The Rise of Tenor Trombone Concerto Repertoire

Charles Andrew Sutherland

Masters of Music Thesis

Paul Compton

April 25, 2013

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Ever since the first appearance of the trombone in the early 14th century, its popularity

has grown. As the use of the trombone grew in the orchestra, composers started to recognize its

potential as a solo instrument. Even though its popularity was growing, the trombone’s

repertoire was limited. Despite the fact that composers such as Leopold Mozart and Nikolai

Rimsky-Korsakov wrote solo trombone literature that is still part of the standard repertoire, the

composition of trombone literature flourished during the mid-twentieth century. Particularly in

the years following World War II, composers began writing concertos for trombone with greater

frequency. In fact, three of the most significant concertos in the repertoire were composed

during that time. These compositions include Gordon Jacob’s Concerto for Trombone, Henri

Tomasi’s Concerto for Trombone, and Ernest Bloch’s Symphony for Trombone and Orchestra.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the development of the trombone as well as the particular

events and influences in history and the lives of the composers that led to the composition of

these three significant pieces. Furthermore this paper will include a discography of these three

pieces as well as a comprehensive list of trombone concertos written post World War II.

According to scholars, the trombone most likely originated in Germany.1 It didn’t take

long for the trombone to start appearing outside of Germany. “The trombone, though not yet

universal, [becomes] an accepted fact of the musical scene in the first few decades of the

fifteenth century.”2 Around 1407, the trombone appeared in a performance in Siena, Italy played

by German musician Angelo d’Arringo. The clerk described it as a tuba grossa (Latin: large

trumpet).3

1 Will Kimball, “Trombone History Timeline,” Will Kimball Trombone, http://www.kimballtrombone.com (accessed

February 15, 2013). 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid.

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The instrument has always been called trombone in Italy and Posaunen in German-

speaking countries: both terms are derived from words meaning “trumpet”. The trombone has a

small solo repertory that has survived from the 17th century, including a piece called La

Hieronyma (1621) and another by Francesco Rognoni Taeggio Selva de varii passaggi (1620).

Towards the end of the 17th century, the trombone began to fall out of use in many European

centers where it had been an established feature of musical life for almost two centuries. The

evidence for this descent is unambiguous as records show a decline in the hiring of the trombone.

There are several reasons why the trombone fell from use. The most obvious is a change

in the taste which favored more of a homogeneous sonority, particularly after the fashion of the

string orchestra of the French court. Another reason for this was the decline of the practice of

doubling the vocal lines with the cornets and trombones; because this was the primary function

of the instrument, trombones were less needed when the practice became less favored. Many

sacred choral works contain trombone obbligatos, and there is a small but attractive solo

repertory from this time period. It is no accident that it was here, in the hands of Gluck and

Mozart, that the earliest developments of the modern idiom took place.

In the mid-18th century the trombone was primarily being used in the church and small

ensembles to double the voices. The trombone did not become part of the orchestra until the late

18th century from composers such as Gluck and Mozart. Gluck wrote for a trio of alto, tenor and

bass. Mozart used trombones only in his operas and sacred works; his dramatic use of the

instrument is particularly well exemplified by the scene in Don Giovanni, and he provided a

notorious solo for the trombone in the Tuba Mirum section of his Requiem.

The romantic composers considered the trombone capable of expressing a broad range of

emotional situations; Berlioz said the instrument possessed “both nobleness and gradeur’ and had

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all the deep and powerful accents of high musical poetry, from the religious accent, calm and

imposing…to wild clamours of the orgy.”4 He included a great solo in his Symphonie Funèbre et

Triomphale. In the 19th-century composers often use the trombone to reinforce a tutti passage

and for the background harmonies in a soft passages.

In the dance band music of the first half of the 20th-century, composers would use the

trombone in cantabile passages which dance band trombonists such as Tommy Dorsey executed

so well. Others like J.J. Johnson, known for his influence on Bebop and Edward “Kid” Ory, who

was known for his tailgate music, helped influence what the trombone was capable of. Jazz

trombonists, like these individuals, have explored the expressive potential of irregular attacks,

glissandos, microtones, wide variety of mutes, and multiphonics, which revealed a greater range

of timbres than what was previously used by classical composers.

Throughout the late 18th century composers would continue to assemble musicians for a

performance, typically at an Academy, which would feature their own compositions. In 1781 the

Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra was organized from the merchant’s concert society to perform

works at private and social events. This trend caught on and began the formation of civic

symphonies that would continue into the 19th century. In 1815, Boston’s Handel and Haydn

society was founded; in 1842 the New York Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic were

formed. From then on, hundreds of orchestras around the world began to form and the composers

began to push the boundaries of the modern orchestra.5

Two major composers of the 19th century that influenced and gave growth to the modern

orchestras are Ludwig van Beethoven and Richard Wagner. Beethoven carefully planned his

4 Anthony C. Baines and Arnold Myers, “Trombone,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians,

Second Edition. ed. J.A Fuller Maitland (New York: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2001). 5 Bowen, José Antonio (2003). The Cambridge Companion to Conducting. New York: Cambridge University Press.

ISBN 0-521-52791-0.

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instrumentation to expand the particular timbral effect in each of his symphonies. He had four

horns in Eroica Symphony and the first ever use of three trombones was in the fifth symphony to

support the emotional power of the storm and sunshine, as compared to the early symphonies

that used two horns and one or two trombones. Beethoven’s instrumentation is what set the

standards for modern day orchestras.

