[Trombone-l] Origin of the so-called Weber Romanza?

[David Guion]

I have looked at some of the same places and come to the same conclusion: I
cannot have any confidence in the attribution to Weber or that the piece was
originally for trombone. Years ago I heard it on the radio, performed by
bassoon and orchestra. The announcer attributed it to Weber, for what little
that's worth. It seems to me to be especially well-written for bassoon, and
if it's even from Weber's generation, the original accompaniment would have
been for orchestra and not piano. Of course, we can't even be sure of that.
In any case, I have asked several bassoonists about it, and not a one has
recognized it.

The edition I have is by P. X. Laube. IIRC, it came out in the 1930s. In any
case, he issued editions for lots of different instruments. It seems to me
that no one paid much attention until maybe 20 or 30 years ago. If
bassoonists don't generally recognize it, perhaps no one but trombonists
ever play it with any regularity.

I will say that the only thematic catalog of Weber's works (unless something
has come out very recently) is quite old. Most other catalogs of that
vintage missed a lot of authentic pieces. If and when someone undertakes a
fresh catalog of Weber's works, it is just possible that the Romanza will
turn out to be authentic. I wouldn't hold my breath. As others have pointed
out, we will likely never know.

David Guion