Trombone Solo

Trombone or Euphonium BC Learn More

unaccompanied

A Prayer and Wings was composed in late fall 2008 after a trip to the outer banks of North Carolina and a visit to the Wright Brothers monument in Kitty Hawk. Seeing the memorial drew me to think of those first pioneers of flight, and the fear that they must have had to overcome to attempt to soar toward the horizon.

The first movement, Canto, is a prayer for the airmen, lead by the cantor. It should be performed facing the open piano (full stick) with the bell pointed at the strings. The cantor sings the prayer and then the congregation replies. In this instance, the congregation is not only the more complex rhythms, symbolizing the inaccurate entrances of many people, but also the echo created by the passive piano. The performer may improvise some of the rhythms to create even more echo. The second movement, Wings, is the actual flight, and should be performed facing the audience. The eighth notes are the wind that was the catalyst. Midway through the flight, the airmen begins to recite the prayer to himself (passive piano engaged) and a very slight echo is heard in the distance. Gradually the plane descends back to the ground and mans first flight has occurred. For the pianist, Ped. signifies depressing the sustain pedal, * denotes releasing the pedal. Learn More

ALIEN LOOP DE LOOPS for solo instrument and electronic recording by Howard J. Buss is a playful and capricious fantasy piece designed to appeal to a wide range of audiences. The title refers to both programmatic and technical elements in the composition. The composer envisioned a performer outside in an open area during an air show by an alien craft. During the opening section he/she is playing unaccompanied, but then is joined by the recording which contains sounds generated by traditional instruments as well as an "alien" voice, the spacecraft, and various electronic effects. Technically, the title refers to how the recording was made. It consists of numerous sound loops combined to form an imaginative and picturesque sonic tapestry. The publication includes the sheet music and a CD (attached to the inside of the back cover) that contains a performance track and the accompaniment track. Learn More

with Concert Band Learn More

Set in four movements, this unaccompanied Trombone piece works great for any holiday event.  It can be played in its entiriety or as individual movements.  The movements include:

I. Angels We Have Heard on High; Rock-a-Bye, My Dear Little Boy; Go, Tell it on a Mountain

II. Jesu Bambino; Let Us Adore Him; Joy to the World; O Come, All Ye Faithful

III. The Holly and the Ivy; The First Noel; Ding Dong Merrily on High

IV. Il le Né; Some Children See Him; What Child is This?

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Fnugg is one of the most popular compositions for tuba solo of all time.
Fnugg Red is a variation on this song and was originally written for tuba, trombone and orchestra.
This is a version for tuba and piano. 

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with Marimba Learn More

with downloadable backing track

Steven Snowden creates music for a diverse array of settings of settings inlcuding theater, dance, film, mutlimedia installations and the concert stage. Ground Round was inspired by the unique sound of cattle auctioneers in the United States. Their chant presents specific rhythms, pitches, and cadences that serve to intensify the auction process and encourage rapid bidding. The end result is a uniquely musical and mesmerizing form of communication. After listening and watching several auctions, Steven decided that this could be successfully explored by utilizing the unique voice-like characteristics of the trombone in conjunction with the live audio processing.

This piece employs live audio processing techniques via the Max/MSP programming language. The included program files can be executed with Max/MSP Runtime, which can be downloaded for free.

Electronics Needed: Microphone with Mic Stand, Computer with Max/MSP Runtime installed, Digital Audio Interface with at least 1 mic preamp, Speakers, Cables (to connect and power these devices). Instructions are included.

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unaccompanied Learn More

Alto Trombone solo with Piano

Commissioned by Christan Griego Learn More

unaccompanied Learn More

unaccompanied; An engaging, challenging work written for Bradley Kerns of Boston University Learn More

unaccompanied Learn More

unaccompanied Learn More

Trombone solo with Brass Quintet accompaniment.

This piece is on the easier side and recommended for the high school level

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unaccompanied: 1. Cryin Learn More

unaccompanied:

1. “Second Line” Spiritual Medley

Just a Closer Walk; Blessed Quietness; On the Battlefield for My Lord

2. Men’s Day Medley

Father, I  Stretch My Hands to Thee; This is My Father's World;

Rise Up, O Men of God

3. Freedom Medley

Go Down Moses; Praise the Lord, Hallelujah I’m Here;

I’m So Glad; Glory, Glory, Hallelujah

4. Easter Medley

Christ the Lord is Risen Today; Crown Him with Many Crowns; I'll Fly Away

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with Piano; Written for Austin Seybert

Holy Bible, New English Version: Matthew 2: 16-18

Herod Kills the Children

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.

17 a Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

18 b“A voice was heard in Ramah,

weeping and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

she refused to be comforted, because they care no more.”

USA version

Then the President became furious and worried about the potential challenges to his power and authority. He separated all the immigrant children from their parents, put them in cages, suppressed their documentation and allowed them to become malnourished and ill without proper food and care. Some died, many became despondent and cried repeatedly for their mothers. All suffered and their parents did not know where or how they were.

Barbara York, 2019

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Three for Two (or One or Three) is a versatile composition for trombone(s) and/or euphonium(s) with optional percussion (bongos, snare drum) on any or all  movements.

A 6-8 minute work playable with a tenor-bass “trigger” trombone, challenging for but playable by a college senior. Three for Two teaches jazz stylistic characteristics that are not normally encountered in standard classical solos.

The three movements can be performed entirely or independently, and with variances in instrumentation from solo trombone or euphonium (TC euphonium parts included) to duos including bass trombone or percussion or trios including the same. All notes are playable without a trigger-horn, and the duo version is easier for the brass-performer than the solo version. An optional percussion part includes the highly portable instruments of bongos and snare drum so that staging is easily accomplished for a horn/percussion duo or trio.

The title of the piece refers to the three movements scored for duo, solo, or trio (ordered so within the title since it rhymes with the popular title “Tea for Two”). One can generate fourteen instrumentations of this composition, as indicated on the cover sheet of each part.

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