Email this article THE ROLE OF TROMBONES IN THE ORCHESTRATION OF FRANZ SCHUBERT’S MASS NO. 6
- Authors: ZHANG S.1
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Affiliations:
- Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia
- Issue: No 85 (2025)
- Pages: 120-132
- Section: Articles
- URL: https://medbiosci.ru/2222-5064/article/view/382603
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.25807/22225064_2025_85_120
- ID: 382603
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Abstract
Trombones play a crucial role in the orchestration of the mature works by Franz Schubert. In his final mass in E-flat major, D 950, the composer demonstrates unparalleled inventiveness in the treatment of trombones, endowing them not only with traditional functions of doubling choral parts in fugues and enhancing the overall sound of the orchestra, but also making them a unique means of timbral dramaturgy. This article examines the parts of the three trombones, which participate in all movements of the mass and interact subtly with the choir, woodwinds, and other orchestral instruments. The dominant role of the trombones is revealed in the most dramatic episodes of the mass, where their timbre symbolises the voice of God, the Last Judgment, or inner spiritual struggle. At the same time, the composer unveils the expressiveness of the trombones in sections of a lyrical and pastoral-idyllic nature, where they serve as a delicate means of creating colour.
References
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