Concert Piece For Trombone Guilmant

[Carol]

Thistrombone solo is playable by a very good high school level player (about a grade 4-5 level). It has been recorded by all the great soloists and is a required piece on many competition lists. The powerful and organ like supporting material make the remaining ensemble parts interesting and challenging.

Felix Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911) was a French organist and composer. He got his start in his hometown of Meudon before moving to Paris in 1871 as the organist at the Holy Trinity church. While occupying that position for for 30 years, he developed an international career as an organist, touring Europe (especially England), the United States, and Canada. He was also something of a scholar, helping to collect two multi-volume anthologies of early organ music by French and non-French composers. His compositional output is more copious than his opus count (he reached 94) suggests, since many of his individual compositions were in fact collections of many smaller pieces. His greatest contribution was to the organ repertoire, both as a composer and a scholar, but others of his works have stood the test of time as well.

One of those exceptional Guilmant works is his Morceau Symphonique for solo trombone and piano. It was written in 1902 as an examination piece for the trombone students at the Paris Conservatory. It remains a beloved staple of the solo trombone repertoire, and thus it has been arranged several times for different accompaniments. Here is the original version with piano:

Sometimes there are instruments in the ensemble other than those shown above. These are linked to their respective principal instruments with either a "d" if the same player doubles the instrument, or a "+" if an extra player is required. Whenever this occurs, we will separate the first four digits with commas for clarity. Thus a double reed quartet of 2 oboes, english horn and bassoon will look like this:

Thus, the Copland Fanfare shown above is for 3 Trumpets, 4 Horns, 3 Trombones, no Euphonium, 1 Tuba and Tympani. There is no separate number for Bass Trombone, but it can generally be assumed that if there are multiple Trombone parts, the lowest part can/should be performed on Bass Trombone.

These numbers tell you how many of each instrument are in the ensemble. The first number stands for Violin, the second for Viola, the third for Cello, and the fourth for Double Bass. Thus, this string quartet is for 2 Violas and 2 Cellos, rather than the usual 2110. Titles with no bracketed numbers are assumed to use "Standard Instrumentation." The following is considered to be Standard Instrumentation:

The bracketed numbers tell you the precise instrumentation of the ensemble. The system used above is standard in the orchestra music field. The first set of numbers (before the dash) represent the Woodwinds. The set of numbers after the dash represent the Brass. Percussion is abbreviated following the brass. Strings are represented with a series of five digits representing the quantity of each part (first violin, second violin, viola, cello, bass). Other Required and Solo parts follow the strings:

Principal auxilary instruments (piccolo, english horn, bass clarinet, contrabassoon, wagner tuba, cornet & euphonium) are linked to their respective instruments with either a "d" if the same player doubles the auxiliary instrument, or a "+" if an extra player is required. Instruments shown in parenthesis are optional and may be omitted.

The second example is common for a concert band or wind ensemble piece. This ficticious work is for 2 flutes (plus piccolo), 1 oboe, 3 clarinets plus alto and bass clarinets, 2 bassoons, 5 saxes (soprano, 2 altos, tenor & bari), 2 trumpets (plus 2 cornets), 3 trombones, euphonium, tuba, tympani, percussion and double bass. Note the inclusion of the saxes after bassoon for this band work. Note also that the separate euphonium part is attached to trombone with a plus sign. For orchestral music, saxes are at the end (see Saxophones below. It is highly typical of band sets to have multiple copies of parts, especially flute, clarinet, sax, trumpet, trombone & percussion. Multiples, if any, are not shown in this system. The numbers represent only distinct parts, not the number of copies of a part.

Note: This system lists Horn before Trumpet. This is standard orchestral nomenclature. Unless otherwise noted, we will use this system for both orchestra and band works (in most band scores, Trumpet precedes Horn, and sometimes Oboe & Bassoon follow Clarinet). Also, it should be noted that Euphonium can be doubled by either Trombone or Tuba. Typically, orchestra scores have the tuba linked to euphonium, but it does happen where Trombone is the principal instead.

Saxophones, when included in orchestral music (they rarely are) will be shown in the "other instrument" location after strings and before the soloist, if any. However for band music, they are commonly present and therefore will be indicated after bassoon as something similar to "SAATB" where S=soprano, A=alto, T=tenor and B=baritone. Letters that are duplicated (as in A in this example) indicate multiple parts.