Wagner was the next major influence on the expansion and role of the symphonic

practice. Wagner changed the size, importance of tempo, dynamics, timbre, and role of the

principal players. In Die Valkyrie, he was able to show the world what the trombone was capable

of. He demonstrated that the trombone could portray great power. With his Bayreuth Orchestra,

Wagner’s works for the stage were scored for an extraordinary system of complexity of sound

and led the way to modern orchestra.

In the early 20th century, symphony orchestras were larger, better funded, and better

trained than ever before. Composers were given the freedom to compose larger and more

ambitious works.6 By the time of Mahler and Shostakovich, orchestras could support the most

6 New York Philharmonic. A Short History of the Symphony Orchestra. Last modified 1999. Accessed March 15,

2013. http://www.nyphilkids.org/lockerroom/history_f-r.html.

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enormous forms of expression such as Mahler’s Symphony No.3, with its large scale trombone

solo.

Mahler Symphony No. 3, Trombone solo

Effects of World War II:

Before the war, big bands were the most popular forms of music in America and were

growing in popularity in Europe. The big names were Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Duke

Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and Glenn Miller. These artists were producing songs

such as In the Mood, I’m getting Sentimental over you, Begin the Beguine, Stardust, It Don’t

Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing, and many more.

Due to a lack of money people could no longer attend live performances at venues like

Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center or even the Cotton Club. The American government and its

broadcasting companies wanted to build a sense of morale and support for the troops and keep

the people who were not in the war at ease. In order to do this they hired musicians to play for

radio bands and symphonies. This allowed the radio stations to play more music which reached

both the people at home and the fighting troops. The music could bring them laughter, joy, it

could calm their spirits, and united them in a way few other things could. Organizations like the

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NBC and CBS symphonies were formed. This endeavor established a new and unique

relationship between a commercial entity and classical music. This allows the orchestras to

perform for the public, who didn’t have enough money to listen to a live performance, due to

money that was going to the troops. Also, the orchestral organizations could show their support

for the troops fighting over sees.7

Hollywood started to have the ability to provide music in their silent films. They started

to hire studio musicians to provide music to films such as, Don Juan (1926) and The Jazz Singer

(1927). The Golden Age of Hollywood coincided with the great era of American songwriting,

with many of the same composers like Irving Berlin, Gershwin, Porter, and Rodgers who wrote

songs and scores for musical theater and movies.

Many artists participated actively in patriotic activities and would compose patriotic

works. The war also brought cut backs in much of the musical programming, usually in the form

of limited money and reduced personnel. A typical symphony was made up of entirely men. As

the men were entering the war and leaving the music industry, it deeply affected the music

business and many hired women to fill the positions of the previously all-male ensembles. In

general they encountered resistance and discrimination from critics, the public, and achieved

modest success. Some ensembles still flourished and continued to perform concerts.

Several live performances, however, were interrupted due to the war, while others lost air

time. A few examples of programs that closed down included: the Cincinnati Conservatory

Symphony, The Curtis Institute Musicale, The Eastman School of Music Symphony, and the

Indianapolis Symphony.

7 Young, William H. and Nancy K. Young. American History Through Music: Music of the World War II Era.

(Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press), pg.192-194

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After World War II had ended in 1945, the growth of orchestras continued. With this

composers like Gordon Jacob, Henri Tomasi, and Ernest Bloch were writing concertos for many

different instruments. 1956 was a year of note when each of these three composers from different

countries wrote their own concertos for trombone that have stood the test time and has remained

at the top of the trombone repertoire.

Jacob, Gordon. Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra:

Gordon Percival Septimus Jacob (July 5th 1895 - June 8th 1984) was an English composer.

Before World War I he was educated at Dulwich College.

Jacob’s career almost ended before it began. The youngest of ten siblings, he enlisted in

the British Field Artillery to serve in World War I (1914) when he was nineteen. The

inconsistency of war pushed him into the infantry and the frontline of the trenches. He was taken

prisoner in 1917. He was one of only 60 men in his battalion of 800 to survive. He was able to

keep up his interest in music, notably at the end of the war at Bad Colberg, where he formed a

"scratch little orchestra" as he called it. This comprised four string players and three wind

players, complemented by Jacob on piano. For the group he wrote both original music and

arrangements made "to suit, or so I hoped, its peculiar combination of instruments," as he

explained.

After he returned to civilization, from the war, he spent a year studying composition,

theory, and conducting from Stanford, Howells, Boult, and Vaughan Williams at the Royal

Conservatory of Music. He was on the teaching staff at RCM from 1924 until 1966, and his

pupils included Malcolm Arnold, Ruth Gipps, Imogen Holst, Horovitz, and Maconchy.8

8 Sadie, Stanley, “Gordon Jacob,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Second Edition. ed. J.A

Fuller Maitland (New York: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2001).

8

The famous English composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams lists Gordon Jacob as one of the

two people who most influenced his compositions, saying of Jacobs, “He was at one time

nominally my pupil, though there was nothing I could teach him which he did not know better

than I, at all events in the matter of technique. Since then I have often asked his advice on points

of orchestration, as indeed I would gladly do in any branch of the composer’s art.”9

Jacob was such an expert orchestrator that his original compositions were overshadowed

by his arrangements of the works of other composers.10 Jacob’s active career as composer

spanned 60 years, during which time the character of his output faithfully reflected the changes

in opportunity open to composers of a conservative expression. Early performances were

succeeded by increasing orchestral and choral commissions, and in the 1950s he was a respected

figure, providing music for the Festival of Britain (1951) and for the coronation of Queen

Elizabeth II (1953). In common with other more traditional composers of the time, his music

went into downfall with the rise of the Avant Garde in the 1960s. However, he was able to find

fresh outlets by writing for the new wind band movement, particularly in the United States, and

for amateur and school orchestras.

