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Sonata No. 2 for Trumpet-Adjacent Instruments and Piano
Duration: 13'
Back in my senior year of high school, before I knew how to write for brass, I wrote a piece for my friend Drew Giunta and subtitled it "Sonata No. 1 for Trumpet and Piano". I have finally made good on my implication from nine years ago and completed a second "trumpet" sonata!
Dovas and I attended the Eastman School of Music together. Although we were in the same class, we didn't get close until our final semester when we were both student teaching. He is now principal trumpet with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, but I've been fortunate enough to be able to keep in touch with him through the years. There is no one for whom I would rather write a trumpet sonata!
One characteristic that trumpet players and clarinet players share is that we both tend to amass an arsenal of instruments and gear. Each movement of the sonata is therefore written for a different member of the trumpet family, and the last movement features a number of mutes. There is no particular program associated with the piece, although the last is a theme and variations on the tune "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho", an homage to both the long historical record of the trumpet and Dr. Grunow's love of tunes from our Eastman training.