ITEA Journal Volume 48 Number 3 (Spring 2021)
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ELEGY II for unaccompanied solo tuba:
by John Stevens
In memory of Toby Hanks
In 2004 I composed a work for unaccompanied tuba or euphonium titled ELEGY for the ITEA Journal Gem Series (Vol. 32, No. 1 - Fall, 2004). For this issue of the Journal I've composed ELEGY II as a memorial to my teacher, mentor and dear friend Toby Hanks, who passed away on January 11, 2021 at the age of 79. In addition to being a superb orchestral, chamber and solo tubist, Toby taught for years at many of the most prestigious schools of music on the east coast. As a result his legacy includes generations of students, "grandstudents" and beyond.
I met Toby in the summer of 1972 when I was a student at the Chautauqua School of Music and he joined the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and the faculty. I subsequently studied with him for my Masters degree at Yale University. Following that we made music and mirth together as friends and colleagues during my years of living and working in New York City. In the 40 years since I left New York we maintained a close friendship via the telephone and regular visits. From the day of my first lesson with him Toby was a huge influence on my life and career as a performer and teacher. Composing ELEGY II is my way of honoring his memory through a piece of music that is available for all tubists to perform now, and into the future.
My comments about the ELEGY that I composed 17 years ago certainly apply to ELEGY II as well. "The most important words on the page are at the beginning: Adagio - molto espressivo. Don't hurry through this work, and be sure to be as expressive as possible. While I have made numerous dynamic and pacing indications, there is plenty of opportunity for you to bring your own sense of 'song' to each performance." This work will allow each performer to share the beautiful sound of the tuba with their audience while musically eulogizing one of the great tubists of his generation. Rest in piece, Toby Hanks.
JOHN STEVENS (b. 1951) has enjoyed a distinguished career as a performing tubist, university professor, composer, arranger, conductor and administrator. He is Emeritus Professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Tuba and Euphonium Association. Professor Stevens is an internationally renowned composer who has concentrated primarily on writing for brass instruments and has published over 65 original compositions and numerous arrangements.
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