Music for Oboe, Horn and Piano Trio
The medium of oboe, horn and piano trio can be a very satisfying instrumental combination for performers and listeners alike. From the listener's standpoint, this ensemble -- comprised of the most distinctive-sounding woodwind instrument and the most versatile member of the brass family, together with piano -- presents a rich tonal palette and can produce a wide range of textures, from delicate and transparent to full and orchestral. From the performer's standpoint, the trio combination offers the opportunity for soloistic playing within the security of an ensemble setting. This particular instrumentation challenges the hornist in aspects of blend, balance, variety of articulation, and dynamic range. It is also often possible to find well-matched players for a trio when a standard wind or brass quintet is impractical.
When considering music for oboe, horn, and piano trio, I have found that many horn players know of only one piece: the Trio, Op. 188 in A minor by Carl Reinecke. I believe this is because the Reinecke has been consistently in print and available in an inexpensive International edition, and for many years it was the only oboe, horn and piano trio listed in the Robert King catalogue, which served many horn players as a primary source for finding and purchasing chamber music. The Reinecke has also been recorded by Barry Tuckwell (1986, CD 50-803; Claves), more recently by James Sommerville (1994, Marquis classics, distributed by Denon), and by several others in recordings which are less widely distributed. Some hornists are also aware of the Trio, op. 61 in D major by Heinrich Herzogenberg. However, in actuality these two pieces only scratch the surface of the repertoire for oboe, horn and piano trio.
I became interested in investigating this instrumental combination when I married an oboist in 1990. (It is interesting to note that oboists and hornists tend towards a personal affinity for one another; we are acquainted with a dozen other married oboe/horn couples, although in each of these cases the woman is the oboist and the man is the horn player!) My husband and I wanted to play chamber music together, but neither of us had heard of any piece for oboe, horn and piano other than the Reinecke. When we formed Trio Arundel with pianist Julie Nishimura in 1992, we were greatly aided in our search for repertoire by Martin Webster of the Hancock Chamber Players. This Philadelphia-area ensemble was based around the oboe, horn and piano combination but often added additional players, such as a soprano or violinist, to give more programming options. We also found that transcriptions were valuable in filling out our programs, and we still enjoy performing such works, especially transcriptions of vocal duets. Eventually, however, our search for repertoire led us to more than three dozen original works for this instrumentation, many of which are in print and available and would make a fine addition to student chamber music study or to a student or professional recital program.
It is my intention in this article to introduce horn players to the wealth of repertoire available for oboe, horn and piano trio. I hope this encourages hornists to try this instrumental combination for the first time or to know that, if they have enjoyed playing the Reinecke or Herzogenberg with an oboist and pianist, there is much more repertoire they can explore together. I also offer this information because I personally find it exciting and enriching to go beyond the standard repertoire, and because I believe that all good music deserves to be performed. The entries for each piece are as follows:
Composer (Composer's dates) Title (Date of composition)
Number of Movements; Length of piece; Range of oboe part, horn part
Commissioned by or written for
Publisher and/or where to obtain music
Current list price, where available
Annotation
I have not used any sort of grading system, but will try to give an idea of the level of difficulty in the annotation.
Alexander Arutiunian (b. 1920) Suite (1998)
Three mvts.; 8:00’; oboe d’ - e-flat ‘”, horn c’ - b-flat”
Editions BIM
P.O. Box 576
CH-1630 Bulle, Switzerland
Phone: 41-(0)26-912 44 22
Fax: 41-(0)26-912 13 50
E-mail: Order@editions-bim.ch
Internet: www.editions-bim.ch
$20.00
Armenian composer Arutiunian tends to be known only for his famous trumpet concerto, which was actually an early work in a long career that continues as he enters his eighties. He has composed operas, cantatas, symphonic works, and chamber music. It is interesting to note that he maintained a successful career through and following the Soviet regime, while retaining a uniquely Armenian flavor in his compositions. This new piece is an attractive addition to the oboe, horn and piano repertoire. It was reviewed in the May 2000 issue of The Horn Call. The piano part is not at all difficult, and the oboe and horn parts are very playable, making this an excellent piece for a student ensemble. While the first movement’s emphasis on alternating statements of a striking rhythmic motive is a bit static, the expressive Andante sostenuto and dance-like Allegretto offer a satisfying degree of interaction among the instruments. It should be noted that all the BIM editions mentioned here are beautifully done: very easy to read, carefully edited, with a biography of the composer on the back cover.
