at the coda of measure 283, this time in a five-
eight time signature after an accelerando. Harmonic nebulosity and dissonant 
intervals return in a final moment to finish solving the half-step disagreement that has 
permeated the piece. A is played against A? prior to the closing three chords of D? 
major ? A major ? A? open fifth sequence with A? winning at the end. Although it is 
tempting to attempt to analyze the opening key are of D with the closing one of A?, 
there is no deliberate meaning behind the tritone relationship (Figure 8).19 
 
19 Sims, interview by author. 
20 
 
 
 
 Harmonically, there is one primary argument put forward that the piece must 
solve: which chromatic neighbor tone belongs. The most common way this argument 
is seen is through split third chords. Its first, and most jarring, entrance is in measure 
39 (Figure 3). D major clashes with D minor, and after a minute of hearing F??s, the 
F? is quite the surprise. This disagreement over the correct interval is then played out 
more surreptitiously, first horizontally in measure 41, then horizontally and vertically 
in measure 42-44 (Figure 7). The A-B? over a G-D fifth becomes A-B? over an F?-C
? fifth, becoming the enharmonic minor and 
major third of the chord. Measure 42 places an 
A in the solo while the choir voice moves to B
? on the next eighth note presenting the split 
Figure 7 measures 43-44 
thirds. This harmonic idea of the ascending 
chromatic half step that serves as the third of the chord also appears in the Dark, 
Brooding section of measures 67-72, then not until 236 where it rapidly appears again 
in measures 265-274 and 300 between soloist and ensemble. Its inverted form of the 
major third fighting the fourth scale degree also appears throughout the work 
whenever ambiguity is needed. Perhaps the most startling realization of this harmonic 
struggle is the relationship between the fifth and lowered sixth or raised fourth scale 
degree in a chord. This form of dissonant tension presented either vertically or 
horizontally is present throughout almost the entirety of the work. Selected locations 
include measures 35, 47, 59-74,125, 132, 154-158, 190, 216-236, 248-278, 282-283, 
and the final measures of 296-302. This final clash that repeatedly moves between A 
and A? isn?t resolved until the final chord (Figure 8). Fascinatingly, and whether on 
21 
 
 
 
intentionally or not, this V vs ?VI is baked into the primary motif?s first chord 
progression of i ? ?VI ? V/IV ? IV ? i. 
Figure 8 measures 296-302, the 
final harmonic argument 
Performance Considerations and Suggestions 
Although the intent with this commission was to have it approachable by an 
average-to-advanced graduate student, it is virtuosic in the technical and range 
demands of the soloist. Strong chordal tuning skills are also required due to the high 
number of thirds in the solo part. A strong, lyrical high range up to B4 is a must. The 
sustained D?s and breath in measures 12-13 should be feathered with the ensemble as 
to not know when you stopped one note and started the next. The opening statement 
quicky rises to A4 by measure 15 and is approached by slur from D4. Practice partial-
skipping slurs to ensure smooth execution of this completely exposed moment ? no 
one else is playing here. A possible alternative is to simultaneously slur and very 
lightly articulate the note to aid in clipping an in-between partial. Keep the tone pure, 
22 
 
 
 
relaxed, and sweet. The section marked freely in measures 18-19 may be played in 
time, but the suggestion by the composer is to do what you want with the time here 
(Figure 9). No matter the choice made, work with the conductor to ensure the choir?s 
entrances on beat 3 and 2 of 
measures 18 and 19, respectively, 
Figure 9 measures 18-19, a pseudo-cadenza 
line up with your time. They 
should fit your time, not the other way around. Experiment with changes to time, 
dynamics, and phrasing to achieve the musical goal. The first note of measure 20 and 
22 are the third of the chord so plan accordingly to lower the pitch so it rings true 
without having to adjust after arriving. Everything from measure 9 through measure 
23 in the solo part should have a sweet, pure essence to the character. 
Measure 27 is the first statement of the primary theme, which will return 
throughout the piece. Keep it broad and moving forward. Take a large enough breath 
to play until the end of the C? in measure 29 without interrupting the phrase. 
Although marked mezzo forte, it only needs to be singing and full, not loud per se. It 
is perfectly acceptable to have the trombone choir play softer through the entire 
section until measure 38. Understanding the underlying harmonies will aid you in 
your musical choices: the underlying chord of measure 29 alternates between D and 
A major with a G pedal underpinning the tonality. Arriving on the perceived tritone 
from the bass voice can be a shock if not prepared musically. You may wish to drive 
that phrase to the C? to draw out the tension and tonal ambiguity, or to the D in the 
previous measure depending on your goal. Do not let the sextuplet in measure 30 
distract you from the goal of this phrase: the A4 in measure 31, which you may wish 
23 
 
 
 
to linger on.20 The C??s in measures 32 and 33 and the F? in measure 34 are the third 
of the chord so plan accordingly. Do not rush through the sixteenth notes or triplets in 
measures 33-35, especially the arrival on beat 3 of measure 34. The choice of which 
octave to perform in measure 35-36 will need to be made. If the high version is 
chosen, keep the tone pure and sweet, like measure 15. The arrival on the B major 
chord of measure 36 is the first pure and tonally unambiguous chord since the solo 
began (notwithstanding the B? chord in measures 3 and 11). The run marked freely in 
measure 37 may be played in time or you may wish to linger on the lower notes as if 
it were feather beamed (as it was in an earlier version of the draft); however, lining up 
the choir entrance after your arrival on the top E is paramount. The choir should also 
crescendo in the final two beats of measure 37, with an even greater crescendo into 
measure 39. The clashing split third chord of measure 39 is an intense and important 
moment. Lean into the dissonance here! The new tonal center of D minor (compared 
to the D major chords of earlier) should be shocking and have a piercing quality to it. 
This moment relaxes ? by moving through the tritone of A? ? to a new harmonic 
theme: a sustained note with changing root (G minor to F? minor/major).  
In measure 44, despite the slur indicating otherwise, you may want to linger 
on the beat 3 resolution in measure 44 then breathe before measure 45. This starts a 
new section that sees the full return of the primary theme, now in A? minor. The 
voice leading between the solo and 3rd trombone in measures 45-46 should be brought 
out. Measures 47-48 provide a unique challenge in that almost every beat is the third 
 
20 Sims, Interview with the author. 
24 
 
 
 
of the chord. Spend time with tuning drones, or by making your own backing track to 
practice these chord changes so they all ring true. This section from 45-53 is the first 
time the full ensemble reaches a forte dynamic and in a major key area (D?). You 
will need to play out to be heard in measures 50-52, but the choir only needs to be 
forte, as there are many moments later in the piece for louder dynamics. 
The section from measures 53-81 is transitional in nature. Measures 53-61 
should be the post-storm calm. Return to a pure, lighter sound as in the beginning. 
Try phrasing from the A? in measure 58 to the A? in measure 59: this should be one 
of two moments in the solo of ?a ray of sunshine peeking over the horizon? that 
provides a moment of repose and peace before what is to come.21 The tonality quickly 
returns to ambiguity ? nebulosity for the metaphorical aspect ? and the trombone 
choir will need to phrase these changes slightly to keep the music moving forward. 
The general musical line will inherently want to diminuendo to the arrival in measure 
66 as the harmonies get progressively denser and more dissonant but a slight 
crescendo into measure 66 will set up that arrival point. Your entrance on pedal D in 
measure 66 should be dark, ominous, and even menacing. Dynamic hairpins may be 
used here to shape the phrase and add tension to the dissonant arrivals on beat three of 
each measure. This is the most harmonically dissonant and ambiguous section of the 
piece and represents the imagined disorienting experience of floating through a 
nebula, with all its gas, dust, and celestial bodies obscuring everything, moving in 
unpredictable ways. Do what you must to achieve a true slur from the pedal D to the 
pedal A in 66 even though it isn?t technically slurred as the D will otherwise feel 
 
21 Sims, Interview by author. 
25 
 
 
 
orphaned from the following phrase if there is a gap to breath or reset the 
embouchure. Practice using or ignoring a shift, embracing the shift, pitch bends, and 
other techniques to build that ability. Be aware of what part of the chord you have, 
particularly the minor thirds on beats 3-4 of measures 68 and 71. The ?VI - V motion 
in trombone 2 of measures 72 and in the solo part of measure 73 is the second of the 
?ray of sunshine? moments. Let that E major chord be an arrival point where the 
harmonic ambiguity of the previous section is put to rest and replaced by peace. 
Measure 96 is perhaps the most difficult moment in the entire piece (Figure 
10). The tempo is marked at a blisteringly fast quarter note = 162. However, the 
Figure 10 measures 96-99 
composer has noted that although desired, it is not a strict tempo marking.22 What 
sounds exciting and good in a compositional program may sound just as good slower 
with real musicians. Quarter note = 152 is a more attainable tempo for a wider player 
base. The extremely low tessitura combined with the fast tempo and loud dynamic 
make this daunting to even the most skilled performers. If you have a shift in your 
pedal register, you may want to try playing the first 2, or even all 5, notes in your 
shift, then return to normal in the following measure. Alternatively, slur that entire 
measure if that?s the difference between the notes coming out or not. Trombone 5 
doubles the solo an octave higher in that measure, so you need immediacy of 
response on the note, not strictly volume. You can also have the trombone choir 
 
22 Sims, interview by author. 
26 
 
 
 
reduce their volume further as a final option. Experiment with alternate positions and 
valve combinations in the sixteenth note runs for the rest of the piece. Try the A in 
sixth position in measure 99, then in measures 101 and 106, E in seventh position or F 
on second valve and flat second position are all valid combinations to try. 
Measure 117 is the prime form of the main theme, and the first notes written 
in this piece. Keep it heroic, the phrases long, and rhythmically accurate. The long 
note values should contrast sharply with the shorter notes in the ensemble. Drive 
through the suspension in measure 132 and have the choir bring out their resolutions. 
Measure 135 should be an immediate texture and mood shift to more pastorale and 
carefree. Measure 142 introduces the motor element common in many of Sims? 
pieces that will be present for the rest of this piece.23 Have everyone put a slight 
emphasis on the downbeat and, most importantly, keep everything light. This figure 
will tend to drag over time as everyone starts to fatigue and having a conductor keep 
everyone moving along can be quite helpful. In measures 158-159, pulse the 
downbeats and put extra emphasis on the first of each 3-note grouping in the 
following two measures to bring out the six-eight feel. 
The change in style in measure 167 should shift from lyrical to crisp. Keep the 
sixteenth nots exceptionally clean, especially on repeated notes. The pedal E in 
measure 176 should be a surprise to the audience as the pedal register hasn?t been 
used in more than a minute and a half of music. Enter confidently but with enough 
room to grow as the phrase rises in tessitura. Keep the lyrical aspect in the low range 
 
23 Sims, Interview by author. 
27 
 
 
 
here; playing loud and low is not impressive, lyrical and low with a great sound and 
clean slurs is impressive. 
The next section introduces the theme in diminution withing the five-eight 
time and begins a long build up to the chorale statement of the theme in measure 195. 
Although marked forte in measure 189 you will need room to grow so either have 
everyone take the volume down one level or add a diminuendo in measures 190. 
Ensure the choir doesn?t crescendo until measure 193, and trombone two should help 
lead the crescendo into measure 195. Keep the chords broad and round and keep the 
solo line here lyrical and free of strain in the sound. This is in the upper register for a 
sustained loud passage for bass trombone, but it is only nine measures. Be aware of 
when you have the third of the chord in measures 197 and 201. On this section Sims 
says, ?There?s something that tips just a little bit more on edge than a tenor playing 
that [high and lyrical].?24 The material beginning in measure 207 is answer to the call 
from measures 167-173 so play it in the same style. Keep the chords in measure 215 
long. The solo part is the only one with the third of the chord, so keep the F? low, and 
keep the energy up through the glissando. 
Measure 216 begins a completely new section with an immediate mood 
change. Glissandi here should start moving immediately and slowly instead of at the 
lats moment as trombonists typically play glissandi. This section should be lightly 
articulated and mysterious in character in the ensemble. The tonal ambiguity here is a 
reference back to the ambiguity from the opening of the piece, and the dissonant 
intervals should not be minimized. The solo interruption in measure 228 should start 
 
24 Sims, Interview by author. 
28 
 
 
 
to reform the tonality while its lyricism contrasts with the pointed and somewhat 
dissonant nature of the choir. The feeling should have a vast, picturesque, almost 
movie like quality to it here. Be intentional in phrasing through these long notes to 
keep it from stagnating. Practice measures 228-241 with tuning drones to hear the 
harmonies so you can land immediately on the major and minor thirds present 
throughout this section. 
In measure 256, do not clip the top E? short, but do land very strongly on 
measure 257 as you are the only voice playing on that beat. The ensemble returns in 
measure 265 with the theme found back in measure 41 so keep their phrasing similar. 
The scale in measure 270 should be tested with all valve combinations and alternate 
positions possible until success is found. Try the G? with the second valve (if an 
independent valve) or the following F in sixth position. Try the D?, C?, B?, A? in 
fifth, first valve + flat second, first valve + flat third to A? in third, or even D? in 
fifth, C? with second valve + flat third, then B? in first. Keep the triplets long and do 
not rush them. The duple in measure 275 will require subdivision to execute properly.  
Keep this section broad and strong.  
The harmonic-melodic progression relationship from measure 277 to 278 is 
perhaps one of the most surprising of the entire work. Previous versions of the theme 
had a pattern equivalent to I ??VI. This iteration moves to the minor ?vi chord and 
places the final note of the solo line a half step higher than expected. The interval 
pattern of the solo line would expect to place a G? in measure 278, not a G?, 
however, because this statement of the theme begins on the fifth of the chord, the G? 
29 
 