Jacob is not only known for is wind instrument compositions, but also for his educational

writings. His books revealed the extent and nature of his craftsmanship. Orchestral Technique

(London, 1931) was followed by How to Read a Score (London, 1944), The Composer and his

Art (London, 1955) and The Elements of Orchestration (London, 1962). He undertook the

9 Eric Wetherell, “Jacob, Gordon (Percival Septimus)”, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.argo.library.okstate.edu

(accessed March 25, 2013). 10 Ibid.

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editorship of the Penguin scores in 1948, and contributed to a number of works of reference and

textbooks.11

Jacob’s first successful major work was composed during his student years while at the

conservatory. The William Byrd Suite was for orchestra, but is better known for its later

arrangement for the symphonic band.12

In the 1930s Jacob, along with several other young composers, wrote for the Sadlers

Wells Ballet Company. His original ballet, Uncle Remus, was written for the ballet company, but

most of his contributions were arrangements, such as Les Sylphides, which is still being

performed today. Other ballet scores orchestrated by Jacob include Mam’zelle Angot, and

London Morning composed for the London Festival Ballet by Noel Coward.13

Jacob wrote music for a wide variety of instruments, from saxophone to harmonica. In

1956 he composed one of his best known works, Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra. It was

dedicated to Denis Wick who first performed it in November of 1956 in Birmingham Town Hall

with Denis Wick as soloist and accompanied by the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

conducted by Rudolf Schwartz.14

Denis Wick had studied in London at the Royal Academy of Music. His first professional

appointment was with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra as the second trombonist. He then

became principal trombone of the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in 1952 and then left in

1957 to join the London Symphony Orchestra as principal trombonist, until his retirement in

1988.15 While playing with the LSO, Wick still managed to find time to be a member of the

11 Sadie, Stanley, “Gordon Jacob,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Second Edition. ed. J.A

Fuller Maitland (New York: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2001). 12 Ibid 13Ibid. 14 Ibid. 15 "Denis Wick," International Trombone Association, http://www.trombone.net/about/bio.cfm?id=1 (accessed April

18, 2013).

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London Sinfonietta and the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. He also maintained a solo career and

had several British composers write concertos for him, such as, Gordon Jacob, Buxton Orr, and

Alun Hoddinott.16

Although he is now retired from professional trombone playing, Wick continues to

conduct and run master classes. In 2000 he was appointed the professor of trombone at the Royal

Academy of Music and runs Denis Wick publishing company.

Wick was also known as a conductor and worked at the Guildhall School in the 1960s.

He also conducted the London Youth Symphony Orchestra which has produced generations of

professional musicians. Wick was appointed Professor of Trombone at the Guildhall School of

Music and Drama from 1967 until 1976. He also wrote a textbook, Trombone Technique, which

is now in its fifth edition and is used around the world.

Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra became one of Jacob’s most well-known

compositions in part because it was written at a time when very few concertos had been written

for the trombone. Interestingly this piece is one of the few concertos Jacob composed with full

orchestral accompaniment.17

The first movement of the Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra has three tempo

markings: Andante maestoso, Allegro molto, and Andante maestoso. The beginning of the work

opens with an open fifth roll in the accompaniment to build tension and excitement which

culminates with the huge and heroic entrance of the trombone. The trombone enters with a

cadenza-like passage that is played freely with a full and sustained sound and a firm articulation.

The melody is disjunct and chromatic.

16 "Denis Wick," International Trombone Association, http://www.trombone.net/about/bio.cfm?id=1 (accessed April

18, 2013). 17 Manchester Symphony Orchestra, Program Notes: Gordon Jacob Trombone Concerto, Accessed February 15,

2013. http://mso.manchester.edu/concerts/062/062-3.html.

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Gordon Jacob Concerto. Mvt 1, mm. 1-9

The following Allegro molto section is in a brisk 2/4 tempo with a light valiant feel to it.

This section is less disjunct than the Andante maestoso, and is diatonic. Leading into letter J, the

melody has a comedic feel with the use of light articulation, short bouncy rhythmic passages and

a ritardando and accelerando.

Gordon Jacob Concerto, Letter J

This comedic section (Scherzo) is light, but at the end it builds to a fortissimo climax

with a sense of great urgency. This sets up a mysterious piano solo at letter M. At letter O is the

return of the Allegro molto theme. The first movement ends with the return of a partial

restatement of the opening theme.

One of the most difficult second movements in the trombone literature is the anguishing

Adagio molto. Although beautiful, it possesses many difficulties including tempo, smooth

playing, and endurance. The most difficult section is at letter D, Misterioso, when the solo line is

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in a higher tessitura than the accompaniment. The passage is played with a straight mute and is

extremely taxing and demanding excellent endurance and control of the high register.

Gordon Jacob Concerto, Letter D

The final movement, Alla Marcia vivace, begins with a stately march. Leading into letter

D there is a quasi-cadenza that utilizes the natural overtone series in the first five positions and

finishes on a pedal B-flat. The middle section of the movement has a melancholy feel to it. The

tempo remains the same, but the rhythmic line has been augmented and is now played with a

legato articulation.

The lively march feel returns shortly before the final cadenza. This long extended

cadenza gives the soloist the opportunity to demonstrate a vast range of technical skills including

double-tonguing, trills, and the extreme high register.