Paul Basler (b. 1963) Vocalise-Waltz (1996)
One mvt.; 6:30'; oboe c’ – e’”, horn d – a”
Commissioned by Trio Arundel
RM Williams Publishing
2519 Prest Court
Tallahassee, FL 32301
www.rmwpublishing.com
music@rmwpublishing.com
$20.00
Basler is Associate Professor of Music at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he teaches horn, theory and composition. His Summer Dances for flute, horn and cello was a prize-winner in the 1991 IHS Composition Contest. Vocalise-Waltz is in two sections, beginning with a lovely, lyrical, yearning Vocalise, and segueing into a witty, mischievous, mixed-metered Waltz, which ends quietly and questioningly. The mixed meters and very quick tempo of the Waltz prove moderately difficult for ensemble. Basler uses piquant harmonies (particularly in the Waltz) within a tonal context, and his music is abundantly exuberant. Vocalise-Waltz is idiomatically written for each of the instruments, is an enjoyable piece for the performers, and an appealing contemporary piece for the audience.
Adolphe Blanc (1828-1885) Romance, Op. 43b (ca. 1870)
One mvt.; 5:30’; oboe d-flat’ – d-flat ‘”, horn g - a-flat”
“to his friends Raoul Triebert and Garigue”
R. Costallat
Out of print; available through Interlibrary Loan from:
Sibley Music Library, Eastman School of Music
Soon to be re-published by Prairie Dawg Press
www.prairiedawgpress.com
“For Oboe and Horn (or English Horn), with accompaniment of Piano or String Quartet”
Adolphe Blanc studied at the Paris Conservatoire, and had a small compositional output which included operatic works, orchestral works, and chamber music. He received a prize for chamber music in 1862. This is a lovely miniature, reminiscent of a Bellini operatic duet, and unlike any other repertoire for ob/hrn/pno trio. It would make an engaging program opener.
York Bowen (1884-1961) Ballade, Op. 133 (1949)
One mvt.; 16:00'; oboe b – f”’, horn c – b-flat”
De Wolfe Music Publishers
Shropshire House
2nd floor east
11-20 Capper Street
London WC1E61A
Bowen was a British pianist, known as a brilliant performer and pedagogue. He was also an amateur horn player who played in the Scots Guard Band during WWI. This piece is romantic in style with impressionistic influences, and has wide-ranging diatonic themes which are made unique by their unusual and unexpected harmonizations. It is technically challenging for all the players, which is complicated by the light, spidery manuscript. While this piece is primarily serious in tone, it is enriched by heroic and scherzando passages.
James Grant Code (b. 1942) Encounters II – summer storm (1997)
One mvt.; 7:00; oboe b – e-flat ‘”, horn e - a”
Manuscript, available from:
Double Reed Shop
P.O. Box 150
Barnet, VT 0582
(802) 633-4014
$13.00
Code is Professor of Music at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, where he teaches brass instruments, theory, and composition. He is married to oboist Belinda Code. This piece has a strong rhythmic character with moderate individual technical demands and few difficulties in ensemble. The repetition of motives and return of musical ideas gives the piece a framework and a sense of familiarity, despite the very dissonant harmonic language. There is some use of mute and flutter tonguing in the horn part.
Jean-Michele Damase (b. 1928) Trio (1990)
Four mvts.; 15:00'; oboe b – g’”, horn g – b”
Commissioned by hornist Martin Webster and the IHS
Henry Lemoine (carried by Theodore Presser)
Theodore Presser Company
1 Presser Place
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010-3490
(610) 525-3636 ext. 41
fax: (610) 527-7841
www.presser.com
$68.25
Frenchman Damase studied piano and composition at the Paris Conservatoire, won the Grand Prix de Rome in 1947, and has steadily composed a great body of chamber music works over the past fifty years. This trio is a substantial piece which is quite challenging for all three players in ways typical of other 20th-century French chamber music, such as the Poulenc Sextet or the Francaix Divertimento. The full range of each instrument is exploited (with the exception of the horn’s low range), and the players are required to execute difficult technical passages with grace, lightness, and good intonation in order for the piece to be effective. Both the hornist and oboist need to be quite comfortable in the upper register of their instruments. Damase’s mother was a harpist, and there are harp-like passages in the piano which require the pianist to travel quickly from one end of the keyboard to the other, to the visual delight of audiences! Once the technical demands are mastered, however, this is very charming and elegant music. There is an emotional depth to the slow movement, along with a kaleidoscopic shifting of moods in the outer movements, which draws in listeners and keeps their attention throughout.
