fay Vincent LaBelle

French-bom Joannes Rochut

(1881-1952) was principal
trombonist in the Boston Symphony
Orchestra from 1825-193G.
Rochut was among a number of French
musicians awarded pasts in the symphony,
having follDwed the famous conductor
Koussevitsky from Paris. Rochut was a
product of the famed Paris Conservatory, and
it was there that he was introduced to Marco
Bordognis (1789-1B5B) vocahses, which he
later transcrihed for trombone. That Rochut
was well-known for his lyrical playing
should come as no surprise, for not only was
the French lyrical style of trombone playing
en vogue at the time, Rochut spent much of
his time practicing vocal music, including
that of Marco Bordogni.
When Rochut transcribed ior trombone a number of Marco
Bordognis vocalises, he couid not have imagined ihai some
eighty years later those transcriptions would comprisLwhat has become one of tbe cornerstones of serious
trombone studies. Rochut's transcriptions are not only a
testament to the expertise with which Bordogni crafted bis
tudes, ibey exemplify the Umelessness that good music
can enjoy, even if its original intention was pedagogical in
nature. Rochut's transcriptions came to hold such a revered
position in trombone pedagogy, at least in the U.S., due to
several converging factors, including the rich lineage they
sbare with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Few
trombonists question the value in studying Rochut
(Bordogni) tudes, but the tudes do present some
pedagogical, or even philosophical dilemmas.
I remember vividly the first time I was assigned a
Rochut tude (No, 2) as a young student, just getting serious
about trombone. As 1 began to tackle my assignment, 1
became overwhelmed by the task at hand. Not only did the
first two notes (a leap of a major sixth) present a formidable
technical challenge, I had no concept of bow to approach
the music stylistically, let alone any concept of what a good
classical trombone sounded like! 1 vaguely understood tbai
1 needed to piay the piece smoothly, but beyond that I was
at a loss. Of course. 17-year old me wasn't thinking of siv/f.
or sound in such clear terms.
At right: Don Immel

THE ESSENTIAL
ROCHUT
^fi

Douglas Yeo

It was just thai my musical upbringing, which mostly consisted of

a healthy dose of classic rock, and the jazz to v/hich 1 was exposed
in high school jazz band, left me ill-prepared to approach a
Rochut tude. Several years later my musical experience had
widened tremendously- so much so that I thought I knew
something about music! U was around this lime thai 1 began lo
question the value of logging-in so much time cin tudes ihai were
not originally intended for our instrument, and that were styled
after hc\ canto arias and the like. In retrospect, what bothered me
most about trombonists' general enthusiasm towards Rochui
tudes was thai many trombonisis I encountered seemed blindly
to assume thai working on Rochut tudes was beneficial. For that
matter, many trombonists seemed to me lo know little about
Rochut himself.
Over the years 1 have revisited the Rochui books. As I become
increasingly interesied in pedagogy, 1 have thought deeply aboul ihe
poieniial value in studying Rochut eludes, as well as ihe dilemmas
which these tudes present. After talking wilh several colleagues, I
have found thai my early experience wilh Rochut ludes was not
unusual. This has led me to wonder whether my frustration with
Rochut etudes was perhaps misguided. We did not listen to opera,
or an song, growing up in the LaBelle household. The extent of
our classical music exposure as children was the occasional famous,
fun piece, i.e. Pder and the V^olf, or the Nutcracker. Attending the
symphony was not an option hecause the ticket price proved
prohibitive. So before college 1 had never heard a big, orchestra!
brass section, and certainly not solo trombone.

-52- International Trombone Association Journal /

www.trombone.net

The prohlem is simple. Classical music is not present in our

culture the way it was even fifty years ago. The young trombonist is
faced with an even graver situation, for he has virtually no frame of
reference for comparison, or standard to strive for. As my good
friend Don Immel put it, "the last time the trombone was sexy was
when Glen Miller was popular." Dons oi-the-cufi remark hints at a
serious issue for our instmmeni. The trombone is practically nonexistent in popular culture, ll is easy enough to hear voice, violin,
cello, guitar, piano, even trumpet on television, on the radio, or in
the grocery store. But young trombonists have virtually no point oF
reference olher than what they encounter in school, at band
festivals, or perhaps in private lessons. Certainly, most young
trombonist do not have ihe opportunity to hear ihe great players of
their instrument. This problem extends to the college level. Unless
a student is fortunate enough lo attend scbool in a major
metropolitan area, chances are good that he rarely has heard a truly
excellent trombonist in an intimate and real setting.
Many students are left to use recordings as their point of
comparison. The past twenty-five years have enjoyed a major
increase in the number of solo trombone recordings, and the
Internet makes it possible for any student anywhere in the world
to have access to great recordings of solo literature. Surprisingly,
however, ibere are very few recordings of trombonists
demonstrating the technical exercises which make up a large part
of serious trombone studies, notably Rochut tudes. So I thought:
why not record a handful of the nation's premier classical
trombonists playing ibeir favoriie Rochut tudes?