Tomasi, Henri. Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra:

Henri Tomasi was born in a working-class neighborhood of Marseilles, France, called La

Belle de Mai on August 17, 1901. He was of Corsican descent and both of his parents were

originally from La Casinca, Corsica. His father, Xavier Tomasi, was an amateur flutist and

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harmonized a collection Popular Corsica Folksongs and his mother’s name was Josephine

Vincensi. At the age of five, Henri and his family moved to Mazarques where his father had a

job as a postal worker. Xavier Tomasi arranged at this time for Henri to take music theory

lessons. At the age of seven, Henri Tomasi entered the Conservatoire du Musique de Marseilles.

When he was ten years old he won first prize for music theory and at thirteen he won first prize

for a piano competition. Once his father knew of his son’s talents, he had Henri play for upper-

class families and Henri felt “humiliated on show like a trained animal.”18 He detested doing so

because his first love was not music; he had hopes of becoming a sailor and skipped many of his

music classes.

In 1913, the family moved back to Marseilles before the outbreak of World War I, but in

1916 Henri’s entrance into the Paris Conservatory was delayed due to the war. While the war

continued Tomasi played piano in Marseilles to make money. He performed in diverse venues

such as upscale hotels, restaurants, brothels, and movie houses. While performing at such

venues, Tomasi began to learn how to improvise and his composition technique grew.

In 1921, Tomasi was finally admitted to the Paris Conservatory with scholarship from

Marseilles and a stipend from a lawyer, Maitre Levy-Oulman.19 While attending the Paris

Conservatory, he studied harmony under Georges Caussade, composition under Paul Vidal and

Vincent d’Indy, and conducting under Phillipe Gaubert. Maurice Franck described Tomasi as a

“workaholic” who excelled in his studies. Franck said that Tomasi would show up with a fugue a

week.20

In 1925, Tomasi received first prize at the Prix Halphen for his wind quintet work

Variations sur un Theme Corse. In 1927, he won the Grand Prix de Rome for his cantata,

18 Tomasi Association. April 2, 2013. http://www.henri-tomasi.assoc.fr. 19 Ibid. 20 Ibid.

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Coriolan and a first prize for orchestral conducting. In that same year he met his future wife,

Odette Camp, at the Opera Comique and they were later married in 1929.

Tomasi began his career as a conductor for Concerts du Journal. From 1930 to 1935 he

served as the music director of the Radio-Colonial Orchestra in French Indochina and became

one of the first radio conductors and pioneers of radio symphonies. He was one of the conductors

for studio broadcasts of the Orchestre Radio Symphonique de la Radioduffusion Francaise.21 His

most famous recording was in 1936 with French mezzo-soprano Alice Raveau in Gluck’s Orfeo,

which was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque.

In 1939 Tomasi was drafted, for a short period of time, into the French Army to conduct

the marching band at fort Villefranche-sur-Mer. In 1940 he was discharged and began

conducting the Orchestre Nationale.

In 1944 his son Claude was born and Tomasi started to compose a Requiem dedicated to

“the martyrs of the resistance movement and all those who have died for France.”22 Tomasi was

devastated by the events of World War II and subsequently rejected all faith in God. His

Requiem was set aside and was later discovered in 1996. In 1946 Tomasi assumed the post of

conductor of the Opera de Monte-Carlo and became an extremely sought after conductor

throughout Europe.

In 1948 Tomasi wrote one of his most famous concertos, the Concerto for Trumpet. In

1949 he wrote the Concerto for Saxophone, and in 1956 he composed the Concerto for Clarinet

and Concerto for Trombone.

21 Radio France: http://radiofrance.fr/chaines/france-rr. 22 Ibid.

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Just a year after composing the Concerto for Trombone, Tomasi stopped conducting due

to physical problems, including deafness in his right ear.23 His last piece composed for the

theater, written in 1966, In Praise of Madness, is a cross between opera and ballet, and has

references to Nazism and napalm. It reflects his postwar disillusionment with mankind. During

his last period of composition he was motivated by political events and wrote pieces such as the

Third World Symphony and Chant pour le Vietnam.

As Tomasi’s health began to deteriorate, he began working on an operatic version of

Hamlet. On January13, 1971 he died in his apartment in Montmartre, Paris. He was buried in his

wife’s family tomb in Avignon.

Tomasi wrote for many different genres and instruments, but is most known for his

contributions to the brass literature. He composed one of the first trombone concertos of the 20th

century, which gained him a permanent place in the trombone repertoire. Tomasi’s Concerto for

Trombone was composed in 1957 for the Paris Conservatory Morceau de Concours.

The Paris Conservatory Morceau de Concours had a big influence on solo literature for

trombone and any instrument in the Paris Conservatory composition contest known as the

Morceaux de Concours. After completing their course of study, the students enter the contest that

is held annually for their particular discipline.24 Often on the recommendation of a professor, the

student takes part in this contest to prove their skills before the end of their studies. The student

has one month to prepare both the new solos, if one was composed from earlier that year.25

The instrumental solo competition for the trombone began in 1897 with the Solo de

Concert No. 2, by Paul Vidal. Since 1897, fifty-one composers have been commissioned to write

23 Sadie, Stanley, “Tomasi, Henri,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Second Edition. ed. J.A

Fuller Maitland (New York: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2001). 24Hannah Elizabeth Watkins, "The French Three: A Comparison (Performed) of Recital Music for Clarinet Written

by Milhaud, Tomasi, and Bozza." (unpublished PhD diss., University of Maryland, 2005). 25 Ibid.