Frederic Duvernoy (1765-1838) Trio No. 1 in C (before 1820)
Two mvts; 8:00'; oboe c’ – g’”, horn g - g”
KaWe
$10.00
Frederic Duvernoy was an important performer and teacher of the hand-horn era, a member of Napoleon’s private band and solo horn with the Paris Opera. As was common in Classical period chamber music, the composer has given several alternative instrumentation suggestions in order to increase the likelihood of repeated performances of the piece. While the instrumentation is listed as "Violin (or Flute or Oboe), Horn and Piano" on front cover, one finds "for Violin (or Flute or Clarinet), Horn and Piano" printed on the score itself. Some passages are idiomatic to violin, but can be played convincingly on oboe; one or two very high passages can be taken down an octave. The horn part, in F, is characteristic of chamber music of hand-horn era, with moderate technical demands. The piece begins with a dramatic Adagio and segues into a light-hearted Allegretto. This is a charming piece with much melodic interest, enjoyable to play and to hear.
Frederic Duvernoy (1765-1838) Trio No. 2 in F (before 1820)
Two mvts; 9:00; oboe c’ – f’”, horn f - a-flat”
KaWe
Out of print; available through Interlibrary Loan from:
University of Colorado Boulder
Northern Illinois University
University of Maine at Orono
University Laval Biblioteque (Quebec)
Kunitachi College of Music Library (Australia)
This second Trio was edited by Edmond Leloir and published in 1965, but is now out of print. As in the Trio No. 1, the instrumentation for this piece is “Violin, flute (oboe), or clarinet, horn and piano.” It is also similar in style to the first trio, but with more dramatic flair. Each movement begins with a slow introduction followed by a faster section, allowing for a variety of melodic materials and moods in its brief duration. It has slightly greater technical demands than the first trio, including a theme and variations with a bravura turn for each performer. This is indeed a very rewarding piece to program.
Juraj Filas (b. 1955) Portrait of the Time
Editions BIM
In preparation.
Mark Hellstern Trio (1975)
The music is in the Library of Congress. No biographical information about this composer was found.
Hermann Henrich (1891-??) Trio-Suite, Op. 23 (1937)
Four mvts.; 15:00; oboe c’ – e’”, horn f – b”
Heinrichshofen; available from:
Double Reed Shop (see Code)
$69.00
No biographical information about this composer was found. The Trio-Suite is in a romantic style, quite conservative in form and melodic content, but a bit more adventuresome in key relationships, with chromatic mediants favored. It is moderate in its technical demands on all three players; however, the manuscript is quite difficult to read, especially for the pianist and oboist. This is unfortunate, because this is a pleasant, stylish piece in the style of Blumer or Klughart (both Germanic composers who wrote attractive, conservative, romantic woodwind quintets.) There is an alternate viola part to replace the horn part.
Heinrich von Herzogenberg (1843-1900) Trio in D Major, Op. 61 (1889)
Four movements; 16:00’; oboe c#’ - e-flat ‘”, horn A - a”
Musica Rara
$22.00
Herzogenberg was an Austro-German composer who studied with Rheinberger and Lachner. He and his wife (a fine pianist) were friends and confidants of Brahms. This is a strong piece with an orchestral texture and a bravura ending; its substantial, four-movement form makes it a satisfying second half of a recital program. The first and last movements have a wonderful rustic mood; the second movement is a scherzo with hunting-horn calls, and the third movement, with its deeply melancholy middle section, ranks among the finest creations of Romantic wind chamber music. The horn part for three of the movements is in D transposition; the slow movement is in F. The horn and oboe parts are more idiomatic than those of the Reinecke, while the piano part is more difficult than the Reinecke, although well written for the instrument.
