JAMES M. DAVID, composer
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Song of the Valar
for trombone quartet


Purchase score and parts through Murphy Music Press
Medium Advanced - $45 - ca. 7.5 minutes
​View Perusal Score (opens new window)


Commissioned by the Aries Trombone Quartet
​Joseph Alessi, Ian Bousfield, Jeremy Wilson, and James Markey

​Program Notes:
 
Song of the Valar for trombone quartet is based on a passage from The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien.  The Valar in Tolkien’s Middle-earth fictional mythology are a group of spiritual beings who literally sing the universe into being, with the eldest being Ilúvatar serving as the leading voice.  Two brothers, Manwë and Melkor, who are broadly represented as good and evil respectively, take up the themes of Ilúvatar. However, Melkor weaves discordant ideas into their song due to his vanity and self-delusion.  Finally, Ilúvatar and Manwë tame the dissonance, although the strains of Melkor remain woven in the fabric of the universe.  In my composition, the bass trombone presents the themes of Ilúvatar and Manwë, while the first tenor trombone’s muted entrance represents Melkor.  The work moves from a bold opening that depicts the chaos prior to creation, followed by the harmonious statements of Manwë and Ilúvatar.  A polyrhythmic dance is interrupted by Melkor’s theme which eventually overtakes the remaining three players.  As Melkor’s discords build to a climax, it is suddenly interrupted by the bass trombone’s powerful intonation of Manwë’s theme.  The piece concludes with a return to harmonic order (represented through perfect fifths), while a hint of discord lingers. The work was commissioned at the request of James Markey for the Aries Trombone Quartet.
  • Home
  • about
  • wind ensemble
    • Message from Arecibo
    • Flying Jewels
    • Urban Light
    • Troublesome Fire
    • Symphony no. 1
    • Ghosts of the Old Year
    • Call to Commitment
    • With Soul Serene
    • March Tumbao
    • Lookfar
    • Menlo Park, 1879
    • Zephyrus
    • Flexible Instrumentation
    • Heartland Verses
    • Swing Landscape
    • I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold
    • Concerto for Vibraphone
    • The Moorlands
    • Big Four on the River
    • All Dark Is Now No More
    • Temple's Grace
    • From the Shaken Tower
    • Two-Lane Blacktop
    • Sinfonietta no. 3
  • compositions
    • wind ensemble
    • clarinet >
      • all clarinet works
      • clarinet sonata
      • AUTO '66 - Clarinet Concerto
    • saxophone >
      • all saxophone works
      • Saxophone Sonata
      • L'oiseau dans l'espace
      • Saxophone/Percussion Double Quartet
    • trombone >
      • all trombone works
      • Trombone Sonata
      • Five American Dances
      • Song of the Valar
      • Bass Trombone Sonata
      • Partiels 2
      • Garden of the Gods
    • Other Brass Works >
      • Of Unsurpassed Heroes
      • Trumpet Sonata
    • Percussion >
      • The Dandelion
      • NOLA - BELA - SOWEGA
    • large ensemble >
      • Tin Lizzies on Old Fall River
      • LASCAUX
      • KAFKA - Sax Concerto
    • chamber ensemble >
      • Clarinet and Horn Trio
    • solo / electroacoustic
    • choral / vocal >
      • KUBLA KHAN
  • contact
  • Report Performance