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a total of fifty-eight trombone solos as contest pieces. These composers, most of them were

students at the Conservatory, are among the most noted musicians France has produced.

The conservatory director chooses to commission five or six works. Different instruments

are chosen each year for the competition, with preference given to those instruments with limited

repertoire. The composers can compose for any particular instrument that year with the use of

accompaniment from piano, up to small chamber ensembles.26 Tomasi’s concerto was first

premiered with the Pasdeloup Orchestra conducted by Serge Baudo and Maurice Suzan as

soloist. The Tomasi Concerto has earned its place as one of the greatest trombone concertos.

The concerto is written in three movements, Andante and Scherzo, Nocturne, and

Tambourin. Movement One, Andante, starts off virtuosically in a grand manner. The first five

notes have an almost identical intervallic relationship to the opening of I’m Getting Sentimental

Over You (by George Bassman and Ned Washington, first performed in 1932), which was made

famous by the great jazz trombonist Tommy Dorsey (1905-1956) and was chosen as the theme

song for the radio broadcasts of his band, which was one of the greatest of the “swing” era.

Example: Tomasi Trombone Concerto, mm. 1-2

Example: I’m Getting Sentimental Over You, mm. 1-2

26 Hannah Elizabeth Watkins, "The French Three: A Comparison (Performed) of Recital Music for Clarinet Written

by Milhaud, Tomasi, and Bozza." (unpublished PhD diss., University of Maryland, 2005).

17

Even though Tomasi didn’t claim to have influence from Tommy Dorsey, the

relationship is very similar. This five note motif occurs throughout the entirety of the work.

The Scherzo section of the first movement starts out with this five note motif, but in a soft

and sensual manner, typical of the true nature of French impressionism. This section contains

great difficulty in the fast rhythmic phrases that need to be smooth and light. The final section of

movement one is a nostalgic French Waltz that needs to flow fluidly and a have a wide dynamic

range.

The second movement, Nocturne, emphasizes the expressiveness and color of the

trombone. The movement opens with a warm tranquil sound played by the soloist while the

accompaniment plays an ostinato rhythmic figure. The movement switches between open and

muted melodic passages. The melody accelerates, intensifies, and finally leads into a blues

section, where another possible influence of jazz is present. The movement finishes with a much

slower and calm return of the opening melody.

In the last movement, marked Tambourin, the rhythmic element predominates, even

though a singing legato melody is consistently opposed to the rhythmic ostinatos. The first

entrance of the soloist once again elaborates on the five note motif that is at the core of the

opening cadenza, although the melodic identity is becoming a little more disguised. This motif

continues to appear throughout the entirety of the work.

Bloch, Ernest. Symphony for Trombone Solo and Orchestra:

“Ernest Bloch’s is a name with which to reckon in reviewing the ebb and flow of

twentieth-century music. It is a name whose bearer was often removed, physically

and musically, from the primary tributaries of the artistic currents of the age. An

admirer of the visionary poet Walt Whitman, Bloch adopted as his theme of life

that wordsmith’s line “Give me solution, give me Nature.” A seeker after those

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dual attributes, Truth and Beauty, Bloch was uncompromising in holding fast to

the tenets of art and life he believed to be inviolable.”27

Ernest Bloch was born on July 24, 1880 in Geneva, Switzerland and died July 15, 1959 in

Portland, Oregon. He was an American composer and teacher of Swiss origin. His family had no

musical ancestors with the exception of his grandfather. Bloch was surrounded with religion,

politics, and the arts. No one could have predicted that the son of a purveyor of tourist goods

would one day create music of grandiose power and expression that would bring him both fame

and notoriety.

Bloch’s father, Maurice, was an official of the small Jewish community of Lennau, in the

Swiss canton of Aargau. Therefore he grew up in a somewhat Jewish Orthodox environment for

his family. His mother, Sophie, had the traditional role of a wife in that environment. Ernest was

the youngest of three children. His sister Loulette introduced Bloch to Swiss folk melodies,

popular opera, and salon music. His brother, Arnold, died at the age of four due to the effects of

diphtheria. Despite his Jewish background, Jewish music was not prevalent in his early works,

but his later works like Schelomo, has led to many discussions on the relation of his music and

Judaism.

Bloch has been identified as a composer of Jewish music. Robert Strassburg calls Bloch

“the foremost creator of Jewish music in the twentieth century.”28 The second edition of the

Harvard Dictionary of Music confirms that “since about 1915 there has been a movement to

create a ‘Jewish’ national music comparable to the national music of other countries. The leader

of this movement was Ernest Bloch.”29

27 David Z. Kushner, The Ernest Bloch Companion (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002). 28 Louis Rittenberg, “Isaiah of Modern Music Triumphs in Anthem,” American Hebrew, vol. 124 (December 28,

1928), pp. 279. 29 F. R. Blanks, “Ernest Bloch, 1880-1959,” Canon, vol. 12, no. 12 (July 1959), pg. 381-381.