Wolfgang Hofmann (1922-) Aphorism 1977
10:00'
Manheimer
No further information was found about this composer or this piece beyond its mention in Horn Bibliographie, vol. III
Mary Inwood (b. 1928) Trio (1983)
Three mvts.; 8:00’; oboe e-flat’ – e’”, horn a – b”
Seesaw Music
$25.50
American Mary Inwood was educated at Yale University and Queens College, and served on the faculty at Roosa School of Music in Brooklyn. She is a pianist and electronic instrumentalist as well as a composer. The wind writing in this Trio is very disjunct and somewhat unrealistic: the horn ends the first movement on a high b-flat with a diminuendo from forte to pianissimo and a fermata! The preponderance of mixed meters such as 7/8 and 11/16 is complicated by the fact that, due to misprints in the manuscript, several measures do not contain the stated number of beats. The result of the disjunct melodic writing and asymmetrical meters is a sense of randomness that is at odds with the difficulty of playing the notes and rhythms correctly.
Ivan Jevtic (b. 1947) Con Amore e Fuoco (1992)
One mvt.; 8:00’ oboe d#’ – f#’”, horn g - a”
Editions BIM (see Arutiunian)
Version for oboe, horn and strings available on hire
$18.00
Yugoslavian composer Jevtic studied at the Belgrade Academy of Music, the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, and at the Paris Conservatory with Olivier Messiaen. The opening Con amore section is aptly titled; over a haunting, murmuring piano ostinato, the oboe and horn spin out a lovely, lyric duet. After dynamic and rhythmic intensification, the piece segues to the Fuoco portion, which shows the influence of minimalist composers through the repeated melodic/rhythmic motives. Fortunately, the expressive character remains throughout; the work ends softly, but not without intensity.
Robert Kahn (1865-1951) Serenade in F minor, Op. 73 (1923)
One mvt.; 12:00'; oboe c’ – f’”, horn g -a”
N. Simrock; available from:
Presser (see Damase)
$36.50
Kahn was born in Germany, and had a fine early career in Berlin, but emigrated to England in the early 1930's due to the coming war. Unfortunately his music - lush and Romantic in style - was not favored in England at the time, and he composed few works after emigrating. The Serenade is a fine piece, quite romantic in style, incorporating a variety of tempos and characters in its fantasia-like form. There are moments which remind one of Brahms, Mahler, Dvorak, Grieg. The oboe and horn share the same melodic material, which results in some less-than-idiomatic writing for the horn, but it is still a very satisfying piece to play. The piano part is quite demanding. This is a significant piece which pleases audiences as much as the Reinecke or Herzogenberg, but its shorter length and compact form facilitates flexibility in programming.
Michael Kallstrom (b. 1956) Bells and Pipes (1999)
One mvt; 7:00; oboe c’ – e’”, horn f – a-flat”
Written for Trio Arundel
Available from the composer:
Department of Music
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY 42101
502-745-5400
michael.kallstrom@wku.edu
Kallstrom is Professor of Music and Coordinator of Composition and Theory at Western Kentucky University (Bowling Green). His compositions include chamber, orchestral and band works which have been widely performed in the US and abroad. Bells and Pipes opens with a rhythmically distinctive unison melody, which gives the impression of using the pentatonic scale, while incorporating enough extra pitches to keep the listener guessing. This motive alternates throughout the work with contrasting, more lyrical sections, leading to a strong conclusion. Kallstrom effectively exploits the tonal beauty of the two wind instruments, and all three parts are very idiomatic and and practical. This is a piece with great vitality and accessibility.
