Dan Forrest’s sonata for trombone and piano (2005): a performance guide

The purpose of this study was to provide a performance guide and brief biographical sketch for Dan Forrest’s Sonata for Trombone and Piano. Daniel Ernest Forrest, Jr. (b. 1978), a 21st century composer, is known primarily for his choral compositions. In 2005, Forrest composed this sonata and performed the piano score on the premiere of the sonata with Paul Overly, Professor of Trombone at Bob Jones University. The study focuses on the creation of a performance guide for the Sonata for Trombone and Piano. Included in the document are specific suggestions for the trombonist and the pianist for each of the three movements of the sonata. The performance guide is a result of personal aural and score study, collaborative rehearsals with pianists and trombone players familiar with the work, and an interview with the composer. This sonata, although relatively obscure in the body of Forrest’s compositions and trombone literature, reflects a mature level of compositional understanding, includes musical nuance and style, and contains significant performance challenges for both the soloist as well as the accompanist. The potential for Forrest’s Sonata for Trombone and Piano to become standard in the trombone solo repertoire is substantial. Increased knowledge of the Sonata for Trombone and Piano will add to the recognition of this composition as a work deserving a place within standard trombone solo literature