All trumpet students will be asked to perform several major scales, plus arpeggios. Please prepare all 12 major scales and arpeggios for this audition. Each student will be asked to perform either the G or C chromatic scale in a two-octave or full range format.

Please select two short contrasting solo pieces that demonstrate lyrical and technical ability. These selections may come from the same solo, etude or from diverse sources. Choose music that is best suited for your abilities. The following is a suggested list of solo and etude books:

All trombone students will be asked to perform a variety of major scales, including C, F, G, Bb, D, Eb, A, Ab and E. Scales may be one or two octaves depending on the student's range. Students will also perform a two-octave chromatic scale beginning on low F.

All students will also perform one or two solo pieces or etudes that demonstrate both lyrical and technical ability. These selections may come from the same solo/etude or from diverse sources. Choose music that is best suited for your abilities.

All students will be asked to perform a variety of major scales, including C, F, G, Bb, D, Eb, A, Ab, and E.

Scales may be one or two octaves depending on the student's range.

Students will also perform a two-octave chromatic scale beginning on low F.

All students will also perform a solo or a solo movement that you enjoy and features the best in your playing.

You may perform two etudes of contrasting styles (technical and lyrical) instead of a solo.

In 1871 he was appointed to play the organ regularly at la Trinit church in Paris, and this position, organiste titulaire, was one he held for 30 years.[2] Guilmant was known for his improvisations, both in the concert and church setting. His inspiration came from gregorian chants, and he was greatly noted amongst his colleagues for his mastery of the melodies.[1] From then on, Guilmant followed a career as a virtuoso; he gave concerts in the United States (the first major French organist to tour that country), and in Canada, as well as in Europe, making especially frequent visits to England. His American achievements included a 1904 series of no fewer than 40 recitals on the largest organ in the world, the St. Louis Exposition Organ, now preserved as the nucleus of Philadelphia's Wanamaker Organ.

With his younger colleague Andr Pirro, Guilmant published a collection of scores, Archives des Matres de l'Orgue (Archives of the Masters of the Organ), a compilation of the compositions of numerous pre-1750 French composers. The collection was printed in ten volumes, the first in 1898 and the last (which Guilmant did not live to finalize) in 1914. Guilmant provided a rather similar survey of organ pieces by foreign composers, publishing l'cole classique de l'Orgue (Classical School of the Organ). These anthologies, despite all the musicological developments which have taken place since Guilmant's own time, remain very valuable sources of early music.

In 1894 Guilmant founded the Schola Cantorum with Charles Bordes and Vincent d'Indy. He taught there up until his death at his home in Meudon, near Paris, in 1911. In addition, he taught at the Conservatoire de Paris where he succeeded Charles-Marie Widor as organ teacher in 1896.[2] As a teacher, Guilmant was noted for his kindness and attention to detail. His students' recollections feature accounts of a particular focus on all facets of a note: attack, release, character.[3] Marcel Dupr was the most celebrated of his many students. Others included Augustin Bari, Joseph-Arthur Bernier, Joseph Bonnet, Alexandre Eugne Cellier, Abel Decaux, Gabriel Dupont, Charles Henry Galloway, Philip Hale, Edgar Henrichsen, douard Mignan, and mile Poillot. See: List of music students by teacher: G to J#Alexandre Guilmant.

Guilmant's interest in Marcel Dupr began when the latter was a child. Albert Dupr, father of the celebrated Marcel, studied organ with Guilmant for seven years prior to his son's birth. In Dupr's memoirs, he includes an anecdote where Guilmant visits his mother upon his birth and declares that the child will grow up to be an organist. After frequent visits throughout his childhood, Marcel Dupr began studying with Guilmant formally at age 11. From this time until his death, Guilmant championed the young virtuoso and did much to advance his career.[4] Guilmant's house was later purchased then demolished by Dupr and rebuilt. His home organ was also sold to Dupr.

Guilmant was an accomplished and extremely prolific composer. Unlike Widor, who produced a great deal of music in all the main genres, Guilmant devoted himself almost entirely to works for his own instrument, the organ. His organ output includes: 'Pices dans diffrents styles', published in 18 books; 'L'organiste pratique', published in 12 books; Eighteen 'Pices Nouvelles'; and 'L'Organiste liturgique', published in 10 books. Guilmant's Eight Sonatas were conceived with the Cavaill-Coll organ of La Trinit in mind, and are therefore symphonic in style and form, taking their place alongside the symphonic organ works of Csar Franck and the Organ Symphonies of Charles-Marie Widor.

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