Tadeusz Kassatti (b. 1948) De facto (1998)
Two mvts.; 12:00’; oboe b – c#’”, horn c - g”
“For Jean-Pierre Mathez”
BIM (see Arutiunian)
$20.00
Polish-born Kassati studied piano at the conservatories of Krakow and Geneva. He currently teaches at the Conservatoire Populaire de Musique in Geneva and performs regularly in addition to composing in a variety of media, including for stage, film, and radio. De facto is a very well-crafted and interesting piece, reflecting the eclectic nature of his interests. Kassatti’s harmonic language features extended harmonies, with a predilection for quartal and quintal sonorities, and a knack for making unexpected progressions sound inevitable. The effect is consistently lush and rich, and reminds one of Janacek in its use of repeated (and subtly varied) motives. The piece has a somewhat mournful character, which is accentuated by the horn part lying primarily in the lower mid range. (There is an alternate euphonium part to replace the horn.) The horn and piano parts are of moderate technical difficulty; the oboe part is more challenging, with some fast chromatic octave passages, and endurance could be an issue. The first movement is in sonata form, ending quietly. The second movement is a progression of sections, including a long, well-written oboe/horn duet (without piano), each featuring a distinctive motive which is developed gradually and with imagination, reaching a richly orchestral climax before a more subdued ending. This is a superlative new piece, one which many ensembles and audiences should have the chance to enjoy.
Hugo Kauder (1888-1972) Trio No. 1 (1929)
One mvt., contrasting sections; 8:30; oboe c’ – d’”, horn g – a”
Seesaw Music Corporation
2067 Broadway
New York, NY 10023
$11.50
Kauder was a Moravian composer and violinist who emigrated to the United States in 1938.
Kauder’s music is contrapuntal and often canonic, with much emphasis on “open” intervals and the resulting quartal and quintal harmonies. He uses asymmetrical meters and free rhythmic groupings (no bar lines, but indications of metric patterns) with alternating Adagio and Allegro sections. The wonderful mood of melancholy evoked, recalling Renaissance music at some times and the wistful side of Copland at others, is a truly individual sound. The conservative ranges make this work accessible to a wide range of performers.
Hugo Kauder Trio No. 2 (1946)
Three movements; 12:30: oboe b – c”, horn c-a”
Seesaw Music Corporation
2067 Broadway
New York, NY 10023
14.50
Very similar in color and compositional style to Trio No. 1 described above, but with a greater variety of textures within the three movements, this is also quite an attractive piece.
Jan Koetsier (b. 1911) Dresdner Trio, Op. 130 (1992)
Dedicated to Peter Damm
Four mvts.; 20:00'; oboe c’ – e-flat’”, horn f - b-flat”
Donemus; difficult to obtain; available through Interlibrary Loan from:
University of Alabama Northwestern University
Stanford University Boston Public Library
Florida State University University of Wisconsin, Madison
And others
Dutch composer and conductor Jan Koetsier studied at the Berlin Hochschule, returning to the Netherlands to conduct at the Concertgebouw during WWII. Since 1950 he has made his home in Germany, conducting the Bavarian Radio orchestra and serving as professor of conducting at the Munich Hochschule. His brass chamber music has been quite widely performed and recorded. This work is an affectionate, retrospective look at Romanticism through the eyes of a well-rounded twentieth-century musician, with both humor and depth of emotion, and is idiomatically written for all three instruments. Audiences enjoy the color and emotional impact of the piece, as well as the subtle references to styles of favorite composers. This is a rare piece in that the combined effect of the three parts greatly exceeds the individual and ensemble challenges.
Richard Lane (b. 1933) Suite for Oboe, Horn & Strings (1991)
Six movements; 7:30; oboe c’ – c’”, horn e – g”
Written for hornist Richard Swartz and his wife, oboist Lucinda Swartz.
Available from composer in piano reduction:
173 Lexington Ave.
Paterson, NJ 07502
201-942-7483
This is a pleasant, straightforward piece in six brief movements. Each has a distinctive character, and the movements contrast well. The final movement is identical to the first, giving the piece an overall arch form. It places few technical demands on the players, and incorporates very comfortable ranges for the oboe and horn.
Ursula Mamlok (b. 1928) From my garden 2 (1983)
One movement; 8:00; oboe b-flat – e’”, horn B – b”
American Composers Alliance
Mamlok was born and studied in Berlin, then moved to the US to study at the Manhattan School of Music, and later became a lecturer at New York University and a faculty member at Kingsborough College. From my garden 2 is an “atmosphere” piece utilizing a wide range of coloristic effects within a large dynamic range. The pianist must mark strings on the piano, which are to be plucked with a fingernail. In addition, all three players are asked to both bow and strike a crotale (small metal cymbal), which is to be attached to each stand. Other techniques include flutter tonguing for both wind players, harmonics for the oboe, and stopped horn.
