Dr. David Mathie
Trombonist, Professor, Arranger
Ives - Five Ditties
1. The Side Show
2. Nature's Way
3. A Christmas Carol
4. Memories
5. Slugging a Vampire
Solo Trombone and Trombone Quartet/Choir
Difficulty Level: College/Professional
1. Tenor clef in Trombone 1
2. Solo part quite difficult, especially Memories
3. Slugging a Vampire very technical in all parts
4. Trombone 4 part requires a bass trombone
Dedicated to Danial Howard, Bass Trombonist, Boise Philharmonic
Published by Alessi Publications, Catalog Number ALPUB62
Click below to hear 1. The Side Show
Click below to hear 2. Nature's Way
Click below to hear 3. A Christmas Carol
Click below to hear 4. Memories ("We're sitting in the Opera house, the Opera house, the Opera house...")
Click below to hear 5. Slugging a Vampire
About the music
Ives' 114 Songs cover an extended period in Ives’ career: 1887–1921, and were published by Ives
himself in 1922. The range of musical ideas in these songs is extraordinary, from nostalgic tunes
(Memories, included in this collection), to parodies (The Side Show, also included here, with the
“dropped beats” in waltz time ending in a quotation from Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony), to
experimental songs requiring virtuoso capabilities on the part of the performers. Some include
optional brass parts and others were rewritten into his instrumental works.
The five songs transcribed here are some most suited to performance by brasses and were taken
from the original 1922 version. All musical indications in the originals, such as dynamics and
articulations, are retained in these transcriptions; all editorial additions have been kept to a
minimum and are clearly marked in parentheses - (rit.) - to distinguish them from Ives’ originals.
Tempo suggestions indicated by metronome markings were added by me. The original song
Memories was in two parts, with the first song (Very Pleasant, included here) segueing into a very
different second part; in this transcription a short ending was added by me. The title? Well, Ives loved good old-time ditties played by the trombone (listen to the end of the Second Symphony).
These songs were fondly written for Danial Howard, bass trombonist in the Boise Philharmonic and former student of mine at Boise State. They may be played by either a tenor or bass trombonist as soloist, or with members of the choir stepping out to solo on different songs.
Ives' 114 Songs cover an extended period in Ives’ career: 1887–1921, and were published by Ives
himself in 1922. The range of musical ideas in these songs is extraordinary, from nostalgic tunes
(Memories, included in this collection), to parodies (The Side Show, also included here, with the
“dropped beats” in waltz time ending in a quotation from Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony), to
experimental songs requiring virtuoso capabilities on the part of the performers. Some include
optional brass parts and others were rewritten into his instrumental works.
The five songs transcribed here are some most suited to performance by brasses and were taken
from the original 1922 version. All musical indications in the originals, such as dynamics and
articulations, are retained in these transcriptions; all editorial additions have been kept to a
minimum and are clearly marked in parentheses - (rit.) - to distinguish them from Ives’ originals.
Tempo suggestions indicated by metronome markings were added by me. The original song
Memories was in two parts, with the first song (Very Pleasant, included here) segueing into a very
different second part; in this transcription a short ending was added by me. The title? Well, Ives loved good old-time ditties played by the trombone (listen to the end of the Second Symphony).
These songs were fondly written for Danial Howard, bass trombonist in the Boise Philharmonic and former student of mine at Boise State. They may be played by either a tenor or bass trombonist as soloist, or with members of the choir stepping out to solo on different songs.