Douglas Yeo with Vincent LaBeiie

Scott Hartman

I came up with a list of trombonists whose playing 1 hold in

high esteem, and began to put some feelers out, sending emails
and seeing what sort of interest there was in such a project. To
my surprise, the trombonists I contacted were overwhelmingly
enthusiastic about the project. I had decided early on that it
would be most sensible to record ihe ariists on location, rather
than fly them lo a central location. Ultimately, I whittled the list
down to five players: Ralph Sauer, Don Imme!, Scott Hartman,
John Rojak, and Douglas Yeo, each of whom represents a different
approach to playing the trombone. The Essential Rochut, as 1 later

titled the project, was born.

Between March and December, 2007 1 made several trips to
record the artists, during which time, through casual
conversations, 1 was able to gain some wonderful insight into the
potential benefits of studying Rochut tudes, as well as some
inherent dilemmas. Most of the players seemed to agree that the
Rochut tudes are a great resource of lovely melodies, something
which the relatively small trombone canon lacks. Many of us
know at least a few Rochut tudes by heart, and it can be quite
beneficial to simply play a simple song from time to time.
Scott Hartman favors using known melodies to leach what he
calls "elegant" phrasing (as opposed to simply "smooth" legato
playing). I mentioned the idea ihat Rochut tudes are difficult for
a student whose musical/cultural upbringing does not include bel
canto vocal music, Scott agreed, and added the notion thai even
songs as mundane as "Happy Birthday" tan ser\'e as good
mediums for learning "elegant ' playing, especially since they are
easily memorized. Moreover, Scoti pointed out that common
songs usually have iyrics, and that the student's knowledge of
those lyrics lends itself to a natural tendency, on the students part,
lo add certain inflections, etc. This is oflen lacking n students'
interprtations of Rochut ludes, since they are inherently without
lyrics. The students approach Is different towards songs they
know and love. On the other hand, as a student spends time with
the Rochut books, ihe melodies hecome more familiar. Scott
Makes a crucial point, however, suggesting that students oflen
treat Rochut tudes as numbers, exercises to be mastered and
played "smoothly,"
Ralph Sauer approaches Rochui tudes like one might
approach a bel canto aria, by attempting to incorporate variety into
his articulations, not have every slur uniform, etc. Bui he cautions
the student to not approach a Rochut tude stylisiically wiih a
mind towards performance practice. Rather, the student should
approach a Rochui tude like a singer might approach a song, and
use the Rochut ludes, on the whole, as a means to develop ones
own style- This sort of subtlety and elegance is evident in all ihe
trombonists 1 recorded for the project, and they each exhibit a
unique, individual style.
Above all, it is crucial that trombonists consider the nature of
Rochut tudes. We take them for granted as pan of "what you do"
to get belter at trombone, rarely considering where these etudes
came from, for whai reason, and by whom. This is not lo say that
Rochui ludes must be played in ihe bel canto style, or ihat
historical performance practice is essential, but rather that it is
important to understand that they are not merely technical
exercises to be mastered.
Rochui tudes are a great resource. They present a wide range
of musical and technical challenges. More importantly, however,
Rochul's ludes comprise a voluminous body of melodies which
well-suit the irombone. These melodies lend themselves to the
development of elegant, subtle playing which, hopefully, transfers
well to other, less obviously melodic material. Bui it is easy to miss
these subtleties. It is my hope that The Essential Rochut VW provide
students wiih a useful point of reference thai will help them reap
the full potential of Joannes Rochuts now famous transcriptions of
Marco Bordogniefe vocalises.
Special thanks to Presonus Audio Bectronics, Andy Gorges at Royer Labs,
Mike Bnicc at Lucid Audio/Auricle Audio Maslciing, and David Fetter.
LaBcllc's CD i.s tivtilafjt- online at www.belle-records.com
hickeys.com.

as well as

www.trombone.net / International Trombone Association Journal -53-