Pamela Marshall (b. 1954) Waves and Fountains (1997)
Commissioned by Trio Arundel
One mvt.; 8:00'; oboe b-flat – b-flat”, horn d – a”
Spindrift Music Company
www.spindrift.com
$16.00
Pamela J. Marshall received degrees in composition from Eastman and Yale Schools of Music, where she also studied horn, conducting, and electronic music. Her compositions include music for orchestra, chamber ensembles, mandolin, and synthesizers. Her work Colored Leaves for solo horn was chosen as a competition piece at a recent Southeast Horn Workshop. Waves and Fountains, as its title implies, is filled with images of moving water. The inspiration for the piece came from a musical motive in the magic fountain music from Ms. Marshall’s opera, Melete. Extensive use of the diminished scale (alternating major and minor seconds) and juxtaposition of major and minor thirds result in dissonant harmonies, but fine choices of instrumental ranges for color yield an effect which is simultaneously transparent and rich. The rhythmic complexities – such as cross rhythms and asymmetrical beat groupings – work as a kind of notated rubato to create expressive phrases without a feeling of strict pulse. These elements make the work challenging to learn, but the solid craftsmanship allows the performers to be comfortable in performance.
Heinrich Molbe (1835-1915) Air Arabe (ca. 1895)
One mvt.; 4:00; oboe c’ – b-flat”, horn b – g”
Wind Music, Inc.
153 Highland Parkway
Rochester, NY 14620
(716) 473-3732
$10.00
The Air Arabe is one of a set of three trios by Molbe (for whom no biographical information was found.) The other two pieces in the set are for bassoon, horn and piano and clarinet, horn and piano respectively. This is an uncomplicated piece, with conservative ranges, in a romantic style; the “arabe” element comes from a prevalence of chromatic tones and “exotic” intervals.
Jody Nagel (b. 1960) Fantasy Ballad (1994)
Written for Carrie Vecchione, oboe and Fred Ehnes, horn (faculty members at Ball State University)
One mvt.; 10:00’; oboe c’ – f’”, horn f – b-flat”
Jomar Press
6005 B Cameron Road
Austin, TX 78723
512-459-4972
$19.50
Nagel is an assistant professor of theory and composition at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana; he received degrees from Marietta College and the University of Pittsburgh, and his doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. The Fantasy Ballad is in roughly fast-slow-fast form, but with a variety of tempos and textures within each portion, in keeping with the fantasy character. Restatement of the original themes in the closing sections helps to balance the form. All three instruments are treated equally, both in terms of technical difficulty and thematic interest. While the writing is challenging, there are no excessive difficulties, making this a work which professionals, advanced students, and serious amateurs alike could approach with confidence.
Maurice Ohana (b. 1914) Sacral d’Ilx (1975)
One mvt.; 16:00; oboe b-flat – f’”, horn B – c#”’
Jobert (agent for USA is Th. Presser); available from:
Double Reed Shop (see Code listing)
$28.75
For oboe, horn and harpsichord.
Ohana was born in Casablanca of Spanish descent, but later became a French national. His cosmopolitan background led to an eclectic musical style, and a complete rejection of Austro-German musical traditions and the serialism of his contemporaries. This extremely difficult piece uses many extended techniques, including flutter tonguing, microtones, and multiphonics for both oboe and horn, as well as independent meters and aleatoric sections. All these are clearly indicated and thoroughly described in French, so non-French speakers will need to enlist an interpreter to discern the composer’s wishes!
J. Pillevestra (d. 1903) Yvonette, Little Scene in Brittany
Andraud
No further information was found about this composer or this piece beyond its mention in Catalogue of Chamber Music for Woodwind Instruments
Anthony Plog (b. 1947) 3 Sketches (1995)
For Jeremy and Sophie Mathez
3 pieces; 9:30’; oboe e-flat’ – e-flat’”, horn d – a-flat”
Editions BIM (see Arutiunian)
$20.00
Anthony Plog has had a distinguished career as both trumpet soloist and conductor. A native of California, he currently teaches at the Musikhochschule in Freiburg, Germany. This work, reviewed in the May 2000 issue of “The Horn Call”, has a very serious mood, in spite of the animated, technically challenging sections in all three movements. The ranges of both the oboe and horn parts are conservative, and overall the piece are of moderate technical difficulty. While the 3 Sketches are in a fast-slow-fast arrangement, all three movements end softly, so care should be taken in program placement.
