E. Bozza - Sonatine for Brass Quintet

Title

Sonatine for Brass Quintet

I. Allegro vivo I

I. Andante ma non troppo

III. Allegro vivo

IV. Largo - Allegro vivace

Composed

1951

Composer

Eugene Bozza (1905-1991)

Composer Information

Eugene Bozza, a French composer and conductor, is noted for his appointments as conductor of the Opera-Comique in Paris in 1958 and later, in 1951, director of the Ecole Nationale de Musique, Valenciennes (Natl. School of Music, Valenciennes). As a student at the Paris Conservatory, he won "premier prix" for the violin, conducting, and composition. Bozza wrote many large-scale stage works, but he is best known outside of France for his chamber music pieces that were written in a highly accessible, elegant, lyrical style. Bozza has also composed large scale works for chorus and orchestra including a mass, a requiem, two ballets, several operas, and four symphonies.

Publisher

Alphonse Leduc

Duration

10:00

Difficulty

Ranking Position

Discography

J.: Foliations - Arnold, M.: Brass Quintet No. 1 - Bozza, E.: Sonatine - Linkola, J.: Brass Quintet No. 2 by Stockholm Chamber Brass: BIS, 2009.

Virtuoso Brass by Chicago Brass Quintet: Delos, 1991.

The Asbury Brass Quintet by Adolph Herseth & The Asbury Brass Quintet: Albany Records, 1998.

Brass Music by Stockholm Philharmonic Brass Ensemble: Swedish Society, 1977.

Types of Instruments/Mutes

All but the tuba are required to use a mute.

Final Considerations

Bozza is a composer whose works all have a characteristic sound that makes his compositions easily identifiable. His Sonatine seems especially “French” with its light, nimble, and especially disjunct melodic lines. The energetic first movement features melodic lines that interlace in and out the texture of the ensemble. The second movement starts more graceful with the opening lines on the trumpet, but becomes more low brass heavy with call and response within the ensemble. The scherzo is very fast that leads to a mad accelerando into an abrupt rush to the end.

This piece will test your group’s skills, both musically and technically, but the results are extremely rewarding and it deserves the top three ranking in the standard repertoire.