THIS IS A TROMBONE

Brussels composer Marcel Poot (1901-1988) described himself early on as a hardworking, but untalented performer. Fortunately, his real talents were fostered at the Brussels Conservatory by the influential composer Paul Gilson. With his purpose found, Poot would eventually become one of the most important Belgian musicians of the mid 20th century. Winning the Rubens Prize in 1930 supported three years of study in Paris with Paul Dukas, during which time the Impromptu was composed. Poot became a lecturer at the Brussels Conservatory in 1939, and eventually became its Director from 1949-1966. Although his large output of works is largely unknown today, Poot was a popular composer across Europe throughout the mid 20th century.

Peter Benoit (1834 – 1901) was one of the most prolific and impactful Belgian composers of the 19th century, eventually becoming the first director of the Antwerp Conservatory. His early studies at the Brussels Conservatory were with its well-connected director François-Joseph Fétis, who eventually introduced Benoit to influential musicians in France and Germany. Benoit assigned the Sonata for Trombone and Piano an opus number of 23, suggesting it was written in February of 1863. This would have been during the final weeks of his four years living in Paris, where Europe’s most renowned trombone class was flourishing. The Sonata may have been used for the 1864 concours in Antwerp, but it was never used in this capacity in Paris despite it being a more advanced work than those on their list for decades before or after its composition. Composed in the style of Beethoven, the Sonata is exceptionally well-crafted, and fills a substantial gap in the known trombone repertoire.

Raymond Baervoets (1930 - 1989) earned top prizes for harmony, counterpoint, and fugue at the Brussels Conservatory where he studied with Jean Absil and Francis de Bourguignon among others. Composed in his early, traditional - and prize-winning - style, Impromtu was written in 1958 for Professor Jules De Haes of the Antwerp Conservatory. Baervoets eventually renounced all compositions before 1961, turning towards neo-classical and post serialism styles. His later period was influenced by studies with the Hungarian-Austrian avant-guard composer György Sándor, Ligeti, and Italian modernist composer Goffredo Petrassi.

French composer and music educator Pierre Durand (1935 – 1998) was born in Paris. Educated at the Paris Conservatory where he studied with Tony Aubin among others, Durand dedicated his career to teaching music theory and composing test pieces for education purposes. His long affiliation with the top music education institutions in Paris supported a large catalog of works, primarily solo piano pieces and chamber music. The through-composed Parcours, which means “route” or “path” was written at the request of Professor Gerard Pichaureau. It was the assigned piece for the Paris Conservatory trombone concours of 1975.

French composer and band leader Joseph Edouard Barat (1882-1964) studied with Paul Vidal, George Caussade, and Emile Pessard at the Paris Conservatory. He is best remembered for his solo works for wind and brass instruments written as test pieces for the annual Paris Conservatory concours. Included in his extensive output of solo literature are two works commissioned specifically for the trombone concours. The second of these compositions, Andante et Allegro, was the assigned test piece both in 1935 and 1940, and it continues to be programmed on student recitals to this day. This earlier commission Pièce en Mi Bémol was also used twice, in 1923 and 1929, and is the more difficult of the two pieces. With significant chromaticism through fast passages, and wider written ranges, this work requires significant technical virtuosity.

Fernand Rogister (1872 - 1954) was a career military bandmaster, serving with the Belgian 9th, 10th and 11th Line Regiments. Fernand and his three younger brothers Jean, Chrétien, and Hubert all trained at the Liège Conservatory, and all four became prominent musicians. Pièce Concertante is a simple work, written in a through-composed, Romantic style. It was originally intended to feature either trombone or alto saxophone as the solo instrument. In addition to the version with piano heard here, the composer also penned a full orchestra accompaniment. The piece was dedicated to Henri Moureau, Professor of Trombone and Tuba at the Liège Conservatory, and was first published in 1946.

François Rasse (1873-1955) had a successful career as musician, conductor, critic and composer. Rasse studied violin and composition at the Brussels Conservatory, winning the Belgian Prix de Rome for composition in 1899. He became renowned as a composer, adopting a late Franco-Belgian Romantic style reminiscent of Saint Saëns. In 1910 Rasse was hired by his alma mater, continuing to teach in Brussels until becoming Director for the Liége Conservatory in 1925. Written in 1921, the Concertino was dedicated to his Brussels colleague Henri Séha. Although this recording uses a modern slide trombone, it includes several virtuosic ossai (alternative) passages likely to have been written specifically for a six-valved trombone, an instrument that Séha taught to students in his class.

(All notes researched and written by Don Immel)