Chaynes: Concerto pour Trompette et Orchestre

A student of Darilus Milhaud at the Paris Conservatory, it was recently discovered that Charles Chaynes wrote a second trumpet concerto in addition to the often studied work of 1956, which we will examine here. Nonetheless, the composer’s credit to Berg and Bartok in his harmonic and stylistic elements may be applied to both concertos.

Premiered in 1958 by Maurice Andre, this work was commissioned for the Concours de prix and thus exhibits the quality of many similar French solos. In fact, this Concerto was the test piece for the Prix just one year after the Bozza Rustiques.

Chaynes’ harmonic language is perhaps the most intriguing element in this work. The marks of Berg are clear– this is certainly not overtly 12-tone as we would see with Schoenburg.

Spending ample time with the score while listening to recordings (see above) is key in preparing this. Keep in mind that one needs to convince the listener of the melodic elements; this requires paying careful attention to the numerous articulations and phrase markings while not sounding labored in approach. As with all music of this style, I recommend spending time with a piano and your mouthpiece (and voice).