Carptim, by Hilario Extremiana (Miranda de Ebro, Burgos, 1958), is the title of the work that joins the repertoire of the “CM Chamber Collection” by CM Ediciones Musicales, published with the support of the Department of Culture of the Basque Government.

This composition, written for trombone and string quartet, was commissioned by Alberto Urretxo, principal trombonist of the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra (BOS), with the intention of expanding the chamber repertoire for trombone as a solo instrument. There was, in the past, a concerted effort to establish the use of this instrument in chamber music. In Italy, works by Frescobaldi, Castello, Riccio, and many others testify to this. However, the trombone’s later specialization within the symphonic orchestra—from the late 18th and early 19th centuries—led to the decline of its role as a solo chamber instrument.

Its combination with a string quartet is particularly unusual. The dominance of the string quartet as the archetype of chamber music was solidified in the Classical period and soon lent itself to dialogue with other wind instruments. The preference for some of them is evident, with memorable results—for example, the clarinet in the quintets of Mozart and Brahms. Yet to this day, there remains a gap in the chamber music literature for string quartet and other wind instruments such as the trombone. In this sense, compositions like Carptim or Tronboi Sonata by Juan Carlos Pérez—also published in this collection—represent a noteworthy contribution to the repertoire.

Carptim is a Latin word meaning a narration of events told separately, and it defines the character of the composition. Both the trombone and the strings present their own thematic materials independently, which later evolve through combination, dialogue, thematic development, and the introduction of new ideas, while the trombone finds an opportunity to explore its expressive and timbral possibilities.

All of this unfolds within the context of two very different sound worlds: one subtle and rich in harmonic color that, in the composer’s words, recalls “the music of American ‘clubs’ from the mid-20th century,” and another much more direct and vigorous.

Carptim premiered on January 21, 2008, at the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao as part of the BOS 2007/2008 Chamber Season. The performers were Alberto Urretxo (trombone), James Dahlgren and Anca Semeu (violins), Adriana Grigoras (viola), and Barbara Switalska (cello).

Mariano Jiménez