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He studied in Geneva with Albert Goss, Louis Etienne-Reyer, violin instructor, and

Jaques-Dalcroze, composition instructor, before he left to study in Brussels. There he studied

with Eugene Ysaÿe, violin, Rasse, composition, and Franz Schӧrg, violin and chamber music. He

then went to study at Frankfurt with Knorr (1899-1901) and in Munich with Thuille (1901-

1903).30

After spending a year in Paris from 1903-1904, at which time he absorbed the French

Impressionistic style, he moved back to Geneva and married Margarethe Augusta Schneider, and

began working at his father’s business as a book-keeper and salesman of Swiss tourist goods. In

the meantime, he stayed involved in music by composing in gradually, conducting orchestral

concerts in Neuchâtel and Lausanne and lecturing on aesthetics at the Geneva Conservatory from

1911-1915.31

From 1911 to 1915 Bloch taught at the Geneva Conservatory. In 1916 he toured the

United States with the dancer Maud Allen. After the tour company went bankrupt, Bloch spent

some time in New York where he accepted a position at the newly formed David Mannes

College of Music in New York. He taught theory and composition there privately from 1917-

1920. He was then able to afford to bring his wife and three children to the states.

While in New York he premiered his String Quartet No. 1, by the Flonzaley Quartet in

1916 and its successful performance led to his orchestral works being performed in Boston, New

York, and Philadelphia.32

He conducted his work Trois poems juifs with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and

March 1917 and Schelmo, with Kindler as the cello soloist, at a concert sponsored by the Society

30 Sadie, Stanley, “Ernest Bloch” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Second Edition. ed. J.A

Fuller Maitland (New York: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2001). 31 Ibid 32 Ibid

20

of the Friends of Music in New York in May. Following a performance of his Jewish works with

the Philadelphia Orchestra, in January of 1918, he signed a contract with G. Shirmer, who

published the works with a logo of the Star of David with the initials of E.B. in the center. Since

then Bloch has become a recognized Jewish composer.33

Bloch served as the founding member of the Cleveland Institute of Music from 1920-

1925, where he conducted the student orchestra and taught composition. While at the

conservatory, Bloch wanted to abandon the use of textbooks and exams. However the trustees

did not agree with Bloch and wanted to maintain a more traditional approach to music education,

and so Bloch resigned. He then moved to San Francisco and began teaching at the San Francisco

Conservatory of Music from 1925 to 1930.

At this point in Bloch’s life, his works were not being performed nearly as frequently as

someone of his status. In 1930, backed by the interest form trust funds established by the Rosa

family and Jacob Stern, patrons of San Francisco’s arts, and the commissions from the city’s

Temple Emanu-El, Bloch resigned from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and returned

to his native country of Switzerland.34

Bloch spent most of the 1930s in Switzerland, composing works such as Voice in the

Wilderness, Evocations, and one of his most famous works for violin, Sacred Service. While his

popularity in Europe was growing, the Ernest Bloch Society was founded in England in1937.

The society’s directorate included such luminaries as Albert Einstein, Sir Thomas Beecham,

Serge Koussevitzky, Havelock Ellis, Romain Rolland, Sir Donald Francis Tovey, and Bruno

Walter.

33 David Z. Kushner, The Ernest Bloch Companion (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002). 34 Ibid, pg. 7.

21

In 1938 the revival of his opera, Macbeth, which was first performed in 1910, was

performed in Italy with huge success. However, after only three performances, the Italian

government ordered that the opera be withdrawn due to the arrival of Hitler. In 1939, with Hitler

threatening all of Europe, Bloch left Switzerland and moved back to the United States where he

found a permanent residence in Agate Beach, Oregon. He then began teaching at the University

of California at Berkeley, where he taught summer courses until his retirement in 1952.

Bloch lived out the rest of his years reclusively at his home in Agate Beach, Oregon. He

continued to compose a wide variety of music and began to pursue hobbies in photography,

mushroom collecting, and polishing agates. In 1958, suffering from cancer, he underwent

unsuccessful surgery and died a year later.35

Bloch’s Symphony for Trombone was dedicated to Davis Shuman (1912-1966) who was

an important pioneer in the development of solo repertoire for the trombone. “Among the many

facets of his career, he was at the forefront of commissioning new works, recital performances,

and solo appearances with orchestra, recordings, and instrument design.”36 He was active in

numerous areas of music, including teaching at Juilliard School of Music and the Music

Academy of the West. He was also principal trombone of American Symphony Orchestra, as

well as a regular soloist, presenting recitals at New York’s Town Hall, and premiered works by

several composers, which contributed to his reputation and influence on twentieth century

trombone literature.

Shuman had his first solo recital in 1947 at Town Hall in New York City. The repertoire

at the time was very limited. In his next twenty years he would commission and premiere works

by Ernest Bloch, Vincent Persichetti, Darius Milhaud, Tibor Serly, Henry Cowell, and many

35 Sadie, Stanley, “Ernest Bloch,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Second Edition. ed. J.A

Fuller Maitland (New York: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2001). 36 Mark Paul Babbitt, "Davis Shuman: A Biography." (unpublished PhD diss., University of Washington, 2005).

22

more.37 He is credited with giving one of the first ever solo trombone recitals (1947) and making

the first recordings of many of the works in the trombone repertoire. He edited and published

trombone works by Rimsky-Korsakov, Vladislav Blazhevich, and Domenico Gabrieli.

Shuman received an engineering degree from Northeastern University (1935), which

enabled him to create a number of inventions related to the trombone, including the

ergonomically-correct “angular” trombone.38 He suffered from declining ability with the use of

his right arm and was later diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor that ended his life at the

age of fifty four.

Bloch’s Symphony for Trombone Solo and Orchestra was composed in 1956 and was

first performed in 1956 by Shuman at Town Hall in New York City. This piece is reminiscent of

Schelomo (1915) from one of the movements of Bloch’s well-known Hebraic Rhapsody for

Violoncello and Orchestra. Symphony for Trombone has a deeply serious character that is

inspired by a shofar. A shofar is an Old Testament Hebrew trumpet like instrument in the form of

a ram’s horn. “In biblical times the shofar was also used away from the temple, as a battle-signal

or at special, festive occasions. It was moreover used in cult ceremonies to drive out demons and

at New Moon ceremonies to banish darkness.”39 Its curved construction remained unchanged for

thousands of years and it is still used today in Jewish religious services; such as for New Years

and the Day of Atonement.