Carl Reinecke (1824-1910) Trio in A minor, Op. 188 (1887)
Four mvts.; 16:00’; oboe b – d’”, horn e-a”
International
$14.75
Reinecke had a long and distinguished career as a composer, conductor, and pianist. His early chamber music was admired by his contemporaries for its refined style and clarity of form, but his popularity was gradually eclipsed by Brahms. This Trio is a mainstay of the oboe, horn and piano repertoire; it includes a wide range of styles and textures, ranging from the dramatic lyricism of the first movement to the simple heartfelt Adagio, and from the fleet Scherzo to the jolly, folk-like Finale.. The oboe is often placed in its low register, and the oboe and horn tend to have the same melodic material, so that there is less variety of tone color and instrumental character than in the Herzogenberg or Kahn.
Verne Reynolds (b. 1926) Trio for Oboe, Horn & Piano (1990)
Three mvts.; 14:00; oboe d’ – e-flat’”, horn c – b-flat”
Commissioned by Peter Kurau and the IHS
Newly published by Prairie Dawg Press
www.prairiedawgpress.com
Reynolds, Eastman School of Music Professor Emeritus, has composed many works for horn in various settings and has also contributed many outstanding transcriptions for brass quintet and horn choir. This Trio is an important addition to the repertoire, and is very difficult technically for all three players. It is non-tonal, features large interval leaps and some extremely challenging fast passages. The first movement is both exuberant and intense, the slow movement quite lyrical, and the last movement wryly humorous. This piece requires virtuosity from all players, and a commitment to master the technical and ensemble difficulties of the piece in order to let the musical character come through. The result is well worth the effort, however, as the final musical effect is one of great freedom and imagination.
Armand Russell (b 1932) Dramatic & Lyric Dialogues (1991)
Written for Karl Pituch, horn and his wife Sally Heffelfinger, oboe
Three mvts.; 15:00; oboe c’ – e’”, horn B-flat – c”’
Available from the composer.
8891 Oakmont Dr.
Santa Rosa, CA 95409
ph.707-833-2450
Fax:707-833-2090
Russell, a former bass player with the Honolulu Symphony and professor at the University of Hawaii, studied composition at the University of Washington and the Eastman School of Music. In the Dramatic and Lyric Dialogues he has given us a serious, substantive work of emotional depth which would be very appealing to a discriminating audience. While it places great demands on both the oboist and hornist, especially in terms of range and control, the piano part is equally effective without as many technical demands. The influence of Russell’s teacher, Howard Hanson, can be heard in the broad, sweeping nature of the themes and in the overall quality of spaciousness the piece projects. The technical demands of this piece are not gratuitous, but exist in order to create the emotional intensity of the work.
Valery Strukow (b. 1937) Trio
Editions BIM (see Arutiunian listing)
Currently in preparation.
Fritz Voegelin (b. 1943) Distributions (1993)
One mvt.; 11:00'; oboe b – f’”, horn d-flat – b”
Editions BIM (see Arutiunian listing)
Voegelin was born in Zurich and studied violin and conducting in Bern, Basel, and Vienna. He received a diploma in violin from Bern Conservatoire and a bandleader diploma from Basel Academy of Music. His conducting career began in Freiburg, continued in Columbia, South America, and since 1992 he has been back in Switzerland, conducting and composing. Distributions is a difficult work, with pointillistic, atonal writing and intricate ensemble work. The title is echoed in the way a melody is often distributed among two or three players in the manner of klangfarbenmelodie. In fact, the three voices rarely move together rhythmically in the entire work. Performers read from a playing score; the piano part is written on three staves, which actually helps its complexities to be more easily deciphered. Meter changes are difficult to catch because they are indicated by a number and a notehead in-between the two wind staves and the three piano staves. In spite of its daunting appearance, however, the work sounds quite attractive and light, and is definitely approachable for performers with very strong rhythmic skills.
Mrs. Vally Weigl (1889-1982) The Cherry Tree, Version 2(1968)
American Composers Alliance
3:00’
Vally Weigl was born and educated in Vienna, moving to the US in 1928 and becoming an American citizen in 1943. Her lifelong interest in music therapy lead her to work in that field in several New York hospitals and schools. She had a large output of compositions, mainly for voice, but including some chamber music for both standard and unusual instrumentations. This piece was not available for study.