 
 
breaks the melodic expectation while maintaining the harmonic root tone. The first 
trombone line moving from G? in 277 down to G? in 278 has a sinister suggestion 
reminiscent of the changing third in Mahler?s sixth symphony. This highly 
unexpected moment further raises the energy before the transition into the coda. 
Finally, keep the short reprieve of measures 290-295 light and buoyant before the 
final push to the end. Here, the fortissississimo reflects the intensity of the moment, 
not necessarily a pure volume label. 
A few final notes from the composer: the glissandi in measures 15, 101, 215-
222 should start immediately and take the full duration of the printed note value. The 
rest are at the performer?s discretion. None of the following ideas are notated, but the 
composer?s personal interpretation at the time includes: 
? measure 11 with a slight ritard  
? 20-23 as slightly faster, with a ritard from the end of measure 23 
through the end of 25, back to A tempo at measure 26.  
? Measures 30-37 do not need to be in strict time    
? The appassionato from measures 46-48 may be faster 
? Bring out trombone 5 in measures 26-27, trombone 4 in 27 and 31, 
and trombone 3 in 34-35 as important countermelodies.25 
 
The composer?s view on his music is best explained in his own words:  
?My perception of the piece changes as I work on it. The reason I 
decided to not feather beam measure 37 was so that if someone didn?t 
want to play it that way, they wouldn?t feel like they had to. They can 
just have that little bit of space before it. The freely makes it so you 
can do exactly that, and you can do what you want. As much as 
possible I try to stay out of the way of the performer. Look at tempo 
for example. In the midi example [sent to the author during the 
composition process], there are a lot of tempo changes that are not in 
the score and that?s because I want to give the soloist the opportunity 
to make their own music out of it. I feel that the music wants to move 
forward [in a given location]. I?m not going to put a metronome 
marking in [I feel a small change] because that takes away 
 
25 Sims, interview by author. 
30 
 
 
 
performance creativity, and frankly, if they?re a good enough 
musician, that?s something they?ll do and feel that naturally. Once I 
put a double bar on a piece and I send over the files, it really isn?t my 
piece anymore. It?s yours and whoever else is playing it. I?ve put it out 
and it?s everyone else?s job to make it their own piece. So, your 
version is going to be different than Brian?s [Hecht] version, than 
Goerge?s [Curran] version, than Matt?s [Guilford] version. Everyone 
views the world differently so everyone?s going to have a different 
take based on their experience, their anything. I think we get into a 
situation of taking composers too literally with what they say and 
sometimes the performer?s musicality can be a better decision than 
what the composer has written.?26 
 
A Beautiful Noise by John Frith 
About the Composer 
John Frith is an active composer living in the United Kingdom. Born in 1947 
in Hampshire, he studied composition at Dartington College of Arts with Richard 
Hall. He continued his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he 
studied french horn with Anthony Halstead and composition with Edmund Rubbra. 
While there he won the School Brass Prize (1971) and Composition Prize (1972) 
before becoming a freelance musician where he performed with many London 
orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra. Frith transitioned to a career 
as a composer and teacher, working for Abingdon School, then Northampton Music 
School, Oundle School, then for Worcestershire Youth Music, developing music 
project with children and teaching brass. He retired from teaching full time in 2007 
but continues to compose. Frith wrote A Beautiful Noise in 2009 for British bass 
trombonist Jonathan Warburton and the Columbus State University Trombone Choir 
 
26 Sims, interview by author. 
31 
 
 
 
where it was premiered during the 2009 Eastern Trombone Workshop in Arlington, 
Virginia, USA.27, 28, 29, 30 
About the Work 
 A Beautiful Noise is a three-movement work that shows the warmth and 
humorous side of the bass trombone. The work follows a normative fast-slow-fast 
movement scheme, with themes from the first and second movements appearing in 
the third to tie everything together in a show of compositional forethought. In an 
unusual choice of scoring, the work is for bass trombone and seven trombones in the 
choir instead of the more common six or eight.  
 Movement one, marked Vivo, is a monothematic movement where small 
motivic or rhythmic ideas are traded between soloist and ensemble to create a fabric 
that is familiar but not boring or overly repetitive. The primary melody/theme (P) is 
lush and lyrical in nature.31 It shows both the wide range of the bass trombone while 
hinting at the darker and more aggressive capabilities with the shift to eighth notes at 
the end of the theme (Figure 11). The piece?s home key is nominally E? major, as 
seen below, but chromatic alterations shown in the first two measures set up that 
chromaticism of the solo part. The chromatic alterations also add a sense of unease 
 
27 ?John Frith,? edition db, accessed November 19, 2021, http://www.editiondb.com/johnfrithtext.htm. 
28 ?John Frith,? Composers, Writers and Editors, Camden Music, accessed November 19, 2021, 
https://www.camdenmusic.com/composer.php?id=00000019 
29 ?John Frith,? Warwick Music Group, accessed November 19, 2021, 
https://warwickmusicgroup.com/2019/05/22/john-frith/. 
30 ?John Frith: A Beautiful Noise ? Bass Trombone & Trombone Ensemble,? Warwick Music, 
accessed November 19, 2021, https://www.warwickmusic.com/p/6ZBr/. 
31 In Hepokoski and Darcy?s Elements of Sonata Theory, they break down sonata form exposition 
using thematic terminology. P themes are primary themes and they occur in the exposition before the 
transition away from the home key. Secondary (S) themes are after the transition and are usually in a 
new key. Closing figures (C) come after the S theme(s) and end the exposition so the development may 
begin. 
32 
 
 
 
Figure 11 the first and second statement of the P theme 
and tension that propels the work forward, keeping the listener?s expectations on 
edge. The P theme moves to the trombone choir while the soloist picks up the rhythm 
of the opening two measures (Figure 12) in a role reversal that is seen throughout the 
work. The sotto voce marking is interesting as the choir is market poco forte and the 
soloist normally should 
Figure 12 measures 25-27 be clearly heard above 
everything else. But this sets up a dialogue between soloist and ensemble that is see 
across all three movement of this piece. The soloist then renters with the theme set 
very low, and with an altered rhythm as if to say ?hey, this is my solo, give it back!? 
Yet that is deferred until after a full statement of the P theme, now in its most 
common form of parallel dominant seventh chords (Figure 13). Harmonic tension 
comes from the 
opening 
measures 
harmonic 
motion: I ? ?ii 
? I motion and 
Figure 13 measures 32-35 the choir's P theme chords 
33 
 
 
 
is used to exploit chromatic neighbor tones that aren?t expected in a largely tonal 
piece. This is what gives the P theme its chromatic tension and allows for frequent 
key area changes. The next interesting motivic moment to happen is a series of 
glissandi in measures 50-52 as seen below in Figure 14. It serves as the climax of the 
Figure 14 movement 1 
ogpleisnsianngd i with aggressive chord hits in the choir. The music continues alternating 
between the P theme and secondary ascending scales and descending chords. These 
fragmentary thematic ideas also include the frequently used idea of ending (or 
eliding) a phrase with either the last two or three eighth notes of a measure, all 
accented, and with the final one being a sforzando. The ensemble texture is almost 
uniformly eighth note scales and/or hits as seen in measures 113-114 below. This can 
be heard as fragments all over the movement but is prominent in the solo bass 
trombone in measures 81-84, 113-125, and 140-147. Its various forms are seen in 
Figure 15. 
All in all, the P theme is heard, completely or partially, twelve times. With the 
secondary fragment essentially evolving into a theme unto itself, it can be argued to 
34 
 
 
 
Figure 15 clockwise from top 
center: measures 81-84; 117; 
142-147; 113-114. 
rise to the level of a secondary theme (S) that contrasts with 
the first. In terms of applying a strict form analysis, this is 
difficult as it is so fragmented, but the author deemed that it 
acts as a secondary theme substantially enough to earn the 
label. 
The second movement, marked andante espressivo, is the mournful search for 
belonging and companionship. The soloist plays an upwardly hopeful but 
harmonically unsure melody that always resolves downward, signaling a failed search 
(Figure 16). This can be considered the ?searching? motif and is accompanied by 
Figure 16 the upwardly moving "searching" 
motif 
static and bleak chords from the ensemble. Although the piece is nominally in C 
minor (the relative minor of the first movement?s primary theme and starting key), the 
first note of the piece is a C?!  This ascending scale is almost an octatonic scale 
Figure 17 measures 6-9, the primary theme of the second movement, the ?lonely? motif 
35 
 
 
 
except for the inclusion of the A?. The second theme (Figure 17), and the primary 
theme of the movement, is a sustained theme that meanders down from a finally 
heard C minor chord. The ensemble?s sparse and unresolved harmonies along with 
the long note values in the solo give a palpable sense of isolation and loneliness. As 
the chords warm up and the tonality moves towards major, the solo part gains hope 
and excitement at the prospect of companionship (measures 15-18). This burst of 
hopeful energy climaxes at measure 19 with what is nominally a C major chord, but 
with the addition of an A and the opening?s ?searching? motif, (now starting on a G?) 
that cloud the clarity of the moment and sow doubt into this newfound companion 
(measures 19-21). Measures 22-24?s descending theme reveal that this companion is 
not the right one and the soloist and choir meet on a low-set G dominant seventh 
chord (V7) in third inversion. The searching motif returns in measure 26, now a fifth 
lower, before turning into a meandering 2-against-3 syncopation show the soloist 
recalling the previous match through rose-tinted glasses. The first trombone picks up 
the ?lonely? motif to remind us that it wasn?t meant to be before playfully joining the 
soloist in a duet for a flurry activity as if flirting and leading this lonely person on. 
But this is all for naught as it comes crashing down again to an even lower set A 
dominant seventh chord. 
The first nine measures are now repeated, and the search begins anew. This 
time however, the ?lonely? motif instead of progressing downwards first goes up 
from E? over C to G? (the tritone of the C tonal area) to further bring out the 
isolation and anguish the soloist is experiencing. Measure 15-21 are repeated in the 
same hope-elation-disappointment cycle before moving onto a short cadenza. This 
36 
 
 
 
now moves to a B? dominant seventh chord to move in a new direction: 
companionship found at last and a triumphant ending in E? major. 
The third movement, the Rondo Finale, is where the composer?s nationality 
shines through. Although initially aggressive, the soloist enters with a buoyant and 
jolly ascending theme where the antecedent is in two-four time and the consequent of 
the phrase is in three-eight time (Figure 19, below). As indicated in the name, this is 
Figure 19 measures 18-25, the second statement of the P theme. The printed key signature is G major, 
one sharp. 
the A section of the rondo and contains the highest note of the piece, the B in measure 
22. This gives way to the lyrical short secondary theme that links the A and B section, 
and in which the rich B section?s melody is built from (Figure 18, S theme). Compare 
measures 26/27 to 39/40: It is fundamentally the same material.  The change in styles 
relaxes the intensity of the moment before the return to the refrain A section. 
Figure 18 the complete 
P2 theme, measures 34-
48 
The C section of the rondo is the most intense for the soloist and the most 
diverse in the movement. A long string of sixteenth notes (Figure 20) and syncopated 
Figure 20 measures 66-70. this carries on for three more measures in this fashion 
37 
 
 
 
eighth/sixteenth notes (Figure 21) give this a frantic feeling that contrasts with the S 
theme in the trombone choir.  
These two ideas make an 
Figure 21 measures 74-76 
unusual 12-measure phrase which in 
measure 78 start to alternate in chunks for another 14 measures. This is where the 
magic of this movement appears: the return of the P theme from the first movement 
of the work (Figure 22, below). Overlapping the themes from both movements 
Figure 22 measures 78-82 
functions in a similar manner to recapitulation in sonata form where the first theme is 
brought back to signal the end of the development. Yet this movement isn?t even 
halfway over, being only in the C component of this rondo form. It?s a fascinating 
juxtaposition of ideas that works surprisingly well because of the similarities between 
38 
 