The trombone imitates the sound of the shofar by starting off the work with a perfect fifth

call. This motif is present throughout the entirety of the work.

37 Mark Paul Babbitt, "Davis Shuman: A Biography." (unpublished PhD diss., University of Washington, 2005). 38 Ibid. 39 “The Shofar”, http://www.music.iastate.edu/antiqua/shofar.htm (accessed March 24, 2013).

23

Ernest Bloch, Symphony for Trombone and Orchestra, beginning.

The trombones entrance is subdued and this contemplative mood prevails for the rest of

the movement. The melodic phrases are very disjunct, but yet diatonic. This movement has a

very cautious and agonizing feel that is supported by the non-aggressive melody and soft accents

in both melody and accompaniment. The difficulty of this movement is to provide a smooth and

relaxed sound throughout the disjunct lines and register.

The second movement, Agitato, begins with a propelling rhythm that is present in the

accompaniment line with its continuous eighth note passages that build a sense of agitation. The

melody once again starts with the call motif and this motif is continuously present throughout the

solo and accompaniment line. The agitation grows to a climax and then subsides to a melancholy

mood similar to the mournful first movement. The end of this section builds to a second agitated

climax that leads to the restatement of opening phrase of the second movement, and then builds

to a vengeful climax. The second movement ends with a slow meditative mood that has a similar

rhythmic drive as the first movement.

24

Bloch: Symphony for Trombone. Mvt2

The third movement, Allegro deciso, starts with loud calls in the accompaniment. The

trombone enters with a powerful and declamatory statement of the call motif. Later the intensity

diminishes and the accompaniment leads the trombone to a brief meditative melody that dies out

quietly in the distance.

The years following World War II are when the trombone solo repertoire flourished at a

rapid rate. Many people have had a hand in developing the trombone concerto repertoire into

what it is today. Gordon Jacob, Henri Tomasi, Ernest Bloch and other composers laid the

foundation with their compositions. Soloists like Denis Wick and Davis Shuman established the

trombone as an artistic instrument and engendered public interest in trombone performances.

Current day performers such as Christian Lindberg, Jorgen van Rijen, and Joseph Alessi

continue to spark public interest with recordings and many live performances. Thanks to

commissions from current trombone performers and from symphonies new compositions are

written and the trombone repertoire will continue to grow.

25

Tenor Trombone Concertos after World War II:

Arutiunian, Alexander Concerto for Trombone, 1991

Berghmans, Jose Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra, 1954

Berghmans, Jose La Femme a Barbe pour Trombone et d’Orchestre de Chambre, 1957

Bloch, Ernest Symphony for Trombone Solo and Orchestra, 1956

Bohrnstadt, Wayne Concerto for Trombone and Strings, 1960

Bourgeois, Derek Trombone Concerto Op. 114, 1941

Bozza, Eugene Ballade Op. 62 pour Trombone Tenor et Orchestre, 1952

Chavez, Carlos Concerto for Trombone, 1976

Creston, Paul Fantasy Op. 42 for Trombone and Orchestra, 1947

Davison, John Concerto for Trombone and Chamber Orchestra, 1959

De Frumerie, Gunnar Concerto for Trombone Op. 81, 1984-1987

De Meij, Johan T-Bone Concerto, 1996

Dubois, Pierre Max Concerto dit “L’Irrespectueux” pour Trombone, 1969

Ewazen, Eric Visions of Light, 2003

Filas, Juraj Don Quijotte, aneb Autoportret, 2000

Gabaye, Pierre Special pour Trombone et Orchestre de Chamber, 1971

George, Thom Ritter Concerto Grosso No. 3 Op. 149 for Solo Tenor Trombone and Orchestra,

