Trombonist's French Songbook 2

arranged for Trombone and Piano by Roger Harvey

Vilanelle des Petits Canards - Emanuel Chabrier
Pantomime - Claude Debussy
Jet d'Eau - Claude Debussy
Je te Veux - Eric Satie
Au Loin - Charles Koechlin
A Chloris - Reynaldo Hahn
Vocalise-Etude - Maurice Ravel
Chanson à Boire - Maurice Ravel

Expressive, meaningful melody playing requires an understanding of the musical intentions of the composer and the technical skills to produce a variety of articulation, legato and breath control to shape notes and phrases appropriately in order to bring the music to life. This collection of vocal music is intended to be a resource for trombone players to practice these skills. The vocal lines are generally not technically demanding so, without musical awareness combined with the technical means to express it, performances of these pieces could be very dull. The lack of words and the singer’s range of vowels and consonants presents a significant challenge to the instrumental performer who will need to find ways to colour and shape the notes and phrases to establish and maintain interest.
Expression marks that are included here are generally the composer’s, but some are editorial, intended to suggest style.They should not, though, be restrictive and every player should, while being mindful of the composer’s intentions, aim to deliver their own version of the song. The main aim of the collection is to encourage the player to think carefully about what each piece requires to be successfully performed and what technical skills need to be employed, or developed, to achieve it.
But this is not just an exercise in solo playing; any successful ensemble performance relies on each and every player making an apt, supportive contribution to the corporate musical presentation. Even the most, apparently unimportant accompaniment parts will affect the general ensemble sound; ideally all lines will be played in a way which will enhance the general musical intentions. So the skills referred to above can equally be applied to the understanding of the player’s musical role and the technique needed to present it in any musical situation.