Three Sackbuteers Enter Valhalla, The

"The Three Sackbuteers Enter Valhalla" for trombone trio by Howard J. Buss was named winner of the 2018 American Trombone Workshop’s National Composition Competition sponsored by the U. S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” It is a fantasy piece in which the composer imagines the entrance of three sackbut players into the enormous hall of Valhalla. An improbable collage of specious ideas and historical anachronisms combine in dream-like manner and are embedded in the musical tapestry of this work. The sophisticated musical language of "The Three Sackbuteers Enter Valhalla" combines with the programmatic fantasy implications and audience participation to create a rousing concert feature. For trios doing outreach concerts in the schools, it affords the opportunity to discuss the history of the trombone in a way that is fun and sure to engage the students. (6’30”) Grade V.