 
 
the first movements them and this movement?s B theme. Both use a measure long 
note followed by quarter note triplets and large upward slurs. It?s even possible that 
they are derived from each other to make the three movement more organically feel 
like a single work instead of three distinct unrelated movements as is often the case in 
multi-movement trombone solos.  
After this, a series of A1, B1, A, B, sections happen, each half as long as their 
previous appearances. Then at measures 132 the first movements? P theme makes 
another appearance as a duet in octaves between the solo and second bass trombone. 
The rhythm, and more importantly the intervals, are modified to be all half steps 
(Figure 23) but with an upward jump to keep the upward leaping interval from the 
first movement. 
This is 
undergirded by Figure 23 measures 132-136, the P theme from the first movement 
the trombone choir playing material from the opening, passing off a continuous line 
of aggressive chromatic sixteenth notes. The appearance of the material from the first 
eight measures has a semi-recapitulation effect. After that ten-bar phrase a portion of 
the P theme from the second movement also appears with the choir mimicking it and 
with snippets of this movement?s S theme. The third movement?s measures 142-143 
and second movement?s measure 4 are seen, respectively, in Figure 24 below. 
Figure 24 excerpts from movement 3 (L) and 2 (R) 
After this there is transitional and closing material before a final statement of 
the A section and a flourish of the sixteenth notes from the opening measures to finish 
39 
 
 
 
off the work. At first glance this has the organizational pattern of ABACA1B1AB2DE 
-transition-A. This give the work a 12-part rondo form which is incredible given that 
it is only a three-minute movement. This requires some small clarifying points 
required. The C section combines new material in the solo with B material and the 1st 
movement P material in the choir. The D section (measures 132-141) combines the 
first movement?s P theme but with sixteenth notes found in the beginning of this 
movement. Is that similar enough to what is found in the C section to be classified as 
a derivative of the C section? It is: compare measure 1-2 and 132-133 in the tenor 
trombones with measure 13 and 66-67 in the solo. It?s essentially the same thing, as 
the sixteenth notes in the A theme are built on the idea present in the first two 
measures. Therefore, this D section is a variation on the C section. Measures 142-151 
are new however, built on either material from the second movement or completely 
new depending on the importance of the interval patterns. The author hears and sees 
the two movements connected here. Compare Figure 24 above with measure the 
additional examples in Figure 25 below: movement 3, measure 146-147 (L) and 
movement 2, measures 
8-9 (R). They are the 
Figure 25 third movement (L) and second movement (R) same basic rhythm, but 
with opposite effects. While the second movement is a ?lonely? idea, it appears in the 
fourth movement twisted, sarcastic manner in a quick argument between soloist and 
first trombone. It is a subtle reference, but one that can be made. The final form 
40 
 
 
 
analysis of this rondo is therefore in the form ABACA1B1AB2C1D-transition-A (as 
coda).   
Performance Considerations and Suggestions 
The performance difficulties of this work are less complicated than the theoretical 
analysis would indicate. In the first movement, the tendency will be to come off the 
ties late in all parts. The scoring is quite dense and loud so you will need to be able to 
play loud for much of the work and still maintain a good sound. Practice loud pedal 
notes, particularly forte pianos without becoming edgy. Exaggerate the glissandi but 
keep them in time. You will also need to practice a fast single tongue or a very slow 
triple tongue for measures 52 and 130, which must be clean and loud. 
 The second movement?s lyrical phrases are quite long, and you will likely 
need to choose between moderating the volume and taking a breath. The author chose 
the former. With the figure that appears in measures 1-2, 15-18 and can be performed 
several ways, but the most logical way is to make it one continuous line and 
crescendo. Making each 4-6 note phrase its own crescendo that keeps resetting can 
give a musical motion-sickness feeling to it if not executed well. The quasi gliss 
marking in measure 33 is unclear, and it?s also unclear if it should be in measure 35. 
Experiment with different slide movement speed, or even having the gliss only being 
on the ascent note under the slur. When performing the legato sections, keep the 
musical idea and character or emotion of the moment first and foremost in your mind. 
This will bring the audience in to your story and help them to experience your music 
and not just hear to it. 
 The third movement has details that are difficult to execute well. The 
decrescendo on the figure in measure 13 is a fundamental part of that theme and will 
need to be executed convincingly well even up to high B4. The three-eight measures 
should be kept with the eighth note staying the same tempo with the downbeat light 
41 
 
 
 
and buoyant and the second note accented as a sarcastic jab. Measures 66-90 are 
likely going to be the most difficult in the entire work. A sixteenth note rest is not 
enough time to breath at this tempo, so tank up in measures 66 and force the 
trombone choir to achieve a true piano so you don?t have to play too loudly. Ensure 
the accents in this section are clear and use them as a goal in your phrasing to build 
excitement. The syncopations following this are also quite difficult. Regular practice 
with a metronome, internal subdivision, and learning to feel that groove will be 
effective practice tools. A metronome with the eighth notes sounding may be 
particularly helpful as the choir always has figures that that give a composite rhythm 
of either continuous sixteenth notes or sixteenth-eighth-sixteenth note. Keep the 
measures before rehearsal letter O clean and light as you descend and diminuendo 
despite the accents. Ensure the ensemble is softer than you are there, and ensure you 
are pianissimo so that the final crescendo is an electrifying end to the work.  
The Significant Other by Charlie Small 
About the Composer 
?If virtuosity were an illness, and its primary symptom anonymity, Charlie 
Small?s picture would be in the Physicians? Desk Reference.?32 Born on February 9th, 
1927, Charles Srulowitz, ?Charlie? Small grew up in Manhattan?s Lower East Side 
during the Great Depression. He was the youngest of eight children and by the time 
he got to high school he knew he wanted to be a musician: ?Being anything else never 
 
32 ?Trombonist Charlie Small,? Tumblr, accessed September 7, 2021. 
42 
 
 
 
entered my mind.?33 Two of his older brothers were performing musicians and helped 
support the family during the Great Depression. He took lessons at the Manhattan 
School of Music, then with Al Godlis of the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra 
(retired). He landed his first job in 1942, while in high school, at Grossinger?s 
Catskills Mountain Resort where he learned to sightread often times nearly illegible 
manuscript. The following year he spent the summer performing at Tamiment Lodge 
in the Pocono Mountains (PA), then eventually started performing club dates with 
Enric Madreguera?s Orchestra at the Commodore Hotel in New York City during his 
final year of high school. These experiences prepared him for his first big break.34  
Charlie auditioned into Tommy Dorsey?s Orchestra at 17 years old, crediting 
his previously built sightreading and transposing exercise with clinching the position. 
He only stayed there a year though, because only Dorsey could have trombone solos, 
so he was ?stolen? by the Harry James Orchestra as lead trombone. He later was 
employed as an extra, then fulltime trombonist with the American Broadcasting 
Company Staff Orchestra where he would regularly solo, notably on ?Tea and 
Crumpets,? and so his sound made it into the ears of millions of Americans.35 
His career continued to flourish, and he married Emily Strassner, a Julliard 
and Bard College trained pianist, and they had several children together. While his 
children were at school, Small took arranging and composition lessons with Hall 
Overton (who taught at Julliard). Of the experience, Small says, ?Prior to this time, 
 
33 Erik Ketcherside, ?Yards and Yards of Velvet: Remembering Charlie Small,? International 
Trombone Association Journal, 46, no. 1 (January 2018): 18. 
34 Charlie Small, ?Sentimental Journey or Tons & Tons of Spit Paper,? New York Brass Conference for 
Scholarships, (1988): 2, 6, https://trombonistcharliesmall.tumblr.com/. 
35 Small, ?Sentimental Journey,? 6-8. 
43 
 
 
 
my enjoyment of music was mostly an aural experience; now a new world opened up 
as I become more aware of what composers were writing.?36 With his intense craving 
of knowledge, he enrolled in the Manhattan School of Music and earned a bachelor?s 
and M.A. degree. He continued working and composing, eventually retiring to the 
Phoenix metropolitan area where he continued composing and started a trombone 
choir of local students, residents, and professionals in the area to meet occasionally to 
read trombone choir music.37 
About the Work 
Unlike Charlie Small?s well-known Conversation, this duet is dominated by 
intervallic melodies and harmonic arpeggiation. The tenor trombone part also goes a 
half step higher, and stays higher and for longer periods of time, than Conversation. 
Written in 1994, this duet does not have a dedication like his previous one, which 
Charlie wrote for himself and David Taylor.38 If Conversation is seen as a heated and 
dynamic back and forth between two people ? whether opponents, neighbors, friends, 
or lovers ? The Significant Other is programmatically more specific and intimate. The 
style and interaction between the two parts would suggest a couple living together 
that simply tolerate each other. 
 
36 Small, ?Sentimental Journey,? 8. 
37 Ketcherside, ?Yards and Yards of Velvet,?: 17, 20. 
38 David Taylor is an active bass trombonist living in the New York city area. His career and style defy 
categorization. He has performed almost any type of music imaginable using bass trombone, ranging 
from standard orchestral literature to jazz, commercial, chamber, fusions, and many other.  His style is 
uniquely his own. His relevance here is that in addition to being the partner for Charlie?s Conversation, 
he has commissioned and composed an incredible amount of music for bass trombone frequently in, or 
soling with, chamber ensembles. Eric Ewazen?s Concertino and Capriccio for bass trombone and 
trombone choir were written for him as was Frederic Rzewski?s Moonrise with Memories among many 
others. His numerous recordings continue to break ground in content, style, technique, expressiveness, 
and creativity. He is one of the most prominent luminaries of solo bass trombone. 
44 
 
 
 
Choices must be made regarding the character of the duet. When are the two 
voices complementary, indifferent, or antagonistic? Will the same thematic material 
be performed the same way by both performers or differently as an extension of 
individuality within the concept of this close relationship? What is the character of 
each theme? Exploring the subtleties of this work and aligning them with your 
interpretation will add depth and refinement to the performance. 
The opening two measures are broad and powerful motif, starting forte with 
the bass trombone?s line suggesting a i -?VI - v6/4 -?ii motion (Figure 26). The bass 
trombone is seemingly yelling at their partner while the tenor is attempting to stand 
their ground, swatting away the attack with each repeated eighth note. This is 
followed by a one measure 
interruption then a repeat of 
the opening bars at piano 
before moving onto the 
Figure 26 measures 1-2 
primary theme. In the 
manuscript Small 
writes not heavy in 
measure 6 (Figure 27) 
and places the melodic 
Figure 27 manuscript, measures 6-7 
tenor trombone and 
harmonic bass at different dynamics.39,40 This dynamic swapping of mezzo forte vs 
 
39 Charlie Small, The Significant Other, unpublished musical score, 1994. 
40 Several markings in the manuscript did not make it into the published engraving for unknown 
reasons. 
45 
 
 
 
piano is common throughout the piece and is a curious choice. Musicians are taught 
to bring the melody out and to keep the accompanying figures softer. Was this done 
to intentionally exaggerate the dynamic difference, for a programmatic reason, or 
because Small thought the two voices wouldn?t balance? There is no clear answer, so 
it is up to the musicians to decide how to interpret the marking. The tenor trombone?s 
melody is curiously set against the bass an octave and tritone apart. Then the voices 
switch with the bass voice starting on low E, in a copy of the third measure of the 
tenor?s statement of the theme then moving down to pedal F using the same tritone 
intervals of C3-G?2-C2. This line slurs up a major seventh then proceeds to descend 
chromatically passing through alternating consonant and dissonant intervals. 
Measures 6-14 are being considered the ?A? theme. The opening statement of the first 
two measures now then returns, now a fifth lower, moving to the ?B? theme. 
The bass trombone 
starts the B theme in 
Figure 29 measures 19-20 
measure 17, working its 
way up in a grumbly 
fashion via 
chromatically ascending 
FigureF 3ig0u mree a2s8u mreesa 2s3u-r2e5s  17-18, intro to the B theme 
major thirds (Figure 
28). The tempo is fast at quarter note = 126, more than double the opening tempo, and 
all eighth notes have staccato marks over them. The tenor trombone takes over the 
theme, building tension with the continued ascent of the line (Figure 29). The second 
part of the B theme arrives in measure 23 (Figure 30). It may be possible to consider 
46 
 
 
 
this a new theme but the seamless connection and the leading up to these measures 
makes it appear as a natural extension. Each measure alternates between mezzo forte 
and piano while the bass voice backs this with short arpeggiated figures, and both 
voices collectively descend over more than three octaves. 
The A theme makes an incomplete return in measure 32 (Figure 31) before 
moving on to what at first seems to be a new idea: a slowly descending melody in the 
tenor with chromatically ascending major thirds in the bass voice, clearly based on 
the first component of the B theme. The tempo here is quarter note = 60, the tempo of 
Figure 31 measures 36-38 
the A theme, but the material in the bass trombone is based on the B theme so 
classification becomes initially complicated. Charlie Small uses motifs in very 
specific ways, with each theme having an associated tempo, so this mixing of the two 
is fascinating. Because it's an extension of the just heard A theme and, because tempo 
and melody take precedence over the harmonic bass line, it makes more sense to 
classify this as a variant of the A theme (A2). This is bolstered by the A theme 
returning in is normal form in measures 41-42. 
47 
 
 
 
