Rhapsody for Tenor Trombone and Piano

About the Composition

Rhapsody is a quintessential concert piece. It quickly becomes a performer’s favorite as it showcases the most wonderful elements of the trombone, allowing performers a wide range of colors and virtuosity. Rhapsody is modeled after a 19th-century Romantic idiom and is engaging and well-received by audiences in the U.S. and abroad. This publication is for tenor trombone and piano but it is also available as an orchestral arrangement.

In 2001, while working with then-doctoral candidate Paul Compton (currently Associate Professor of Trombone at Oklahoma State University), the composer was struck by both the virtuosity and beauty of the trombone. Wanting to explore this further, Rhapsody was born, with an intention to focus on the lyrical, romantic soul of the instrument. Paul Compton premiered Rhapsody at the University of North Texas in 2001.

In 2017, Rhapsody was requested for an orchestral world premiere at the Argentinian festival Trombonanza, with Paul Compton again as the soloist. The world premiere was performed at the Teatro Municipal in Santa Fé, Argentina with the Orquesta Sinfónica Provinzial de Santa Fé under the baton of Maestro Walter Hilgers (former tubist with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and a founding member of German Brass).

For the first time in 17 years, Rhapsody is now commercially available to the broader trombone community. The composer is grateful to the following trombonists for their performances of the Rhapsody, keeping this piece alive in the years leading up to its publication: James Kent, Reuben Chance, Alex Glen, and Natalie Mannix. A special thank you to Paul Compton for first showing the composer what the trombone is capable of and for his continued friendship.

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Michael Schneider is a performing pianist, active collaborator, educating artist, and composer. He was raised in the West Texas town of San Angelo and had the opportunity to learn many instruments in his youth (piano, violin, oboe, saxophone, double bass, and marimba) in addition to conducting and composing. Michael Schneider holds piano performance degrees from the University of North Texas, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the University of Texas at Austin. He has performed as a soloist and collaborator throughout North America and also abroad in Europe, Russia, and South America. Michael Schneider lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with his wife and family. You can contact him through his website: www.pianomike.com.

Additional Info

Composer: Michael P. Schneider
Instrumentation: Tenor Trombone, Piano
Performance time: 12 minutes
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