Petros Shoujounian, an Armenian/Canadian composer has written Twelve Duos for Trombones based on the folksong collection of the Armenian priest Komitas, known as the founder of the Armenian national school of music and one of the pioneers of ethnomusicology. Below are comments from the composer about his inspiration in writing these Twelve Duos for Trombones.

My interest in the collected works of Komitas's ethnographical songs was aroused when I was introduced to Bela Bartok's similar works followed by Alan Hovhaness's huge creative world. Bartok completed his project having at his disposal a large collection of ethnographic music, while Hovhannes studied the wealth of Komitas's music with great interest. It is difficult to say to what extent the Armenian underpinning of Hovhannes's works is nurtured by Komitas's musical world, but his classical interpretation of the Armenian ethnographical music created a huge interest in the listener. Needless to say, there is also Aram Katchaturian's legacy, which at its core has the ardent presence of the Armenian spirit, nurtured by Komitas's very existence.

Komitas has left a collection of about 3,000 cleaned versions of the ethnographic song and dance pieces, of which 1,700 have reaches us, about 400 of which have been activated. I believe that in those beautiful musical fragments reside the power to be revived, once we enrich them with colorful musical instruments and unbounded polyphonic imagination.

This is the motivation behind my own work and these Twelve Duos for Trombones: to make the essence of our ethnographic music accessible through Komitas.

These Twelve Duos are appropriate for advanced performers and may be performed on Alto, Tenor, and Bass Trombones.

The dynamic Game of Thrones theme, in an arrangement which brings the energy of the original to life. For Flexemble - perfect for school groups and education projects where the instrumentation needs to be flexible, you can mix and match so that everyone can join in.

*NOW WITH HORN IN F*

Descant Recorder/Flute 1: Intermediate
Descant Recorder/Flute 2: Easy (B, A, G only)
Oboe: Fairly easy
Clarinet 1 in Bb: Intermediate
Clarinet 2: Easy
Alto Sax 1: Intermediate
Alto Sax 2: Easy
Horn in F: Fairly easy
Trumpet: Fairly easy
Guitar: notated and chord parts, fairly easy
Keyboard: Fairly easy
Percussion: bass or low drum, glockenspiel, cymbals
Violin 1: Intermediate
Violin 2: Easy/Intermediate
Violin 3/Viola: Easy (no low 2nd fingers)
Cello: Easy/Intermediate
Bass: Fairly easy
Easy Violin: open strings only
Easy Cello: open strings and 1st fingers only

Teacher Guide Piano
Teacher Guide Treble Clef in C
Teacher Guide Treble Clef in Bb
Teacher Guide Cello
Core Score
Full Score

Winkmusic.co.uk produces the highest quality arrangements. Tried and tested at 5* venues and concert halls, only the best make the cut. Previous commissions have appeared on Sunday Times Top 100 Albums of 2016, and are played by Classic FM chart-toppers and at festivals across the world.