Scaramouche

Scaramouche (Scaramuccia in Italian) is defined as an oddly contentious, loudmouthed type of character (replete with the accompanying braggadocio commonly found in such persons) present in the commedia dell’arte. The versatile roles of such protagonists depended on the subjects of the famous Italian improvised comedies that appeared in Italy at the beginning of the 16th c. This particular character inspired Jean-François Michel to create a composition that includes a wink and a nod to Darius Milhaud, through its michievous and humorous aspects. Written as a preparation piece for the Bb-trumpet student who switches to the C-trumpet, this work of intermediate difficulty is intended to help address the dearth of musical works that exist and function to ease the transition to the technically demanding high level French concertos and contest pieces. The range and duration of this lively, inventive, and brilliant work are not extreme, thus rendering it eminently playable on a Bb trumpet (or cornet or flugelhorn).