The bass trombone redirects back to the B theme (B2, measure 45) and 
continues to stay in control an octave lower than the tenor?s original statement. An 
ascending C minor triad, outlined in the 
increasingly pestering tenor trombone?s 
protesting interjections, and the two find another 
Figure 32 measure 52 
way to show their disagreement as seen in Figure 32. 
A seemingly new section begins in measure 54 but upon closer inspection it is 
the A theme from the tenor trombone, now in the bass and in a more lyrical form 
without the thirty second notes, so it has been designated theme A3 (Figure 33). The 
bass trombone line ascends to A?4 before descending rapidly to B1, becoming 
increasingly agitated as shown by pattern of half steps and tritones. The tenor 
trombone then tactfully steers the moment back to a slightly different form of the B 
theme (B3, measure 64) 
with a legato repetition 
(measure 73). 
Figure 33 measures 54-56 
What the author considers a truce offering figure now occurs: ascending 
arpeggios that land on a minor seventh two octave apart sounds repeatedly. Time 
appears to stand still while the two try to interact more amicably with each other. 
48 
 
 
 
Their disagreement is more muted, but still present in the next section, the C 
theme of measure 81 (Figure 35). Eventually the two switch parts with the bass 
playing the tenor?s line an octave lower, changing at the last beat to arrive back on the 
?truce? motif (Figure 34). 
Figure 35 measure 82 (bass 
Figure 34 measures 89-90, the second "truce figure" clef in both parts) 
The moment of relative peaceful co-existence was short lived however, as 
what functions as a recapitulation appears. The A and B themes returns in measure 91 
for a full restatement of measures 6-22 (with the bass trombone having the ascending 
third figure instead of the tenor) before it devolves back into their aggressive 
disagreement of triplets vs. sixteenth notes. 
The final section of seemingly new material now begins in measure 112 with 
low and quiet quarter notes in the bass that ground a syncopated figure in the tenor. 
The keen-eyed performer will realize that this syncopated figure is a modification of 
the B theme?s ascending major thirds, with the bass part recomposed to keep the 
syncopated feel, leading it to be classified as theme B4. This section acts more as a 
transition as it is only six measures long. The final form of the A theme is brought 
back for one more statement, this time high in the tessitura of the tenor trombone, but 
with the paired with the descending intervals of the bass trombone?s B theme from 
measure 23, now slurred) earning it the classification A4. The thirty second notes are 
49 
 
 
 
gone, and a legato piano variant brings the tenor up to E?5.  Measure 124 marks the 
coda, a slow rehash of the B theme?s grumbly bass trombone figure. This summarizes 
the tension of the relationship but settles amicably on octave F?s (Figure 36 the last 
Figure 36 the last three measures of The Significant Other 
three measures of The Significant Other).  
The interval sequence in the coda section is a summarization of work?s 
harmonies, which include a heavy reliance on octaves, minor thirds, perfect fifths, 
tritones, and diminished and minor sevenths.  
The form is episodic in nature and can mapped in its least condensed form as: 
ABA2B2A3B3CAB2B4A4+B, coda(B5). However, many of these sections are half the 
length of the A and B sections set out in the beginning. With parentheses used to 
make reading the pattern easier, It can be further combined and reduced (with ? 
length sections in italics) from ABA2B2A3B3CAB2B4A4+B, coda(B5) to 
(AB)(A1+2B2)(A3B3)C(AB2+4)(A4Bcoda). This makes the pairing easier to see, and to 
see that everything is set around the distinct middle C section. Three AB pairs are set 
before and two after. In many sonata forms, the exposition can be quite lengthy as the 
primary theme area, transition, secondary theme, and closing statements must all 
happen. This work does not have the harmonic outline or specific events that must 
happen to be classified as a sonata form by Hepokoski and Darcy, but it is also a 
modern work, and their book examines the 18th century sonata and its many 
50 
 
 
 
variations.41 The largest argument against this is that the C section does not act like a 
development. In fact, it is an island completely unto itself set apart before and after 
with a figure that acts as a buffer between the surrounding material. Therefore, and 
without a greater understanding of 20th century variations on form, it could bear some 
resemblance to a ternary form with the opening and closing sections repeated. 
Performance Considerations and Suggestions 
 As with any duet, many choices will have to be made regarding overall 
character, transitions, tuning and other things. The opening tempo of quarter note = 
50 is exceptionally slow especially given the volume and low tessitura of the bass 
trombone part. This is exacerbated further in the work when this is presented again a 
fifth lower. If measure one?s tempo is increased, consider a slight increase to measure 
six?s A theme tempo throughout the work to maintain the tempo relationship. 
 One of the most daunting aspects of the work is brought into focus with the A 
theme of measure 6: intervallic tuning. Questions of who will be adjusting pitch at 
what points will need to be answered. The determined musician can go through and 
notate each interval in the piece with which direction the adjustment should be made, 
however, with several hundred notes requiring adjustments to ring in tune, this is a 
substantial task. An alternative option is to only tune the longer held harmonies and 
focus on consonant intervals, but keep in mind that even half steps and tritones will 
sound audibly in tune or out of tune depending on the adjustments made. Raising the 
 
41 James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy, Elements of Sonata Theory: Norms, Types, and the 
Deformations in the Late-Eighteenth-Century Sonata (New York, NY: Oxford University Press 2006), 
14-22. 
51 
 
 
 
A? and D? of measures 1 and 2, respectively, will help those to be ring correctly. 
Tuning can also be done melodically. Rehearsing in a live space such as a 
performance hall, stairwell, or quiet parking garage can help you hear the resonance 
you are producing. The harmonies are so frequently dissonant (tritones, half steps, 
whole steps) that the minutia of tuning all those intervals will likely only be fully 
appreciated in a recording that is examined in depth. One dissonant interval that will 
need to be tuned appropriately is the C- B? interval in measures 77, 79, 89, and 90. 
Although this is enharmonically a major second, The B? will sound as a minor 
seventh to the C, and it will need to be lowered considerably. Depending on the 
specifics of the moment, an alternative is to tune the C high to compensate. Matthew 
Guilford said during an ensemble coaching that ?it?s more important to be together 
than to be right,? but try to keep it consistent.42 
 Transitions from one section to another offer the choice of inserting a 
momentary pause or not. Some instances, such as measures 5-6, 31-32, and 111-12 
should be performed without a gap or rest. Measures 14-15, 80-81, 90-91 and 98-99 
are less clear. For practical considerations, there is no location to empty the 
condensation that will be building up in the slide during the performance. These 
transitions are possible locations to do that. They also offer a moment of repose, 
particularly after measures 80 and 90. Try to solve the technical problem with a 
musical solution. 
 
42 Matthew Guilford, lecture, University of Maryland College Park, November 2021. This was in 
reference to being in tune and in time with each other rather than in tune with a tuner but not with the 
ensemble. 
52 
 
 
 
 The tenor trombone?s part consists in large part of large intervallic slurs in the 
upper register, staying almost entirely above the staff. Clean slurs that skip over 
partials are a basic requirement to perform this work well. Measures 82-85 are 
exceptionally difficult, as seen slurring intervals las wide as from C5 ? C?4 ? B4 and 
D?5 ? E4 ? C5. In the original manuscript Small marks this section with the descriptor 
liquid but that marking did not make its way into the published edition.43 The ending 
is as similarly difficult section. Small marks an optional octave displacement (?8va 
[if] possible?)44 from F4 up to E?5, all while piano. The following measure includes a 
D? a whole step lower and requires the tenor to accurately jump partials up and down 
in that register to close out the piece. Endurance, an excellent ear, and being able to 
play in the high range without strain or muscling though will be paramount for a 
successful execution of this work. In addition to this, the piece includes many interval 
patterns that alternate between tritones and fourths or fifths, such as measure 111 
adding to the challenge. 
 For the bass trombonist, the piece is notably less demanding, but not without 
challenge. This part ends up with the more complicated tuning duties, if each interval 
is going to be adjusted. Choices such as sustaining or backing off the sustain in 
measures 1-2, 15-16 and 100-101 will need to be made depending on the character 
and style you wish to depict. Measures 17-18 and their repeats throughout the work 
are the next most troublesome spot. Work to keep the pedal notes clear and smooth. 
You may want to experiment with different valves on the starting F, and with 
 
43 Charlie Small, The Significant Other, unpublished musical score, 1994. 
44 Small, The Significant Other. 
53 
 
 
 
stopping the slide on each note if the lick is goopy and unclear. This may also require 
a legato double tongue in this register. Finally, ensure the eighth notes following that 
are even without either the higher or lower notes being louder. The last 4 measures, 
built on this material require a choice of playing the grace notes as printed, or as 
sixteenth notes as in previous versions. The original manuscript has these as thirty 
second pickup notes to each measure, so they were changed to grace notes at some 
point. The choice was made in this recording to perform them as ordinary sixteenth 
notes to apply a stodgy, older character to this theme. That made more sense than 
playing them as fast grace notes only to land on comparatively slow eighth notes. The 
printed thirty second notes, however, will need to be played very quickly, so 
practicing both the jump downwards and pedal register slurs in a faster tempo will 
reap dividends.  
 As an ensemble, several ambiguous markings will need to be discussed. The A 
tempo at measure 54 is preceded by a ritard. The immediately previous tempo was the 
faster quarter note = 126, however, the melodic material is that of the opening slow 
section where the quarter note = 60. This recording chose the latter tempo as Small?s 
duet Conversation is highly motivically structured, and each motif has its own tempo, 
style, and other attributes. The next choice that needs to be made is the tempo of 
measures 112, 118, and 126-127. Measure 112 is marked ?a little slower?, coming 
from quarter note = 126. Small does not offer any guidance on how much ?a little? is. 
Is this only one or two metronome clicks slower, perhaps something closer to quarter 
note = 112, or maybe something more drastic, like a tempo in the 90?s or the 80?s? 
How much slower should 118 be in comparison? It also says, ?a little slower.?  
54 
 
 
 
In the end, this recording goes with a more drastic interpretation, ending up in 
the 80?s for tempo range of these first two sections. A different but still educated and 
reasonable interpretation would be to place the two ?a little slower? sections as a 
gradual slowing of the tempo to the printed tempo marking in measure 123 of quarter 
note = 80. The tempo of measure 126-127 may only be limited by the speed at which 
the pedal notes can be played cleanly. Here, this recording also went with a more 
drastic interpretation of the crescendo and tempo increase. 
 There are several inconsistencies in the score and parts.  The phrase markings 
of measures 8-12 and its reappearances are inconsistent. Sometimes the slur continues 
over the bar line, sometimes it does not, and sometimes it is split halfway through the 
measure. Finally, measure 45 is marked mezzo forte, but every other time this theme 
appears, it starts piano and has cresc. poco a poco indicated. The manuscript indicates 
the same thing, but the author argues that this is an error given Small?s otherwise 
consistent motivic markings on this theme. 
 There are two sections where rhythmic coordination will be important in order 
to keep the music from slowing: measures 81-88 and the figure in measures 52 and 
111. In the former, keeping the phrase moving forward is more important that strict 
sixteenth note placement. Place it after the tenor?s last triplet of each beat and keep 
the music in the forefront. In the latter locations, the temptation will be to drag the 
sixteenths to match the tenor?s triplets. Focus on keeping the first note of each beat 
together and staying true to the musical idea: chaos and disagreement. 
55 
 
 
 
The Significant Other #2 
About the Work 
In a series of emails with Douglas Yeo45, Charlie Small?s The Significant 
Other came up and the author asked Yeo if he had ever spoken with Small about it. 
Small and Yeo made a corrected and definitive edition of Conversation in 2016 
through Ensemble Publications, which raised the question of whether they had done 
the same with the other duet. Sadly, they did not. The author was shocked when Yeo 
said the published edition was only the first half and that he had the second half. Yeo 
scanned and sent the original manuscript over, along with the note Small wrote when 
he sent the papers to Yeo. Yeo warned that Charlie?s handwriting, ?is not always easy 
to decipher?and he makes mistakes. I learned this not only when I worked with him 
on his Conversation?but also when Ron Barron and I made an edition for 
publication of Charlie?s Stringing and Sliding Along for trombone (or bass trombone) 
and violin. We had fits trying to read Charlie?s mind since all of the scores and parts 
we had contained differences.?46 This is true in comparing the score and parts for 
both parts of The Significant Other, including with the published manuscript for part 
1. Part two has fewer conundrums, though, including easily fixed accidentals. As 
stated earlier, Charlie?s use of sequences and patterns is deliberate and consistent 
across his other works, so in a sequence of ascending major thirds, a sudden minor 
 
45 Douglas Yeo was the bass trombonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1985-2012. The 
author studied with him while pursuing a Master of Music degree. 
46 Douglas Yeo, personal communication with author, email, March 23-26 2021. 
56 
 
