Slides and Legends
Howland, Brad
I started this piece up the octave for tenor trombone, but after 16 measures or so I knew it had to be for that most heroic of instruments: the Bass Trombone!
An opening inspired by the icy coldness of Sibelius moves into a more cheerful passage that builds in excitement to some epic low notes. Suddenly, a distant chorale on the piano is heard, borrowing the melody from J.S. Bach, BWV 259 (Ach, was soll ich Sünder machen), but re-harmonizing it in a surprising way.
The Bass Trombone eventually takes over again, with an improvisatory passage culminating in a primordial pedal F. There is another echo of the chorale before the cheerful music returns, at first a bit tentative, then picking up steam into a virtuosic Allegro to the end, with a brief excursion to B minor/F# major and a few surprises along the way.
Slides and Legends is intended for advanced intermediate players and above. It is playable on a single-valve bass trombone (F attachment), and is appropriate for most recital programs. Playing time is about 6:40.
Page turns in the piano part should be fine for rehearsal purposes, but in a performance your accompanist may want to use a page-turner.
If you perform this piece, I would love to have a copy of the program!
...Brad Howland
Watch a sample YouTube video
Playing time: 6:40
Level: Level: 4/5 (Colg→Univ)