From the composer
When Timothy Smith contacted me about writing a work for trombone, I was startled; I’m a violinist. He had heard my flute sonata and wanted to see what I would write for the alto trombone. I was intrigued, since I knew little of the alto other than of its existence. After listening to a few recordings, I was totally taken by its sound and began to learn more about the instrument.
The sonata is in four movements. Clamor is fast and energetic. Evensong is a re-imagining of a very short anthem I wrote for my cousin’s church choir and a reference to the trombone (sackbut) as a church instrument during the Middle Ages. Prank exploits one of the trombone player’s greatest (or worst) clichés—that of the orchestra’s laid-back joker. Friday Night celebrates both the trombone’s wonderful lyric qualities and its cousins’ role in the ensembles of the big band era.