 
 
third seemed incorrect (measure 53). This was supported by a similar passage earlier 
in the work.  
Two final decisions that had to be made were the first note in measures 22 and 
70 of the first trombone. The manuscript contains an E? moving to F, enharmonic 
equivalents. It was decided that the note was supposed to be an E? largely due to the 
scalar nature of the passages, and the surround presence of only F?s and E??s. The 
piece is almost exclusively in F minor and C minor with a figure that acts a cadence 
in B?. Lastly, measures 133-134 have an added ledger line in the manuscript of the 
first trombone part. The last note of each measure should be a C?, not a D?. 
Returning to Small?s consistency of patterns is the key as these measures are a series 
of ascending perfect fourths. C? continues the pattern correctly. 
Harmonically the piece is clearly in F minor with excursions to C minor (the 
dominant minor) and shorter sections in B? minor that act as transitional material. 
The only sections that do not fall into these categories are chromatic sequences. There 
are two important harmonic ideas that the work is built on: the first, as seen in the A 
theme of measures 4-29, is the duality between the C ? G and C? ? G? perfect fifths 
(Figure 37). This first appears in measure 4 with the bass trombone, alternating 
between the two for five measures and is present in the remainder of the work. The 
other is the tritone between G-D? and C-G?. The former tritone arrives in passing in 
measure seven in 
the tenor trombone. 
A pattern of Figure 37 measures six to eight 
57 
 
 
 
descending fourths sequences down through the key of F minor (with the C/G vs. C?
/G? duality rolling along in the bass), and this is the only tritone found within the F 
natural minor scale and is played when the sequence shifts from fourths to fifths. The 
next time a melodic tritone appears is measure 21 in the tenor trombone. This four-
note sequence of G-D?-C-G-(E?) is heard in the tenor trombone, which then repeats 
three more times expanding out to G-D?-C-G-(D?). The D?-G tritone then appears 
immediately in a short bass trombone transitional cadenza that then expands to C-G 
in the following measure. The four-note sequence then shows up in both parts (Figure 
38) but the bass trombone?s statement is transposed down a fifth and with an added 
note to become C-G?-F-(D?)-C, with the D? being a chromatic neighbor tone to the 
following beat?s C which suggest a relationship to B? minor. After this slight 
Figure 38. 
alteration, the figure shows up measure 36, tenor 
trombone (L) and 
without the added neighbor tone. measure 44, bass 
trombone (R). 
Both are in bass 
The importance of this figure is clef. 
truly shown by the work 
ending with this 
sequence, now in F 
minor (Figure 39). Thus, Figure 39 the last two measures of the piece 
the pattern first seen in 
measure 21 ends the piece. 
The format of the unpublished part two of the duet is similar to the published 
first half. Most of this piece is based on this half?s A theme disguised to feel like 
something new. The three-measure introduction is taken from the B theme of the first 
58 
 
 
 
duet. The ?A? theme with its two distinct sections runs from measure 4-29 with 
Figure 37 showing the first three measures of this new material. The B theme, as seen 
in Figure 41, runs from measures 32-48. A possible third section, C, can be argued for 
measures 97-101 (Figure 40), but parts of it are subtly based on the B theme?s bass 
Figure 40 
measures 97-101, 
the possible C 
theme 
part of ascending fifths being 
expanded upon. Figure 42 and Figure 
43 show forms of the A section 
returning in various ways. Evaluating 
Figure 41 measure 33?s rhythmic interplay (B theme) 
the form based on thematic content 
therefore give this a setting of 
ABAA1A2CA3A. If, however, the tempo 
changes count toward labeling 
Figure 42 measures 74-75, both in bass clef something as a new theme, then the 
scheme changes to: ABAD1,2CD1+2,1A. Although this may not provide an easier way 
to classify it, it is a different way to look at it. What remains is that it is an episodic 
work. 
 
59 
 
 
 
Performance considerations and Suggestions 
There is a wide latitude of artistic interpretation that can be made in this 
movement. Small?s dynamic markings are sparse and his crescendi/decrescendi are 
even rarer. Many sections start at piano with crescendo thrown in at seemingly 
random locations with no clear goal, and only for one or two beats at a time. This is 
where artistic interpretation is key to breathing life into this duet. 
One aspect Small was very specific about is tempi. The markings in the piece 
range from a low of 69 to a high of 93 beats per minute. This is a narrow gap and 
while following a composer?s notations is recommended, let the musical decisions 
lead the way so that the marked tempi do not become restrictive. Bear in mind the 
musical-emotional relationship that tempo has on any given section of music. In 
terms of ensemble, the tenor part is the more difficult of the two by a wide margin. 
The work is full of jumps of fourths, tritones, and fifths ranging up to C5, requiring 
exceptional accuracy and endurance when starting so high. There are several 
extended sections of octaves that also prove difficult. Resist the temptation to add 
time for breaths, such as in measures 98-100. 
One recurring figure and one section will require rhythmic diligence. The 
tenor trombone?s melody in measures 6-8, and the repeats of it throughout the piece 
including the bass trombone?s version of that rhythm, must be executed as downbeats, 
not pickups. Do not be early and do not accent the second, lower note, which is 
especially likely to happen in the bass trombone part. The next section that requires 
diligence is measures 32-46. Initially, the same issue just mentioned applies: the 
sixteenth is the beat, not the pickup. There are eighth-note passages that are offset by 
60 
 
 
 
a sixteenth note that gives a composite rhythm of continuous sixteenth notes. The 
tendency in music like this is to slow down. Lastly, the rhythmic juxtaposition seen in 
Figure 41 (below) must be maintained. Measures 33-34 and 41-42 may be difficult to 
line up if you do not distinguish the difference in sixteenth note type. Aim to line 
upbeat four and the follow downbeat of each of these measures, and ensure the 
downbeat is a true sixteenth note, not a continuation of the previous measure?s 
triplets. 
The final conundrum is the time signature change between measures 132 and 
133. It transitions from six-eight to two-four, but without information of whether the 
beat or the sixteenth note stays the same. It made more sense for the beat to stay the 
same and allow the slightly slower sixteenth notes to close out the work with this 
four-measure codetta. You may choose to do otherwise as Small left no direct 
information to guide the performer. 
In relation to character and interpretation, of The Significant Other #2 has a 
more amicable and reconciliatory tone. The pair are at times in unison, with unison 
tritone intervals perhaps suggesting this being begrudgingly, other times comfortably 
doing their own independent things giving the performer a different character to 
explore than the first duet part. Keep articulations of the same marking consistent. 
Several sections stand out as ripe for musical-emotional moments. The first is 
measures 32-48. This can be interpreted as each performer telling their version of the 
story and venting their issues while the other listens.  
The second contrasting section is measures 74-93 and its companion in 102-
114. Measures 74-93 (Figure 42) begins the first mostly harmonious interaction 
61 
 
 
 
between the two voices with colorful half step arrivals to add touches of regret and 
bittersweetness to the moment. The parallel perfect fifths show a rare moment of 
complete agreement and perhaps even peace in the relationship. Measures 80-81 cast 
this into doubt with the chromatically ascending sequence, but this is counteracted by 
measure 82-93?s touching quality where the two are continually coming closer to 
each other working towards unisons, but only arriving at a minor seventh (Figure 43). 
The second time this section appears it ends with the chromatically ascending 
sequence before returning to the opening?s ?independent parts? material.  
Figure 43 measures 83-94, built on the A theme?s bass trombone part 
 
   
62 
 
 
 
Chapter 3: Works with Woodwind Quintet 
Concertino for Bass Trombone and Woodwind Quintet by William 
Schmidt 
About the Composer 
 Born in 1926, William Joseph Schmidt Jr. started his musical journey with 
saxophone when he was six and later picked up clarinet and piano. He served in the 
Navy from 1944-46 as a musician and arranger in the Admiral?s band on the USS 
Iowa (Pacific fleet), then again on the USS Tarawa (Mediterranean fleet) during the 
Korean war (1950-52) as musician and arranger. Between his years in the Navy he 
studied composition at the Chicago Musical College with Max Wald. After his 
second time in the Navy, he studied composition at the University of Southern 
California with Ingolf Dahl, earning his bachelor?s and master?s degrees. He started 
publishing his compositions through Avant Music (now Western International Music 
Inc.), the publishing company he started in 1959. He was nominated for a Pulitzer 
Prize in Music in 1981 for his Double Concerto for Trumpet, Piano, and Chamber 
Orchestra. ?Much of [his music] is influenced by jazz and folk music?and he was 
passionate about photography, gardening, and studying Asian art, textiles, and 
architecture.?47   
He was an avid backpacker and would go up into the San Gabriel mountains 
northeast of Los Angeles when he wasn?t composing. Terry Cravens of the University 
 
47 ?William Joseph Schmidt Jr,? New York Times, obituaries, August 17-18, 2009. 
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/nytimes/name/william-schmidt-obituary?pid=131489943. 
63 
 
 
 
of Southern California recalls that Schmidt (Bill) was lighthearted and ?a jazzy guy? 
and incorporated aspects of that into this work.48 His 160 compositions and 470 
arrangements were focused on the ?neglected woodwind, brass, and percussions 
instruments,? including classical saxophone.49  
About the Work 
 Schmidt?s Concertino is a substantial work for bass trombone in a serious 
style that captures the freedoms of tonal and structural relations of the 1970s and 80s. 
It was written for Terry Cravens of the University of Southern California. After 
leaving the West Point military band and coming to the Los Angeles area, Cravens 
joined the Los Angeles Brass Society, which had a grant to produce recordings. He 
recorded Schmidt?s trombone trio, and Schmidt approached Cravens and said he 
wanted to write a solo for him with woodwind quintet.50 There is a discrepancy in the 
premier date: Terry Cravens says it was 1977 and published later. The interior cover 
page says it was premiered on April 10th, 1980, and lists the performers.51 
Interestingly, the work as it is published is titled ?for Bass Trombone (or Tuba) & 
Woodwind Quintet?52 but Cravens has no recollection of a tuba part version from the 
time of the premier as he was performing from a manuscript, so it appears to have 
been an addition after the fact, possibly to sell more copies or because the range of 
 
48 Terry Cravens, Interview by author, September 17, 2021. 
49 ?William Schmidt,? Musicalics, accessed on November 21, 2021. 
https://musicalics.com/en/composer/William-Schmidt 
50 Cravens, Interview by author. 
51 Cravens, Interview by author. 
52 William Schmidt, Concertino for Bass Trombone & Woodwind Quintet (Los Angeles: Western 
International Music, 1980). 
64 
 
 
 
this piece works for bass tuba.53 The largest series of choices stemming from this 
different part that the performer will have to make is whether or not to incorporate 
various octave changes from the tuba part into the trombone part. Some of the 
changes make musical sense as it is evident where a musical line went down into the 
pedals only bounce up an octave in the trombone part but keep descending in the tuba 
part.54 Cravens states in an interview with the author that ?I don?t think it makes any 
difference?unless when it changes the chord [inversion]. I like to play what the guy 
wrote, sometimes dropping it down [an octave] to say, ?look what I can do? detracts 
rather than enhances, in my opinion.? 
 Cravens also remembers premiering the work on a single valve bass trombone 
even though the work contains many low B1?s that typically require a second valve to 
be played without lipping the note down and distorting the tone, especially at louder 
volumes.55 Cravens recalls that even though he did have a trombone with a second 
valve in E, it was cumbersome so he would use his single valve horn and would pull 
the valve to an E and play the B?s in seventh position.56 This is the same time period 
where double-valved bass trombones were becoming available commercially and 
gaining acceptance in the United States.57 
 
53 Cravens, Interview by author. 
54 The best examples of this are movement two, measures 48, 59, and 70. 
55 Cravens, Interview by author. 
56 Cravens, Interview by author. 
57 Yeo, ?Evolution?: 34-43. 
65 
 
 
 
 Each movement of this work has a distinct series of characters and 
interactions with the woodwinds to explore different colors. The first movement starts 
out lighthearted with the soloist ?thumbing their nose? and blowing raspberries with 
the glissandi and forte pianos in measures 8-10 (Figure 46). This is a component of 
the A theme which starts as 
happy and lighthearted but is 
Figure 46 Schmidt movement one, measures 8-10 shaded by harmonic tension 
through a split third chord in measure 14. The B theme appears in measure 22: a 
flowing melody with the flute separated by three octaves that is peculiar for its 
registral jumps that break a mostly stepwise melody into a more soaring melody 
(Figure 45) because of the upward leaps. The beauty of the line is clouded by the 
Figure 45 B theme, measures 22-26 
chromatic ostinato in the clarinet (Figure 
44). A portion of the A theme returns the 
Figure 44 B? clarinet, measures 20-21 piece to a lighthearted nature before a 
new C theme appears in measure 40. This new theme is influenced by jazz and should 
almost have a swing feel, with a slight emphasis on the eighth notes.58 This theme 
spins out for many measures, and at times the soloist is paired as a duet with the horn, 
flute, and clarinet, respectively. The B theme makes a return in measure 87 now as a 
cannon with the horn and bassoon in octaves, and the solo entering four measures 
 
