The Frogs Desiring a King - A Fable for Narrator and Trombone Quartet (Aesops fable tells of a community of frogs which, as happy as it is, feels that it needs more government. They request a King from Jove who initially treats the situation as a joke and sends the frogs a lifeless log. The frogs, after overcoming their initial fear of the monsterous ruler soon become discontented and approach Jove again for a proper ruler. Angered by their stupid persistence he sends a stork to their swamp. Before long the stork has eaten them all. The moral is: better no rule than cruel rule. This musical version, written for young players, uses a trombone quartet to add a framework of illustrative gestures to compliment the story. Performance note: 4th trombone could be bass trombone but the part can all be played by a tenor. Some shifts would be easier on a Bflat/F instrument but should, nevertheless be playable by a reasonably able player on a straight instrument. 7th positions have been avoided and 5th and 6th used sparingly to accomodate players with short arms. Aim to play with great character, giving a good impression of the features of the fable. The glissandos in the opening section are best played quite late in the length of the note. The scoops from bar 25 are just before the beat and start about 2-3 semitones under the note. Aim towards the main note to make sure that this is the strongest part of the gesture. The 4th trombone gliss in 29 should fall as far as comfortable from the F during threr 2nd beat and then retake to 1st position for the B flat on the downbeat of 30. The scoops at 42 and following are similar and should suggest laughter. At bar 48 the glissando should simply slide up through the harmonics towards the landing note which should be accurate and short - like a splash. If necessary, re-articulate the last note. Bar 51: slide quickly between the given notes without articulating to give a frightened shiver effect. Bar 57: wobble quickly around the main note to give a sort of screaming effect. Bars 103-5: the first note of the bar is stabbed and the semiquaver groups played without articulation. The Narrator can mime a belch with the musical portrayal. The slide for trombone 1 in 109 can be very slow, just reaching the arrival note in time.)
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