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Program Notes
Haydn's greatest oratorio, The Creation, tells of the first week of the world as described in the Bible. Chorus No. 28, Achieved is the Glorious Work, comes at the end of the sixth day and is a joyous celebration of the great things that have been accomplished. The text is as
follows:
"Achieved is the glorious work,
The Lord's praises shall be
our song.
All praise his name,
For God is on high."
This arrangement incorporates vocal and orchestral passages and is in
the key of A-flat major, down a whole step from the original. At this
time (1796-1798), Haydn was using trombones frequently in his choral
music, having first written for the trombone in 1774 in the oratorio, Il
Ritorno di Tobia.
 The Fugue in D Minor by J. S. Bach is the second movement of a Toccata
in D Minor. Probably composed during Bach's stay at Muhlhausen, this
work shows equal Italian, North German, and French influences and is one
of countless individual pieces for the harpsichord.
Drei Equali is a work written for trombones in a form that evolved from
Renaissance pieces written for equal voices. Characterized by their
solemn nature, equali were frequently performed at funerals and similar
ceremonies. The equale is especially important, not only as a genre in
itself, but for its influence on the use of trombones in the symphony
orchestra. Beethoven's equali were written in 1812 and performed at his
funeral in 1827.
Kazimierz Serocki was born in Torun, Poland in 1922 and first studied
composition in Lodz. In 1947, he won a competition which enabled him to
study in Paris with Nadia Boulanger. His first of four compositions
featuring the trombone was the Concerto for trombone and orchestra
(1953). The premiere of this work by trombone virtuoso Juliusz
Pietrachowicz inspired Serocki to write the Suite for Four Trombones.
One year later, Serocki wrote a Sonatina for trombone and piano, and in
1970, composed Swinging Music for trombone, cello, piano, and
clarinet.
The Ave Maria is a pivotal point in the final act of Verdi's greatest
tragic opera, Otello. Following an emotional goodnight and goodbye to
her lady-in-waiting, Desdemona finds herself alone and aware of her
impending death at Otello's hands. Time seems to stand still as she
beckons upward; the urgency, the despair increase, then wane. As the
final Ave decays into silence, the music resolves slowly downward
towards a placid close.
Heinrich Isaac's A la Bataglia is one of many pieces of this type
written during the 16th and 17th centuries. No text appears in the
original, but there is a distinct possibility that it was a vocal work
based in part on some pre-existent popular melody. The piece displays
constant variation of rhythm and texture, alternating between fairly
long imitative passages and more homophonic sections.
Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654), along with Heinrich Schütz and Johann
Schein, was an important member of the first generation of Baroque
composers in Germany. Of the three, only he was to distinguish himself
as an instrumental performer. Though he also composed keyboard and
sacred vocal music, Scheidt's fame now rests on his instrumental music.
The Canzona is from his Ludi Musici and was originally written for
cornetts.
Claude Debussy based his Trois Chansons on early 15th century songs by
Charles, Duke of Orleans. They are scored for unaccompanied four-part
chorus but work well for trombone quartet. In the first song, written in
1898 (Lord! How lovely hast thou made my dear!), Debussy keeps the
Aeolian mode setting of the original and makes clear the joy of looking
at one's beloved. The second song, dating from 1908 (Whene're the
tambourine I hear), was written during the time of his orchestral suite,
Iberia, and the involvement with Spanish meter and style is apparent.
The third, also from 1898 (Cold winter, villian that thou art), paints a
vivid, impressionistic picture of the sudden and swirling storms of
winter.
Although Felix-Bartholdy Mendelssohn (1809-1847) had little impact on
the German Lied, he was regarded by Brahms as "the last great master."
Mendelssohn's art songs were not intended for the large concert hall but
rather for a small circle of music making among family and friends. Die
Nachtigall (The Nightengale) with its heartfelt folksong style, is the
fourth of Six Songs, Op. 59, for four-voice choir and is based on a
setting by Goethe.
Anton Webern's Langsamer Satz (Slow Movement) for string quartet was
written as a single movement work in 1905, although it was not
discovered until 1962. Composed early in his career, the piece relies
heavily on the influence of the late romantic composers. This strongly
tonal work contains broad, sweeping melodic lines and a harmonic
movement from C minor to E-flat major. While this music seems far from
Webern's later serialistic writings, one can hear a complex contrapuntal
technique which provides a strong underlying structure.
The Suite for Four Trombones was written by a graduate of the Paris
Conservatory, Désiré Dondayne, and proves to be a bright and optimistic
work. It is in a style common to French trombone writing during the 20th
century and displays the wonderfully lyric side of the trombone as well
as sparkling technical passages in the Minuetto and Scherzo.
Kim Scharnberg's arrangement of No More Blues is a playful approach to
one of Jobim's classic tunes from Brazil. Written specifically for this
recording (and for a group of "legit" players), the arrangement proved
to be one of the most enjoyable to perform. It certainly made the
quartet feel like "FOUR OF A KIND."
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