[Trombone-l] Thanksgiving rep suggestion

[Richardson, Timothy A Mr CIV USA IMCOM-Europe]

I do a fair amount of this kind of solo for offertories.

I just talk to the organist and pick a familiar tune out of the hymnal,
one they can play without a lot of preparation.  

I use simple, nonshowy ones that the congregation will know.  As long as
I know the tune well, I've found it easy (and much more effective) to do
it without sheet music.  I'm not sure if you call that playing by memory
or playing by ear.  

If there's a guitarist that day of course you have to change the key.
But playing by ear that doesn't seem to matter.  After a while D and G
start to get familiar.  

I believe Doug Yeo long ago gave similar advice - playing simple hymns
and trying to make them sound good, as opposed to classical solo pieces.


-----Original Message-----
From: John Jay Hilfiger [mailto:jhilf at penn.com] 
Sent: Friday, November 02, 2007 8:45 PM
To: TROMBONE-L at server5.samford.edu
Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Thanksgiving rep suggestion

> Fellow listers,
>
> I've been asked to play a solo the Sunday before Thanksgiving and I  
> have  come up dry with possible tunes.
>
> Has anyone got a suggestion for a solo w/piano or easy organ for  
> Thanksgiving?  It doesn't even have to be a trombone  
> solo...anything!!!
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Ralph
> -- 
> Ralph W. Whitfield, Jr.
> Bass Trombonist - Gadsden Symphony Orchestra
> www.rainbowbrassmusic.com
> "Trombonist by Nature, Engineer by Necessity."

Ralph,

I have done quite a bit of playing in churches and write most of my  
own material.  Let me suggest that you try some of my arrangements.   
For example:

1. Christe Sanctorum Variants  (trombone and organ/piano)

2. Reverie on a Theme of Robert Schumann (trombone and piano/organ) -  
theme is a well-known hymn tune.

3. Three Hymns (trombone and piano)  - includes "Come, Thou, Almighty  
King," "For the Beauty of the Earth," and "Oh, Worship the King."

All of these are available from Brassworks4 Publishing
www.brassworks4.com

I have also done many other compositions and arrangements suitable  
for church use (e.g. "3 Hymns of Thanksgiving") for various brass  
trios, quartets, quintets, etc. available from various publishers.  I  
even did one for SATB choir and solo horn or trombone.  See my webpage:
http://users.penn.com/~jhilf/

Good luck.

Jay Hilfiger


"Christe Sanctorum" Variants (solo for horn/trumpet/trombone with organ)