58 Cravens, Interview by author. 
 
66 
 
 
 
later and a half step higher that produces two measures of parallel half steps. This 
presents not in a jarring and dissonant interruption but a sweet and kind redirection of 
the tonality in a new direction. In a chromatically colored E minor feel, the solo and 
horn move in opposition with the solo moving downwards and the horn moving up 
and in reverse that creates a tense disagreement between the voices. This is aided by 
the return of the clarinet?s interval series from measures 20-21, now in the clarinet, 
oboe, and flute. 
 A long quintet interlude that gradually reduces the texture to one voice at a 
time with several periods of silence provides a welcome change to the texture. The 
return of the A theme and rearranged snippets carry the piece to an exciting but tense 
close with a B split third chord in the upper four woodwinds and the solo and bassoon 
punctuating with B-F? fifth sff marcato accents. The overall thematic layout of this 
movement is ABA1CB1 interlude/transition A2, which would almost classify as a 
modified rondo form. However, the returning A sections are built on the second half 
of the theme. The middle A1 appearance is built on measures 6-8 and acts as a ten-
measure transition from the B to C themes and is not even a half showing of the A 
theme. A different way to look at the form would be to pair themes and flipping the 
last two: AB - A1C - B1A2 becomes AB - A1C - A2B1 making it more akin to a ternary 
form with each section introduced with A material. 
 The second movement completely changes the color palate by starting with 
unaccompanied trombone using a cup mute. The mute darkens and somewhat hollows 
out the sound while reducing the volume. Here, the solo?s character is introspective 
and downtrodden, moving slowly downward by half steps and thirds. Each phrase is 
67 
 
 
 
played twice, with the second one having a single chromatic alteration that shifts the 
rest of the phrase up a half step (Figure 47). Between the mute and chromatic 
Figure 47 The opening measures of the second movement 
alterations, it?s a haunting effect that Schmidt employed well. He then pairs this with 
the bassoon, horn, and clarinet to create a quartet moving almost exclusively in 
parallel chords that the flute and oboe punctuate with a sixteenth note motif that the 
soloist will later elaborate on. After the soloist takes over the sixteenth note 
interjections, a chorale that pairs the soloist and clarinet, two octaves apart, against 
everyone else adds a moment of poignancy. The clarinet and bass trombone sound 
blend well with this voicing and the interactions between the overtones produces an 
emotionally powerful moment. 
 The next segment of the second movement is essentially an extended cadenza. 
Lasting from measures 46-59 and about a minute in length, the soloist can make 
many choices about character to make each performer?s interpretation unique. After 
this cadenza ends, the opening measures sounds in the clarinet, now playing the 
theme inverted and ascending. The soloist joins the bassoon and clarinet (after the 
theme statement) as the bass voice with cup mute once more and finishes out with a 
three-measure cadenza while the bassoon and clarinet hold a G-D open fifth. 
 The final movement is the tour-de-force for all voices in the ensemble. 
Schmidt uses three primary themes, rotating between them frequently, to build 
essentially everything in the movement (Figure 48-51, below). Each theme comes 
68 
 
 
 
back so many times that assigning a clear form is problematic.59 The movement 
rapidly moves through sections of tutti power, dramatic lyricism, and pointillistic 
ideas, sometimes combining the melody of one with counterpoint or accompaniment 
based on another. Each thematic area averages between 12 and 18 measures which 
makes identifying each section easier as they come at regular intervals. The two 
sections that stand out are measures 88-98 and 102-109 which is the only music that 
does not stem directly from either the A, B, or C themes. The horn and bass trombone 
start out in canon before switching to homorhythm. The interval structure is also 
fascinating as they start out a half step apart (measure 93) then move to thirds (95-
98). Four measures 
later (Figure 51) the 
Figure 48 movement three's A theme 
two now line up in 
Figure 49 B theme 
Figure 50 C theme 
Figure 51 Theme E 
octaves in a more lyrical style while the woodwinds have a composite continuous 
quarter note rhythm.  
 
59 If each showing of each theme is mapped, the result is ABA1CA1DEA2C2A3C2A[A+B]AC[A+B+C 
overlapping as coda]. Variants on each theme, not key relationship, are indicated by the superscript. 
69 
 
 
 
The real moment of compositional brilliance is from measure 178 to the end 
where all the themes are overlayed in various ways, with theme A being rhythmically 
sped up and cut into small pieces in the solo bass trombone part. Lastly, the final 
measure brings with it a surprise twist to end with: the coda has been building the 
expectation of F minor as the final home key, but the final note is octave E?s! It is 
quite a subversion of expectations and makes the ending that much more interesting.  
Performance Considerations and Suggestions 
 William Schmidt knew the trombone and its capabilities well, having written 
for the brass of the Los Angeles Brass Society for many years. The piece lays well on 
the horn with only a few locations being made easier by the addition of the second 
valve. This piece is not one of deep significance ? not as an insult to it ? but 
understanding that it was composed as incidental music for a solo bass trombonist 
friend to play with woodwind quintet will keep the choices made in the right frame of 
mind.60 Keep the character of the first movement light and execute the forte piano?s 
clearly as they are a critical part of the primary theme.61 The theme at measure 40 has 
a strong jazz influence, and although not marked, it isn?t inappropriate to put a small 
swing on the rhythm, but if this is done, the rest of the ensemble will need to do it as 
well.62 The difficulty with the swing feel is when to stop swinging ? does it end in 
measure 70, 80, 82, or elsewhere? The clarinet line in 83 should not be swung, and 
the transition may sound arbitrary. Aim to compliment the instruments that you share 
 
60 Cravens, Interview by author. 
61 Cravens, Interview by author. 
62 Cravens, Interview by author. 
70 
 
 
 
a duet with as these pairings were chosen deliberately to show different aspects of the 
bass trombone. Marcato markings should not be aggressive, only ?a good poke of 
fun.?63 Choices must be made whether to play purely the original bass trombone part 
or to incorporate some of the octave changes from the tuba part. As noted above, 
Terry Cravens does not have anything inherently against the substitution, but it 
should be done for a musically coherent and compelling reason as opposed to 
thoughts of ?look at what I can do? or ?look, low notes!?64  The octave change in the 
first 19 measures is problematic as it changes the inversion of the intervals with the 
bassoon from unstable perfect fourths to very stable and strong perfect fifths. This 
repeats at the end of the first movement. Allow the work to gradually become less 
serene and move from light and fun to more intense as the harmonies become more 
complex. 
 The second movement poses and immediate problem with the cup mute: is the 
mezzo forte indicated meant for the apparent volume to the listener, or the volume 
produced before the mute comes into play? The former will reduce the phrase length 
and effectively change the dynamic to mezzo piano or piano whereas the latter likely 
necessitate breaking most of Schmidt?s phrase markings. The is most notable in 
measures 19-26 as the texture thickens notably. Allow the character to change as the 
texture, note lengths, and context change. The fortissimo and accents in measures 36-
40 should still be sonorous and vocal. The cadenza65 from measures 46-59 will allow 
you to explore several different characters, so experiment with articulations, rubato, 
 
63 Cravens, Interview by author. 
64 Cravens, Interview by author. 
65 Terry Cravens calls this section a cadenza. 
71 
 
 
 
and phrase goals. This movement contains the three octave changes that the author 
does recommend making. First, in measures 48 beat four and all of 49; second, 
measure 59; third, the A? in measure 70. These are all lower in the tuba version 
where the line continues descending. It is unknown why Schmidt raised these notes 
up an octave (or lowered them for the tuba); pedal notes were known and performed 
in both the orchestral, movie music, and solo literature by this time. Either way, make 
your decision based on musical judgment, not a desire to play more low notes. The 
pedal notes at the end may not speak or center on all cup mutes ? try rolling up a 3x5? 
card and sticking it into the mute various distances to find a location where all the 
notes will speak uniformly. 
 The third movement finally allows the soloist to have duet with the oboe 
(measures 47-62), so capitalize on the characteristics of the oboe and match it. The 
primary theme in the opening measures should be broad and smooth ? the woodwinds 
will have this later and will by default have a smoother legato. The slurs in the B 
theme of measures 30-25 need to be smooth despite the leaps. Work to match the 
legato of the woodwinds in the descending scale in measure 32 as this will keep the 
style uniform and impress the audience. Measures 90-113 and 151-171 are extended 
duets with the horn. Study the score for the grace notes that have been whited out of 
the trombone part but are present in the horn and tuba part and add them back in as 
they are eminently playable (Figure 52). Even though measures 102-109 are not 
slurred, keep 
them 
Figure 52 Measures 92-96. Trombone on top, missing a grace note, tuba on bottom. cantabile 
72 
 
 
 
and flowing forward. The sinister aspect of the line comes from the harmony and 
rhythm, not the articulation. Measures 122-131 have frequent half steps with the 
bassoon or horn when moving upwards, so lean into the rising intensity and 
dissonance, using it to heighten the musical moment. Measures 179-221 can be 
performed without using the valves if rapid use of sixth and seventh positions are 
consistently in tune. In the final page of the solo, work to have thematic clarity where 
the three primary themes overlap so the audience can hear them all. Finally, lean into 
the unexpected final chord: the audience will be expecting F minor, but the octave E?s 
will add a question mark instead of an exclamation if not played exuberantly. 
Escapade by Manny Albam 
About the Composer 
 Born in 1922 and named ?one of the most important mainstream jazz 
arrangers of the 1950s and 1960s,? Manny Albam grew up in New York and was 
arranging and performing on baritone saxophone by the time he was 19.66 He 
performed or arranged for Don Joseph, Muggsy Spanier, Bob Chester, Georgie Auld, 
Charlie Spivak, and Boyd Raeburn before his time in the Army from 1945-6. In 1951 
he stopped performing to focus on arranging and composing, having his works 
recorded with bands ranging from Gerry Mulligan, Dizzy Gillespie, and Stan Getz to 
Count Basie, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, and Buddy Rich. He formally studied 
composition with Tibor Serly (one of Zolt?n Kod?ly?s students) from 1958-1960. It 
was during this time that two of is best and most well-known pieces were written: The 
 
66 Fred Sturm, Changes Over Time: The Evolution of Jazz Arranging, (Advance Music, 1995), 216.  
73 
 
 
 
Blues is Everybody?s Business (1958) and Soul of the City (1960). Albam also became 
involved in music (jazz) education through the Eastman School?s summer arranging 
workshops and working at Glassboro State College (New Jersey). He continued to 
write music for top bands, including names modern students will recognize: J.J. 
Johnson, Jim Pugh, and Hank Jones. Albam later joined the faculty at the Manhattan 
School of Music and became the Director for the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop in 
New York.67, 68 
About the Work 
 Although composed by the well-known Manny Albam, there is little 
information available on Escapade, both from the composer or other sources. The 
work does not have a dedication, but it was recorded by Dr. Thomas Streeter of 
Illinois Wesleyan University in 1972 on the LP Music for Bass Trombone (Kendor 
KE 9972), the year he was hired at IWU. The doctoral dissertation ?Selected Works 
for Solo Trombone with Woodwind Ensembles? by Alan Lynn Arnold (1978) 
indicates that it was commissioned by the composer Christopher Dedrick for Dr. 
Streeter. Streeter describes the piece as a ?pleasant, ?middle-of-the-road? composition 
which must be interpreted a bit freely in order to be logical and worth-while in a 
musical sense.?69 Therefore it appears that Streeter?s whole album was Dedrick?s 
idea, or perhaps sponsored by him, who had five of his pieces recorded on it.  
 
