Iain Hamilton (1922-2000) Five Scenes for trumpet and piano (1966)

An important recent discovery for me was Scottish-born Iain Hamilton’s Five Scenes for trumpet and piano, completed in 1966. Written in a then-contemporary idiom, it is an ambitious work for the soloists and challenging for the listener. It is atonal and often dissonant, but also has several passages that are wonderfully lyrical. 

The year 1966 was busy for Iain Hamilton. He completed some chamber music including the Sonata for Five for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn, the Sonata for flutist and piano, and the present Scenes. Threnos: In Time of War for organ solo was also published. There were also sketches for a Concerto for marimba and orchestra made. In the previous year Hamilton had begun work on his String Quartet No.2 and finished the Aubade for solo organ.

Hamilton’s earliest composition for the trumpet and piano was the Capriccio, published in 1952. Performers have forgotten it. His best-known essay for the instrument is the Concerto for jazz trumpet and orchestra, op. 37 (1958). This was written in the style of the American “big band” era of the late 1940s/early 1950s. Rob Barnett (MusicWeb International 6 January 2006) considered that the “renowned controversialist Hamilton [was] slumming it with death-defying style. There is not a hint of the 1960s and 1970s Manchester School.” That is, Peter Maxwell Davies, Alexander Goehr and Harrison Birtwistle. The Concerto’s premiere was given by trumpeter George Swift, at the Royal Festival Hall, on June 21, 1958. Equally of interest is Circus for two trumpets and orchestra, which was described by Stanley Sadie in the Times (22 January 1970) as "uneasy music with strong undercurrents of the violent and sinister..."  It was premiered in 1970 but has yet to be recorded.

The Five Scenes is an atonal work that displays technical virtuosity and versatility. The work is written for the trumpet in C. Time signatures are complex and varied with 15/16, 17/16, 3/8 and 8/8. The five scenes each carry a title: Wild, Nocturnal, Declamato, Nocturnal and Brilliant. It is fair to say that the first, third and fifth scenes are the most virtuosic, whilst the second and fourth are “of the night.” Conrad Wilson, writing in The Scotsman (date unknown) reported that "Hamilton's Five Scenes were a captivating exploration of various trumpet sonorities in a series of mood pieces ...[with] strong, independent piano writing..."  The score was published by Theodore Presser Company in 1969.

Peter L. Ciurczac (onetime editor of The Brass World) in the liner notes of the Crystal CD states that Five Scenes “demands the full colour potential of the solo trumpet in brief movements that exploit a spectrum of modern instrumental idioms…” Furthermore, “the trumpet underlines the programmatic bent of each scene…with disjunct melodies that are characterized by a variety of trumpet effects.”  These include “leaps in successions of intervals that frequently carry it through an almost three-octave compass: it is required to sing lyrically with a cup mute, whisper lightly tongued staccato figures into a Harmon mute, or rasp harsh exclamations with a straight mute.”  The Harmon mute, also known as the “wah-wah” mute, provided jazz sounds, whilst the straight and cup mutes provide a bright and piercing sound and softer and muffled sounds respectively.

It is interesting that the score prints the trumpet solo part with the piano part complete. Not just the traditional cues. This is necessary to allow the soloists to integrate the complex accompaniment. This fulfils many roles ranging from the melodic to the percussive. Often the piano is at variance with the trumpet.

The advertising blurb for the score insists that this is a “very contemporary piece for advanced players” and is “not for the faint of heart.”

The premiere was given at Duke University on 8 February 1967 with Robert Nagel, trumpet and Gilbert Kalish, piano. It was part of a concert given by the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, including music by Castiglioni, Bolcom, Martino, Whittenberg and Varese. The concert was preceded by an open rehearsal and workshop. (Duke Chronicle 2 February 1967, p.16). I was unable to locate a review of this concert.

William Prizer (Notes June 1971, p.802) concludes his evaluation of the score with “Although difficult from every standpoint, Hamilton's Five Scenes must be counted as one of the most welcome and exciting pieces for trumpet available to date, and well worth the extended rehearsal time required for performance.”

Iain Hamilton’s Five Scenes for trumpet and piano can be heard on YouTube.

Discography:
Our Living Composers Volume 1: Music of the 1960s and 1970s Various Artists, New York Philomusica Chamber Ensemble, Allan Dean, trumpet and Robert David Levin, piano Philomusica Records 30003, 1999.
Trumpeter Extraordinaire Thomas Stevens, trumpet, Ralph Grierson, piano, Crystal Records CD360. 2018