1963

Gotkovsky, Ida Concerto for Trombone, 1978

Gregson, Edward Trombone Concerto, 1978

Hidas, Frigyes Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra, 1998

Holmboe, Vagn Chamber Concerto No. 12, for Trombone and Orchestra Op52

Howarth, Elgar Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra, 1983

26

Hoveland, Egil Concerto Op. 76 for Trombone and Orchestra, 1972

Hovhaness, Alan Overature Op. 76 for Trombone and Strings, 1967

Jacob, Gordon Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra, 1956

Kazik, James Concerto for Tenor Trombone

Kerjalainen, Ahti Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra, 1949

Larsson, Lars-Erik Concertino Op. 7 for Trombone and String Orchestra, 1957

Lindberg, Christian Arabenne, 1998

Lindberg, Christian Helikon Wasp

Lindberg, Christian Mandrake in the Corner, 2000

Lovelock, William Concertino for Trombone and String Orchestra, 1965

Makris, Andreas Concertino for Trombone, 2002

Martin, Frank Ballade for Trombone and Orchestra, 1940

McCarty, Patrick Sonata for Bass Trombone and String Orchestra, 1962

Milhaud, Darius Concertino d’Hiver for Trombone and Strings, 1953

Orr, Buxton Concerto for Trombone

Parris, Robert Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra, 1964

Peaslee, Richard Arrows of Time, 1993

Presser, William Rondo for Trombone and Strings, 1963

Pugh, Jim Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra, 1992

Rasse, Eugene Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra,

Raum, Elizabeth Fantasy for Trombone, 2001

Reed Thomas, Augusta Trombone Concerto #2, 2003

Reed Thomas, Augusta Meditation, 1995

27

Ross, Walter Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra, 1972

Rota, Nino Concerto for Trombone, 1968

Rothmuller, Marko Divertimento for Trombone Solo and Orchestra, 1954

Rouse, Christopher Trombone Concerto, 1991

Sanstrom, Jan Cantos de la Mancha, Op. 76, 1995

Sanstrom, Jan Don Quixote, 1994

Sanstrom, Jan A Motorbike Odyssey, 1989

Schuller, Gunther Eine Kleine Posaunenmusik, 1980

Serly, Tibor Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra, 1957

Serocki, Kazimierz Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra, 1953

Shilkret, Nathaniel Concerto for Trombone, 1942

Smolanoff, Michael Concerto Op. 21 for Trombone and Orchestra, 1966

Spisak, Michael Concerto pour Trombone et Orchestra, 1951

Taaffe Zwilich, Ellen Concerto for Tenor Trombone and Orchestra, 1989

Tomasi, Henri Concerto pour Trombone Orchestra, 1956

Tuthill, Burnet Concerto Op. 54 for Trombone and Orchestra, 1967

Villette, Pierre Fantaisie Concertante pour Trombone Basse et Orchestra, 1962

Walker, George Trombone Concerto

Weber, Alain Concerto pour Trombone et Orchestra, 1968

28

Concertos from the Paris Conservatory:

Berghmans, José Concertino

Boutry, Roger Concerto

Constant, Marius Concerto “Gli Elementi”

Defossez, René Concerto

Delerue, Georges Concerto

Dubois, Pierre Max Concerto Dit”L’Irrespectueux”

Gouinguene, Christian Concerto

Leclercq, Edgard Concertino

Milhaud, Darius Concertino D’Hiver

Muller, J.F. Concertino, Op. 6

Muller, J.F. Concerto Minute, Op. 4

Porret, Julien Concertino No. 7

Porret, Julien Concertino No. X

Porret, Julien Concertino No. 24

Rasse, Francois Concertino

Spisak, Michel Concertino

Tomasi, Henri Concerto

Weber, Alain Concerto

29

Discography:

Denis Wick, Concerto for Trombone, by Gordon Jacob, City of Birmingham Symphony

Orchestra, conductor Rudolf Schwarz, rel. 1956, on Trombone Concertos, ABC Classic.

Christian Lindberg, Concerto for Trombone, By Gordon Jacob, BBC National Orchestra

of Wales, conductor Grant Llewellyn, rel. 1995, on Brittish Trombone Concertos, BIS, compact

disc.

Branimir Slokar, Trombone Concerto, by Henri Tomasi, Laussaune Chamber Orchestra,

conductor Jean-Marie Auberson, rel. 1994, on Concertos for Trombone, Claves, compact disc.

Christian Lindberg, Trombone Concerto, by Henri Tomasi, Tapiola Sinfonietta,

conductor Osmo Vӓnskӓ, rel. 1993, on All the Lonely People, BIS, compact disc.

Jacques Mauger, Trombone Concerto, by Henri Tomasi, Orchestre Symphonique

Francais, conductor Laurent Petitgirard, rel. 1994, on Concertos pour Trombone, OSF, compact

disc.

Joёl Vaisse, Trombone Concerto, by Henri Tomasi, Orchestre National de France,

conductor Viswa Subaraman, rel. 1993, on Joёl Vaisse, Collection Dedicace, compact disc.

Jӧrgen van Rijen, Trombone Concerto, by Henri Tomasi, Royal Concertigebouw,

Orchestra, conductor Ed Spanjaard, rel. 2005, on Jӧrgen Van Rijen, Channel Classic NI, compact

disc.

Ronald Barron, Trombone Concerto, by Henri Tomasi, Fred Wanger, rel. 2001, on Le

Trombone Francais II, Boston Brass Series, compact disc.

Steve Witser, Trombone Concerto, by Henri Tomasi, Kathryn Brown, rel. 2000, on

Among Friends, Albany Records, compact disc.

Ko-ichiro Yamamoto, Trombone Concerto, by Henri Tomasi, rel. 2010, on Tomasi

Trombone Concerto, Cryston, compact disc.

Armin Rosin, Symphony for Trombone and Orchestra, by Ernest Bloch, Radio

Symphony Orchestra, conductor Uros Lajovic, rel. 1990 ,on Virtuoso Trombone Concertos,

Koch Schwann, compact disc.

Branimir Slokar, Symphony for Trombone and Orchestra, by Ernest Bloch, Berlin

Philharmonic, conductor Lior Shambadal, rel. 1996, on Trombone Concertos, Claves, compact

disc.

Christian Lindberg, Symphony for Trombone and Orchestra, by Ernest Bloch, Swedish

Radio Symphony Orchestra, conductor Leif Segerstam, rel. 1994, on Trombone Odyssey, BIS,

compact disc.

30

Grigory Khersonsky, Symphony for Trombone and Orchestra, by Ernest Bloch,

Ostankino Large Symphony Orchestra, rel. 1994, on Samuel Feinberg Piano Concerto in C

Minor, compact disc.

William Kimball, Symphony for Trombone and Orchestra, by Ernest Bloch, Timothy

Smith, rel. 2007, on Collage, Tantara Records, compact disc.

Symphony for Trombone and Orchestra, by Ernest Bloch, Portland Youth Orchestra,

conductor Jacob Avshalomov, rel. 1992, on Portland Youth Philarmonic, CRI, compact disc.

31

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