Songs Without Words for Bass Trombone/Tuba by Gabriel Fauré, edited and arranged by William Stanley; bass trombone/tuba edition edited by Michael Dunn, is appropriate for bass trombone and tuba players at all levels.

All trombone and tuba players strive to make their performances sing, so what better way than to practice Songs Without Words? These vocalises by Gabriel Fauré follow a long tradition of using vocal exercises as study material for low brass. This edition is based on the excellent critical work (Edition Peters - EP 11385 used by permission) of Roy Howat and Emily Kilpatrick, noted Fauré scholars, who discovered the songs from ear-training exercises, test pieces, and entrance audition material used at the Paris Conservatory. The original intents of these songs are not so removed from us today, and can provide multiple uses for the modern trombone or tuba player including ear-training (both on and off the instrument), sight-reading, and musical expression within rather condensed material.

"Vocal melodies offer so much to trombonists, teaching us about musical line and expression, and the use of perfectly controlled air release. Trombonists and tubists have a rich history of working with vocal melodies, as teachers for more than a century have utilized their inherent emotion ad musicality to simultaneously develop the technical and musical, thereby negating the necessity for so much dull, unproductive technical work. In this case, getting to explore the work of one of the giants of melodic writing is of vital importance to us. Some may debate the relevance of trombonists performing such works but one thing is for me indisputable: getting our hands dirty with this great material can only be of benefit to us musically; indeed, it is in my opinion essential. This publication has the added benefit of being with piano, although it works perfectly for practice purposes without it. Learning to work with a pianist in a chamber setting as an equal partner rather than just treating them as an accompanist is not only of use in this environment but prepares us for interacting in other settings, like orchestra or chamber ensemble." - Ian Bousfield, former Principal Trombonist, London Symphony Orchestra and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Professor of Trombone at the Hochschule der Künste in Bern, Switzerland

18 pages spiral bound to lay flat on the music stand