[Trombone-l] In Memoriam: A Chorale After Bruckner overdub

[Jim Nova]

In Memoriam: A Chorale After Bruckner by Brian Pappal for trombone trio written in memory of his teacher and friend, Murray Crewe. 

I first encountered this piece the summer of 2018 when I was a guest faculty member at the Third Coast Trombone retreat. It won the trio competition and was premiered that summer by me and my friends Sebastian Vera and Nick Schwartz. 

Murray was larger than life in every way. He was my dear friend and PSO colleague for many years. I’ve always loved and championed this piece having played it at numerous times since the premiere at the ITF, Southeast Trombone Symposium and the Korea Trombone Symposium to name a few. As my first overdub since the Covid-19 crisis has broken, I hope this performance offers all some beauty and peace.

ABOUT IN MEMORIAM from the composer:
In Memoriam: A Chorale After Bruckner was composed in memory of Murray Crewe, former Bass Trombonist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Murray was my private trombone teacher at Duquesne University where he maintained a large studio of private trombone students and directed the trombone choir. During my lessons with him and in trombone choir rehearsals, Murray was contagiously positive and encouraging with a sense of humor all his own. He was also an artist of immense depth and sensitivity who daily sought to create and encounter moments of beauty in the world. Some of my greatest musical memories of Murray are of his leading the trombone choir in playing transcriptions of Bruckner’s choral motets. There are obvious parallels between the voice and the trombone, and Murray’s artistry combined with Bruckner’s profound compositions created a deeply moving experience for me as a young musician. I wrote this piece with those memories in my mind. The sonorities are intentionally vocal, and performance of the piece should be approached in a similarly sustained and expressive style. The first trombone part remains rather high without rest; it may be played by either a tenor or alto trombone depending on player preference. 

YouTube video:
https://youtu.be/wOZZRE94uaU <https://youtu.be/wOZZRE94uaU>

Soundcloud Link:
https://soundcloud.com/jimnova/in-memoriam-a-chorale-after-bruckner <https://soundcloud.com/jimnova/in-memoriam-a-chorale-after-bruckner>


James Nova
Trombone - Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Brass Area Coordinator and Adjunct Trombone Faculty - Duquesne University
Brass Coach - Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestras
jimnova.com