I originally wrote “Three Moods for bass trombone” in 1985 when I was a member of the English Northern Philharmonia, (the orchestra of Opera North), to take on tour. I wanted to include as many different techniques as possible, so that I would not need to carry a suitcase of study books all round the country. I first performed it at the Leeds College of Music at a BTS trombone day.
In 1997 I decided to rework the piece, with the idea that it might be included in recital programmes at the different colleges. This version was given its first public performance in Leeds by Richard Ashmore (bass trombonist with the Ulster Orchestra), and was given its first college performance in the RSAMD by Jim Bone at a BTS brass day.
The title “Three Moods” is a reference to the particular qualities of my three tutors:
The first movement is dedicated to Terry Nagle (ex Halle Orchestra), recalling his rhythmic clarity in all registers. The second movement is dedicated to Neville Roberts (ex Halle orchestra) who explained the mysteries of trombone legato to me. The third movement is dedicated to Ray Premru (ex Philharmonia Orchestra) and tries to show how Ray could change styles in all registers and keep that big bass trombone sound so focused.
I hope you enjoy playing these as much as I enjoyed writing them.
Ian S. Davies
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SKU: TB037
Composer: Ian S. Davies
Difficulty: Advanced
Instrumentation: Bass Trombone
Range: D1-C5