67 Sturm, Changes Over Time, 216. 
68 Grove Music Online, s.v. ?Manny Albam,? accessed November 21, 2021, 
https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.J005000.  
69 Alan Lynn Arnold, ?Selected Works for Solo Trombone and Woodwind Ensembles? (doctoral diss., 
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1978), 36. 
74 
 
 
 
Of the most interesting things that could be tied to this piece is Dr. Streeter?s 
relationship with jazz and the jazz program at IWU. When Streeter was hired, he 
recalls that, ?Up until I arrived if anyone was caught playing jazz in a practice room, 
they were asked to leave the building. It was considered risqu? music at the time.?70 
Having been in the U.S. Air Force?s Airmen of Note jazz ensemble before coming to 
IWU, it?s not a stretch to imagine this he would have been both disappointed and 
excited with a potentially great opportunity. As a well-respected performing 
musician, he founded the jazz program at IWU and recorded his LP of new music for 
bass trombone ? including Escapade ? within a year and a half of being hired. It is 
unknown if there is a direct link between the commissioning and recording of 
Escapade and the act of founding the jazz program at IWU, but the possibility is 
there. 
 The work is light at heart and conservative in its jazz influences. It is not 
swung, and in the predominant harmonic language of jazz, many of the chords are 
extended harmonies, whether seventh or ninth chords. This is apparent as early as 
measure 4 in the first chord of the piece, where from bottom to top, the chord is a B?
maj 7/9 (C-B?-D-F-A). Curiously, the ninth is frequently in the bass trombone, giving a 
unique sound to this voicing, including the last chord of the piece, an E maj 7/9 chord 
with the F? both in the bass trombone and flute. The harmony is the main source of 
jazz influence, but the melodic effect of Albam almost exclusively has the soloist 
enter on an offbeat is an intriguing choice. With two small exceptions, every note that 
 
70 Rachel Hatch, ?Founder of the IWU Jazz Program to Retire in May,? News and Events, Illinois 
Wesleyan University, March 28, 2011, 
https://www.iwu.edu/news/2011/fac_StreeterProfile_00311.html. 
75 
 
 
 
is not preceded by a rest is an offbeat, usually a pickup into the following measure. 
The two exceptions are measures 70 and 72, where the bass trombone is not 
Figure 53, the second statement of the opening theme. 
functioning as a solo voice, but as bass voice to the trio of horn, bassoon, and 
trombone. Yet the melody in the flute and oboe do enter on the offbeat to maintain 
the idea. The main melody as seen in Figure 56 is the best example of the stylistic 
elements of the piece. This figure also shows a point of interest: the accent in measure 
two. This is one of only five accents in the solo in the entirety of the work: this one, 
one in this same phrase a ninth higher in measures 60-62, then on the dotted half 
notes of measures 111-113. The inclusion of this accent in the second measures is 
quite peculiar, as it only shows up in the melody when it is exact the rhythm. The 
second time it appears however, the slurs are different, as seen below in Figure 53.   
 Structurally, the piece can be broken into three sections: The opening section 
based on the opening theme, a legato transitional section built around the first of the 
ad lib semi-cadenza sections, and the third section that returns to the articulated style 
of the opening, but with a reworked ascending theme. The opening section is largely 
in a call-and-response form with the bass trombone functioning in a harmonic role 
when not stating the theme. In the second section, the texture thickens, and melodic 
ideas are traded not antiphonally, but in a layered fashion with entrances being 
staggered one or two measures at a time. The middle section is also dominated 
76 
 
 
 
exclusively by time signatures of five-four or three-four, which further delineate it 
from the other two sections. 
 The third section enters with a change back to common time and the trombone 
entering after a short rest on a theme that is fundamentally related to the opening 
theme. As seen below in Figure 54, the eighth-note pickup still exists, but the 
intervals are different, and the tune rises for an additional octave before falling again. 
Figure 54, measures 136-138. 
The first six notes of this figure will be the basis for the solo part for the remainder of 
the piece. With the solo voice being based around a tonic of C, transitioning to the 
second section which arrives on D?, and the third section being based around F? 
(minor, and with a frequent C? that acts as a leading tone to the C?) giving this an 
overall enharmonic spelled harmonic motion of C ? D? ? G?. However, the 
harmonies of the quintet tell a different story. The first, and most frequently repeated 
chord of the first section is the B?maj 7/9 chord including the solo melody sound in C, 
the ninth (or second) of the chord. This appears at the end of the work, where the solo 
has been in F?, but the woodwinds are in E tonal area. The frequent inclusion of D? 
and D? give it a modal feel as the D? is only in the E maj 7/9 chord. This is further 
supported by the tonality of the opening measures with its B?maj 7/9 ? F9 chord 
relationship, with the C in the solo voice. Looking into the middle section, it is 
evident that while the tonality arrives at D?, G? has been replaced with G?.  One 
possible key structure is therefore B? Lydian ? D? Lydian ? E Mixolydian. Because 
77 
 
 
 
the average listener will want to hear the F? as the tonic because of the solo, this 
chord spacing with the solo having the ninth on the bottom is at first blanche unstable, 
but when put into context of this being jazz, it is no longer odd. With the ensemble 
vamping between Dmaj 7/9 and the Emaj 7/9 chords at the end, Albam wanted this jazzy 
major 7th-9 chord to be the harmonic spine and indeed final tonality of the work.  
The remaining analytical question is whether this is a ternary or through-
composed work. The similarities between the thematic material of the opening and 
closing sections ? the upbeat pickup that is slurred into the next measure, the overall 
shape of the phrase rise and falling before returning to the starting note are very 
similar. The main melody from measures 1-4, (Figure 56) and its second form in 
measures 6-7 in (Figure 55), both have a dominant-tonic relationship over the course 
of their first three measures. If measures three to four and 141-142 are compared, it is 
Figure 56, measure 1-4 of  Escapade 
clear they have the same interval 
pattern spelled with different 
Figure 55, measures 6-7 
enharmonics (Figure 55), ergo 
they are the same material. The 
  measures 3-4 (L) and 141-142 (R) 
opening A section?s material 
returns. What makes this a ternary instead of a rounded binary is the fact that the B 
section?s material in D? is not based on material from the A section. Although the 
key of the returning A section is ?wrong? by not being in the key of the opening 
section, at this point in history, key relationships have been freed and the A theme 
78 
 
 
 
does not need to return in its original key to operate in a structural way. Therefore, 
because of the returning A section?s material is based so directly on the opening of 
the work, this has a ternary form. The return of the main theme is short, being only 
one quarter the length of the piece. It contains two cadenzas which work to bring the 
piece to a close with material that is familiar, but still fresh to the listener.  
Performance Considerations and Suggestions 
 With the style of this work is in a light and straight jazz style, the correct 
execution of the indicated slurs and articulations will give this piece its flair. The 
rhythms have flavors of rock and commercial music as well, but the harmonies point 
to a jazzier style. This piece is straight forward with three distinct sections, and three 
moments that are essentially cadenzas. Keep the playing tasteful and on the light side. 
This will also aid in blending with the woodwind quintet. There are two typos in the 
solo part: measure 17 is full of D??s, not D?, and the half note D? in measure 19 
should not be tied to the dotted quartet note. Treat this section as if you are 
functioning as timpani. The horn, then flute have the melody, and you are the bass to 
the rest of the ensemble?s chords. A slight accent or emphasis on each note will aid in 
clarity and providing rhythmic pulse to the ensemble. 
There are three moments in Escapade that are marked ad lib where the 
performer will be required to interpret the marking and decide a course of musical 
Figure 57. The first ad lib section in Escapade 
79 
 
 
 
action. The first one, in measure 100, as seen in Figure 57. The first ad lib section in 
Escapade is 10 measures of unaccompanied bass trombone. With the composer not 
giving any specific instruction to aid in interpreting the moment, it is acceptable to 
continue through at tempo without changing anything. However, the work has been 
continuing at a consistent, hard-driving tempo for nearly two minutes and a change in 
pacing provides an opportunity to raise interest in the audience with a tempo 
modification. The route the author took is to ritard into measures 102 with a fermata 
on that downbeat, then start piano and much slower, then make a continual crescendo 
and accelerando into measure 110 where the woodwinds enter. Your interpretation 
will be different, but experiment with this moment.  
The second ad lib moment is measures 150-156 as seen in Figure 58. This can  
Figure 58 the second cadenza-like section 
be interpreted in a continuous tempo and played as written, or the time can once again 
be modified. The author started the cadenza immediately slower, then sped up 
through the end of measure 151. The diminuendo in the last measure was paired with 
a ritard to prepare the audience for the entrance of the woodwind quintet. In a 
80 
 
 
 
moment of irony, this interpretation was decided on before Dr. Thomas Streeter?s 
recording of this work was received, and he made essentially the same decision. 
The final cadenza-like section is seen below. The low tessitura will likely 
require a breath by measure 163, so a quick solution is to play the C? long and take a 
big breath after that and accelerando back into the A tempo of measure 165. 
Regardless of the choices made, keep the tone and slurs consistent between open, 
single and double valve, and pedal registers. Finally, the last three eighth notes before 
the a tempo will need to be clear to cue the woodwinds back in. This music is seen in 
Figure 59.  
Figure 59 the final cadenza-like section 
 A final moment that can be modified is before the final chord of the piece. 
Albam marks to diminuendo and rallentando, and after having a climax at a strong 
forte, this seems somewhat counterintuitive. You may wish to improvise, or noodle, 
for a moment before the last note. There is precedence for this in performances of 
other jazz-styled solos. Use your discretion and keep it in character with the piece. 
1+5 by Hidas Frigyes 
About the Composer 
 Hungarian composer, conductor, and pianist Frigyes Hidas (Friydyesh Hee-
dosh; in Hungarian, names are in surname - given name order) was born in 1928 and 
attended the Franz Liszt Academy of Music where he studied composition with J?nos 
81 
 
 
 
Visky and sacred music and conducting with L?szl? Somogyi from 1947-1952.71 He 
went on to become the music director of the National Theatre from 1952-1966 while 
maintaining his compositional activities, winning his first Erkel Prize in 1959 for his 
Oboe Concerto (and his second in 1980). He went on to also conduct the municipal 
Operetta Theatre from 1974-1976 until he retired to be a fulltime composer. From 
then, he was awarded the title Artist of Merit in 1987 and the B?la Bart?k-Ditta 
P?ntory Prize in 1993.72 Hidas ?firmly believed in tunes and harmonies in a 
traditional sense of those terms and always wrote in an easily accessible idiom,? and 
composed for all genres including choral, solo, chamber, orchestra music, concerti, 
ballets and operas. Hidas? compositional style stayed within tonality, although he did 
experiment with serial elements, and was influenced by jazz at times, becoming more 
interested in structure later in his compositional career.73, 74  
Some of Hidas? works that a trombonist may already be familiar with are his 
Meditation for unaccompanied bass trombone, his Baroque Concerto for alto 
trombone and string orchestra, the Alteba Trio for trombone trio, and Seven 
Bagatelles for twelve trombones. All these works and more were commissioned by 
trombonists who clearly took a liking to his music. Hungary was a satellite state of 
the Soviet Union during most of Hidas? life and that may have influenced his 
compositional style. He certainly wasn?t under the intense spotlight of composers like 
Shostakovich, but it is difficult to tell how much that may have affected his style. As 
 
71 Grove Music Online, s.v. ?Frigyes Hidas,? Accessed November 20, 2021, 
https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.12992. 
72 Grove, ?Frigyes Hidas.? 
73 Grove, ?Frigyes Hidas.? 
74 ?Hidas, Frigyes,? Editio Musica Budapest Zenem?kiad?, accessed November 21, 2021, 
https://www.emb.hu/en/composers/hidas_frigyes. 
82 
 
 
 
previously noted, his personal style is tuneful and easily accessible and seems 
genuine without needing to take soviet censorship into consideration. Hidas knows 
the trombone well in all its forms, having written successful works for alto, tenor, and 
bass trombone, with his Meditation frequently found on recitals and student 
competitions.  
About the Work 
1+5 is a four-movement work written in 1994 for ?Mr. Roy Pickering?. The 
movements follow the form of a concerto in miniature with a prelude movement 
setting the expectations for form, harmony, and colors available to the ensemble. It is 
lighthearted in nature and predominantly in the key of E? major, with excursions to 
nearby tonal areas. Of the many facets of this work is the way in which the bass 
trombone blends with the ensemble: there are many moments where the solo is 
simply an extension of the quintet and the color and blend of that sound shows how 
fitting the bass trombone is with the woodwind quintet. 
At just over a minute long, the first moment sets the stage for the entire work. 
It is pastorale and nature, alternating moments of playfulness, wistfulness, and 
foreshadowing an appearance of sturm und drang. It is a truncated rounded binary in 
E? major. Two statements of the main theme (Figure 60) an octave apart quickly 
move into a harmonically unstable and transitory area before chromatically moving 
back to the home key and reprising the main theme. Closing material appears after a 
measure of rhythmic intensity in 
the solo part, and the aural palate Figure 60 measures 1-4 of the first movement of 1+5 
83 
 
 
 
has been set for the rest of the work. This movement is in a short rounded binary 
form, with the themes being AABA, and the B section being a harmonically opaque 
transitional section that returns the work to the home key for the final statement of the 
main theme. 
The second movement is triple the length of the first movement and takes the 
classical form of a scherzo. The primary thematic material is a rising arpeggio based 
on a minor triad with a ninth and raised seventh, (Figure 62) and is in the style of 
sturm und drang. Chromatic sequences that ascend by minor thirds paired with 
alarmed bird-like calls in the flute drive the tension forward. The harmonic 
progression of the first four measures is G ? B? ? C? ? E (all minor chords), 
Figure 62 movement 2 opening measures 
outlining a diminished seventh chord based on the i chord and is rife with tension and 
harmonic possibility. The melody bounces in a call-and-response manner between the 
solo and clarinet and continues to grow more alarmed as the movement progresses. 
Rhythms start to enter in a jagged manner, on either the third or fourth sixteenth note 
of the beat adding additional expectations of rising to a climax. The first moment is 
the arrival on a first inversion G minor chord in measure 25, as seen in Figure 61. 
This is also the most technically and rhythmically intense moment in the entire work 
for the soloist. After this, the main theme comes back in several new key areas in the 
Figure 61 measures 21-25 
84 
 
