CONCERTO FOR CONTRABASS TROMBONE

WITH DIGITAL ACCOMPANIMENT

Composed for Eric High
Composed by Brian Sadler

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Copyright © 2020 by Brian Sadler
www.briansadler.org
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2 CONCERTO FOR CONTRABASS TROMBONE

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In two h = 90

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 CONCERTO FOR CONTRABASS TROMBONE 3

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159
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Cadenza - Approx. 35 seconds
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4 CONCERTO FOR CONTRABASS TROMBONE

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In four q = 90 165

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161

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169

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179

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Ï Hold as long as possible
without passing out.
 Concerto for Contrabass Trombone/Tuba
With Digital Accompaniment

Program Notes

Concerto for Contrabass Trombone/Tuba was composed by Brian Sadler and

commissioned by Dr. Eric High. Dr. High is currently an Associate Professor of Music at St.
Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin and is very active in the low brass community as a
performer and published reviewer. Wanting to give the contrabass trombone more modern
literature, he turned to composer Brian Sadler after hearing his “Soundtrack for Trombone and
Orchestra” being performed in a recital. The idea of not having a piano accompanist, especially
while on tours to multiple colleges, appealed to Dr. High and so he asked Brian if he could write
something similar for contrabass trombone. The resulting piece is one that is full of excitement
and the modern sound of today’s film soundtracks.
This being Brian’s third piece for solo and digital accompaniment (the other two being for
tuba and trombone), he wanted to avoid the shortcomings of his previous ventures by having
less tempo changes and a more prominent beat for the soloist to perform with. Ostinato 8th and
16th notes from the strings and groove-heavy drum set easily cut above the backgrounds to
help keep the soloist on time. The main themes of the piece are introduced early and go
through several variations to help keep things interesting. After a brief solo cadenza, the
orchestra returns with one final round and after an unsettling rise, the soloist ends the piece with
a final blast.

Audio System Tips

This piece is meant to be performed in a recital hall with a sound system. Here are
some suggestions on speaker setup that may be helpful.

● The ideal setup is two speakers placed in front of you and facing the audience. A third
speaker should be facing the yourself so you can hear the backgrounds as well. This
many speakers will require a mixing board especially if you have them set to different
volumes.

● The next best setup is two speakers behind you so you can hear the backing track as
well as the audience. The sound of the backgrounds will fade as they travel into the hall
so make sure you have it rather loud even though it may be uncomfortable for you,
standing directly in front of the speakers.

● From the audience’s perspective, the sound of the backgrounds should be coming from
the same place as your playing. Try not to use speakers that are installed far from
where you will be performing.
● Do some research and find out ahead of time what the sound system of the recital hall is
like. If possible, bring your own sound system. A small bluetooth speaker will not be
loud enough!

● Have a staff member or friend check the sound for you. Before the audience arrives,
make sure that the sound system is working properly and that you have the right levels
ready.

● Soundcheck the loud as well as the soft parts of the piece.

● The easiest way to play the backgrounds is off a tablet or smartphone. Come prepared
with an audio cable just in case the hall does not have one. You may want to burn the
backgrounds to a CD just in case the hall does not have an auxiliary input.