Richard Wernick (b. 1934) Cassation (Music Tom Jefferson Knew) (1996)
Commissioned by the Hancock Chamber Players with the assistance of Thomas Jefferson University
Four movements; 12:00; oboe c’ – e-flat’”, horn G – b”
Presser (see Damase)
$17.50
Wernick was born in Boston, Massachusetts and held faculty positions at the State University of New York at Buffalo, the University of Chicago; and the University of Pennsylvania, where he taught for twenty-eight years, retiring in 1996. A winner of the 1977 Pulitzer Prize in music, Wernick has an enormous output of compositions, including many symphonic and chamber music works. This work is “based on music that Jefferson either heard or played”, and includes Inauguration Day, 1801; From Mr. Reinagle’s Sonata; From Mr. Arnold’s Air; and From Mr. Moller’s Sonata, which concludes with a restatement of the march figure from Inauguration Day. Each of these melodies is re-interpreted through Mr. Wernick’s twentieth-century sensibility, including wrong-note harmonies reminiscent of Ives. While the oboe and piano parts are relatively comfortable, the horn part is very challenging, including a large range, frequent large leaps, very low notes, rapid alternation of stopped and open horn, flutter tonguing, and high trills. With a sense of humor and a bravura performance, this work could be effective.
Warren Wernick (b. 1962) Trio No. 1 for Oboe, Horn & Piano (1994)
Written for Lisa Kozenko, oboist of the Hancock Chamber Players
Three mvts.; 18:00; oboe c’ – g’”, horn C – c#’”
International Opus
P.O. Box 4852
Richmond, VA 23220
804-355-5778
$20.00
Trumpet player and composer Warren Wernick has degrees in trumpet performance from the Julliard School and studied composition at the Aspen School of Music. This is a quirky, satirical piece which is quite difficult technically, particularly for the horn. Wernick lists his own compositional influences as Shostakovich, Ives, Nielsen, Sibelius, and Schickele, and this gives one a clue as to the eclectic nature of the writing in this Trio! A review in the Philadelphia Inquirer described the piece as "A skillfully written work that recalls the subtle humor of Peter Schickele, the intensity of Shostakovich and the bright, graceful melodies of Poulenc.” It is worth the effort to learn if you are looking for something wry and provocative to spice up a program.
Richard Worthing (b. 1943). Suite for Oboe, Horn & Piano (1989)
Written for the Christine and Karyn Worthing,, the composer’s daughters
Five mvts.; 7:00; oboe c’ – c#’”, horn c# - e”
Ludwig Music
Cleveland, Ohio
$9.95
Worthing is Dean at Kent State College of Fine and Performing Arts and holds degrees in Music Theory from Kent State and Michigan State University. This Suite was written for the high school instrumentalist, and it is refreshing to find serious contemporary chamber music composed with young players in mind. The technical demands are indeed quite moderate, but there is nice stylistic contrast among movements, and the piece can be played effectively by professionals as well as youngsters. The witty neo-Baroque character of the suite, which includes a Préambule, Ländler, Romance, Gavotte, and Hornpipe, has generated a warm response from our audiences.
Maurice Wright (b. 1949) Trio 1985 (1985)
Three movements; 15:00; oboe b-flat – f#’”, horn e - b”
Written for Hancock Chamber Players.(Martin Webster, horn)
available from the composer
Temple University
Esther Boyer College of Music
Philadelphia, PA 19122
wright@astro.temple.edu
Manuscript
Maurice Wright attended Duke University and Columbia University, and is Professor of Music Composition and Chair of the Composition Department at Temple University’s Esther Boyer College of Music. The first two movements of his Trio are relatively straightforward from an ensemble aspect, since the horn and oboe play rhythmically together for much of the time. The third movement is considerably more complex, with a great variety of mixed meters and unusual groupings of subdivisions. The absence of metronome markings in the second and third movements, as well as the absence of expressive indications throughout the work, make it difficult for the performers to discern the composer’s intentions. An ensemble would need to live with this piece for a while in order to help make it accessible to audience.