 
 
woodwinds, but the energy is waning, tension is easing and the storm of sturm und 
drang is receding. This concludes the A section of the movement. 
The B section begins in the submediant, E? major, and is the pastorale section 
of the movement. Its gently rising and falling theme (Figure 63) is carefree and 
playful, belaying the tension of the previous section. The woodwinds move to 
staccato, bouncy and light 
harmonic figures to 
Figure 63 measures 53-56, the slow section's primary theme 
compliment the solo line. Small hints of the previous stress return in measures 67-68 
while acting as a small development section, but the character is warm and 
welcoming. 
Before too long, the A section must make its reprisal in the recapitulation, and 
the transition is done through rising chromatic half steps in the bass trombone, one 
per measure, from E? to G. The sturm und drang returns and repeats the first 20 
measures verbatim. Then, instead of moving the material found in Figure 61, it moves 
to material based on the bassoon?s part from measures 28. The quintet holds chords 
during these measures and the whole line descends, slowly releasing the tension. This 
material is then mixed with the quarter note idea from measures 36-37 to raise the 
tension again to push into the coda where the tension returns in its fullest force, this 
time in the woodwinds. The piece ends with a flourish, not unlike a storm slamming a 
door shut (Figure 64). This gives this movement an overall structure of AB ? CDC ? 
AB1 coda, and with the complete restatement of the A theme, this lends to being 
85 
 
 
 
classified as a ternary form. It lacks a distinguishable development section, instead 
having a rounded binary form in its place for the slow middle section. 
Figure 64 the final measures of movement 2 
Movement three is the slow pastorale and chorale movement. The woodwinds 
start with a repeating offbeat ostinato while the bass trombone has a low singing 
melody characterized by alternating leaps and stepwise motion, often leaping down to 
a chromatic neighbor or leading tone. The texture is rich and full of suspensions that 
guide the listener through the story that is being told. The middle section is faster, and 
rapidly sequences through several key areas going from F to C? minor, E minor, A 
minor, and B? minor for no more than four measures at a time. This middle section 
consists only of its own melodic content that is different from the opening content. 
Each key area has its turn with only slight modifications to intervals or the order of 
86 
 
 
 
the rhythm before ending on an F major chord, acting as dominant to the returning A 
section in B? major. 
The form of this movement is A ? B as transition ? C (faster tempo, 
sequencing) ? A ? B as retransition ? A1 coda, allowing it to be categorized as an 
extended ternary form where instead of the faster middle section having three 
sections, the return of the A section gets an additional showing for the retransition to 
steer the A theme back to the correct home key of B? major. 
The fourth movement is the most varied of the suite. It starts with a substantial 
cadenza for the bass trombone with the mood oscillating between triumphant/joyful 
and sullen/sinister/apologetic.  The movement in nominally in and based around E? 
major, but the cadenza ends by outlining the ?VI chord, C?, and moving down to F in 
anticipation of its stepwise resolution to the E? in measure 20. The primary theme of 
the A section (Figure 65) is joyful and light with its angular rhythm smoothed over 
with the indicated slurs. It rapidly pivots away from the home key and meanders 
Figure 65 movement four, the A section primary theme 
87 
 
 
 
through several transient tonal areas before arriving on a partial statement of the 
theme in B major in measure 48. It remains upbeat throughout this cut-time section. 
The B section starts in measure 5 with a lilting five-eight time interspersed 
with measures of six-eight and nine-eight. The mood here is more reserved and the 
solo entrances are syncopated, creating a continuous eighth-note pattern to give a 
sense of a perpetual conversation between the solo and upper woodwinds (Figure 66). 
This becomes the primary theme of the 
new B section of the movement. This 
theme is stated twice within an eight-
measure period before moving onto 
transitional material. After an overt nod 
to Tchaikovsky?s Nutcracker in measures 
63-64, a transitional section with the 
soloist on a B pedal point leads to a 
Figure 66 the B section of the fourth movement 
repeat of the B theme, this time playing 
the first half of each measure in a seven-bar phrase that leads to a chromatic scale 
oriented around D. This functions as the dominant for the entry of the A theme in 
measure 81, now in G major. This version of the A theme is set a sixth lower than the 
opening to showcase the richness and lyricism of the low range of the soloist. The 
section is only 20 measures long, almost half of the first A section?s 35 measures. The 
opening A theme contains what in a sonata form would be called fortspinnung, or the 
?moment-to-moment spinning-out of modular growth and elaboration,? which usually 
88 
 
 
 
occurs immediately after transitional elements in the exposition of a work.75 The 
second showing of the A theme does not contain this, which is why it is so much 
shorter this second time through. 
This leads to the second B section of measures 101-119, which is 7 measures 
shorter than the first B section and is notably different. The primary theme of this 
section is only stated once and instead of a repeat leading to two four-bar phrases, this 
showing gets a standard antecedent-consequent phrase structure of four + four 
measures. The time signature changes to two-four with a metric modulation that 
keeps the eighth-note constant and functions as a slightly complicated harmonic 
transition to the home key. When viewed from the home key, the tonal areas move 
from A? (IV, measures 101-108) to a tonally ambiguous section from 109-116 where 
the soloist plays a B minor scale with a flat second scale degree while the quintet 
holds a B major flat-9 chord. This then degenerates to a B? maj7 and further then to B?7 
with the B? to A? suspension in the flute and oboe, which can be respelled as a D?7 
chord, or vii? in the home key. The recently heard B? still gives the listener the 
feeling of B? (V) to E? (I) even though that isn?t the actual harmony sounding. The 
A section then returns triumphantly for a full statement before an eight-measure coda 
to finish out the work. 
The ABAB1A structure of the work allow it to be classified as a rondo but is it 
a sonata-rondo?76 According to the work of Hepokoski and Darcy it does not qualify. 
 
75 James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy, Elements of Sonata Theory, 16. 
76 James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy, Elements of Sonata Theory, 400-401. 
Not all rondo forms must have alternating sections such as ABACA. ABAB1A is a variant of the five-
part rondo. 
89 
 
 
 
There is no Medial Caesura, no perfect authentic cadence(s), no Essential 
Expositional Closure, no Secondary Theme, and the end of what would have been 
Closing Material ends with a restatement of the Primary Theme (albeit in a different 
key, now B major).77 There have been 100 years of harmonic and thematic 
development since most of the works they examined were written, and the generally 
accepted formal events and waypoints have continued to erode. Although their book 
is not about a set of hard rules ? rather explaining the essential structural moments 
and examining all the many variations (which they call ?deformations?) of sonata 
form in the Classical and Romantic eras ? there are nonetheless several key events 
that must occur and the Hidas fails on most of those counts. Some elements or 
portions of sonata form are present, but these characteristics can be found in other 
non-sonata works as well.78 
Performance Considerations and Suggestions 
 The Hidas is a relatively straight-forward work that does not require extensive 
score study and interpretation like some of the other works on this recording. In 
general, the style is to be kept light and the elegance of the bass trombone should 
shine throughout as an expansion and enrichment of the woodwind quintet?s aural 
palate. 
 In the first movement, keeping chordal tuning in mind will reap rewards in 
live spaces as the overlapping arpeggios will resonate and be plainly in or out of tune. 
 
77 See the ?list of abbreviations? for definitions of these terms. 
78 James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy, Elements of Sonata Theory, 9-17, 51-71, 180-182, 397-399, 
400-401. 
 
90 
 
 
 
Keep the sixteenth notes in measures 40 clean and uncompressed. Do not smack the 
last two notes: this is just an octave jump, nothing more. Feel free to add dynamic 
shading to your phrases as this movement has minimal dynamic instruction. 
 The second movement contains more challenging moments to execute well. 
Measures 21-25 will require excellent slide technique, rhythm, and consistency of 
sound and articulation across several registers. If sixteenth note clarity and slide 
technique is challenging to smooth out, and if you have an independent second valve, 
experiment with it and see if that makes the sixteenth notes smoother. Whether E in 
flat third or F? is played on the valve, it may leave you with a satisfactory solution if 
it does not change the sound quality. Practice this section with a metronome and 
gradually reduce the percentage of the beats it sounds.79 Being able to ?bounce? off 
the woodwind?s downbeats will help, but only if you remain aware of their time and 
don?t give in to rushing or dragging. The quarter notes in measures 36-37, 121-125 
will need to be strictly in time while the quintet hold their chords, so subdivide 
throughout these sections. The offset rhythm in measures 55-56, 59-60, 82-83 and 88-
89 will also need subdivision as it is easy to listen to the quintet?s rhythm and become 
disoriented. The interplay there is fast enough that reacting will cause the sections to 
drag, so be proactive with your rhythm. Towards the end, measures 116-120 have 
alternating rests as seen below (Figure 67), and the tendency will be to enter late in 
the first, third, and fifth measures shown. Practicing with a metronome and quick 
 
79 Smartphone apps like Time Guru have this function to gradually and randomly reduce the beats 
played. 
91 
 
 
 
breathing will aid in this section. Don?t forget to phrase these sections despite their 
challenges. 
 Movement three will be aided most by practicing with tuning drones as most 
Figure 67 movement 2, measures 116-121 
of it is a slow chorale with long sections of static harmonies. This will help you find 
the correct adjustment for each chord tone and deliver a beautiful melody that is 
interesting in all of the right ways. There are several moments when the solo moves 
from a minor third to a major third, such as measures eight, eleven, and twelve where 
practicing moving from minor to major thirds with just intonation will be particularly 
useful. Pay special attention to the low-voiced major thirds measures 13-15, notably 
the pedal G in measure 15 which is the major third of that chord. Measure 59 is 
missing the dot on that whole note ? it should be evident that it lasts all six beats of 
the measure, but it is a typo in the solo part. 
 The fourth movement?s opening cadenza will allow you to capitalize on your 
musicianship without the need for strict time. Use this to enhance the musical story 
you are telling. You may wish to bring out the accidentals that are most foreign to the 
key of E?, such as the low B in measure 15, and the tritone after it. Try not to disrupt 
the phrases with many breaths but keep the tone and phrasing first and foremost in 
your performance. The main theme should be playful and sing songlike. Although the 
dotted-eighth sixteenth note rhythm is more march like, but do not emphasize them, 
and keep them long and smooth. They should provide a lilt, not a hard driving style. 
The chromatic line in measures 35-37 will need to be tuned well to keep the 
relationship between half steps and whole steps clear. 
92 
 
 
 
 The key to putting together the five-eight/mixed meter/triple meter sections is 
to understand that there are continuous eighth notes and the syncopations are a 
continuation of the steady time. Do not let the sforzandi in measures 65-70 become 
splashy or crass ? you are performing with a woodwind quintet, not a brass quintet ? 
context matters. The movement should largely be lyrical and refined. Several 
moments allow for the darker and more threatening side of the bass trombone to be 
implied, but only implied and not let loose. When done well, this work provides 
ample opportunities for a new blend and sound color that is surprisingly well thought 
out. For all the reputation the bass trombone has of being overpoweringly loud and 
aggressive, it can also be light, nimble, and refined. Showcase these attributes with 
this work. 
 
 
  
93 
 
 
 
Appendix A 
 
Consortium members for Adrian B Sims? The Sword of Orion: 
Credits as the members requested 
 
Skyler Foster (lead) 
Christopher Bassett, Jacksonville Symphony and Santa Fe Opera 
David Bobroff, Iceland Symphony Orchestra 
Dennis Bubert, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, University of Texas at Arlington 
Evan Clifton, West Michigan Symphony 
George Curran, New York Philharmonic 
DC Trombone Workshop 
Austin Fairley 
Matthew Guilford, University of Maryland School of Music 
Randy Hawes, Northwestern University, Cleveland Institute of Music 
Brian Hecht, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra 
Shelby Kifer, University of Tulsa 
James Markey, Bass Trombonist, Boston Symphony, Faculty New England 
Conservatory 
Jim Nova, Pittsburgh Symphony, Duquesne University 
Gerry Pagano, Bass Trombone, St. Louis Symphony 
Bradley Palmer, Southeast Trombone Symposium 
Denson Paul Pollard, Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, MET Opera 
Orchestra 
Gabriel Langfur Rice, Boston University 
Jonathan Warburton 
Douglas Yeo, Wheaton College (Illinois) 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Members in the Trombone choir recordings (alphabetically): 
Gil Cruz, Matthew Guilford (bass), Brett Manzo, James Martin (bass), Pedro 
Martinez, Nathan Reynolds, Adrian B. Sims 
 
Members in the woodwind quintet recordings: 
 
Ignis Wind Quintet: Danielle Kim (flute), Nathaniel Wolff (oboe), Kyle Glasgow 
(clarinet), Zachary Miller (horn), Christian Whitacre (bassoon) 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Additional works for solo bass trombone and chamber ensembles can be found in 
Clinton Nieweg?s excellent resource Music for Bass Trombone: Compositions for 
Solo Bass Trombone with Orchestra or Band. Cherry Classics Music Method Books 
& Studies for Brass. Vancouver, BC: Cherry Classics Music, 2017. 
94 
 
 
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
Figure 68 visual 
comparison of a tenor 
(single valve) and bass 
(double valve) 
trombone. Photos by 
the author. 
  
95 
 
 
 
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