ITEA Journal Volume 49 Number 3 (Spring 2022)
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NEW MATERIALS:
Thomas Bough, Associate Editor
The ITEA Journal encourages submissions of materials for review.
Guidelines:
Euphonium and Tuba Difficulty Ratings for ITEA Journal Reviews
Ranges correspond to the ITEA Journal pitch notation guide
EUPHONIUM AND TUBA LEVELS
I Beginner (up to one year)
II Intermediate (two to three years)
III High School
IV University
V Professional
Level I (Beginner)
Euphonium range, approximately one octave: Bb-b-flat.
Tuba range, approximately one octave: Bb-B(d).
One year of instruction. Limited rhythmic/technical requirements. No note values greater than eighth notes, no syncopated rhythms. Music of a tonal nature.
Level II (Intermediate)
Euphonium range approximately F-f1.
Tuba range approximately AA-e.
Two/three years of instruction. Rhythmic/technical requirements involve
simple sixteenth note patterns. Simple, limited syncopated patterns.
Level III (High School, Secondary School, Pre-college)
Euphonium range approximately F-b1.
Tuba range approximately FF-b.
Moderate tessitura. More rhythmic complexity. Extended syncopations,
sixteenth note patterns, triplets, and so on. Moderate amount of multiple
tonguings.
Level IV (University/College)
Euphonium range approximately Bb-c2.
Tuba range approximately (BBB) CC-f1.
Higher advanced tessitura. Increased rhythmic complexity/multimetric. Angular melodic lines. Dissonant harmonies/contemporary harmonies. Endurance factors. Introduction to avant-garde techniques (flutter tongue, multiphonics, etc.). Multiple tonguings. Dynamic control and extremes.
Level V (Professional)
Euphonium range: CC-f 2.
Tuba range: (CCC) DDD-b1 (c2+).
Extended high tessitura. Rhythmic/technical complexity of highest order.
Angular lines/large skips in melody. Advanced twentieth- century
techniques. Extreme dynamic contrasts.
REVIEWED IN THIS ISSUE
Tuba
24 Etudes for Tuba. Tuba. Julian C. Torres. Cimarron Music Press. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM5166. 2021.
Characteristic Studies from the Complete Method: for F, E-flat, and BB-flat tuba. Tuba. Jean Baptiste Arban. Transcribed and Edited by Dr. Jerry Young and Wesley Jacobs. Encore Music Publishers. www.EncoreMuPub.com. 2021.
Concerto for Tuba No. 1 . Tuba, Drum Set, and Piano. Ian Lester. Cimarron Music Press. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM5163. 2021.
Mirrors for Solo Tuba . Tuba. James Gourlay. Cimarron Music Press. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM5211. 2021.
Rhapsody for Tuba and Piano . Tuba and Piano. Wayne Lu. Veritas Musica Publishing. www.veritasmusicapublishing.com. 2021.
Euphonium
Freefall . Euphonium and Piano. Jared McCunnie. Self-published. jaredmccunnie.weebly.com. 2019.
Modal Suite . Euphonium. Kayla Roth. Cimarron Music Press. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM5048. 2020.
Sonatina for Euphonium. Euphonium and Piano. Charles Ingram. Cimarron Music Press. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM5149. 2020.
Chamber Music
Contours. Tuba Duet with Piano. Frank Gulino. Cimarron Music Press. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM4160. 2019.
A New Dawn. Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble (EETTT). Lynn Blake John. Cimarron Music Press. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM5157. 2021.
Tribute Duets . Euphonium and Tuba. Tom Bough. Cimarron Music Press. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM4297. 2020.
Audio
Dream of Dragontamer: Hidehiro Fujita's Tuba World vol. 5. Hidehiro Fujita, tuba. Fujita Record. Available on YouTube. 2021.
Secret Frets: Jim Shearer & Friends with Strings . Jim Shearer, tuba. Summit Records. www. summitrecords.com. DCD 742. 2019.
Methods
LowFi Backing Tracks. Various Exercises. Tracks created by Brett Copeland. Self-published. www.brettcopelandmusic.com. 2020-2021.
REVIEWS
Tuba
24 Etudes for Tuba. Tuba. Julian C. Torres. Cimarron Music Press. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM5166. 2021.
Range: DDD - c1
Difficulty Level: III
24 Etudes for Tuba is a new etude book created by composer and tubist Julian C. Torres. Upon receiving this new etude collection, the compositions seemed initially simple and straightforward. Cleanly arranged in clean and legible engraving, the eye test concluded that this book was clearly well thought out with a variety of key centers, tempi, and styles to allow growing tubists to diversify their toolset and sound color palette. Torres includes a forward that encourages the player to "consider how they feel, what they are thinking about, and how it will be conveyed to the listener." His etudes do in fact offer a wide array of emotions and styles to practice communicating to listeners. They range from a lively galloping vivace, to an anxious and nervous andante, to slow and mournful ballads. The etudes seem to be all through-composed, organized almost thematically by style rather than constructed by melodic ideas. Very rarely does a melody return, but rather a style or general pattern will return in the structure of each exercise. When playing through the book, I would occasionally stop at the end of an etude and try to sing back any repeating melodic theme, a task that was often quite challenging if not impossible. The through-composed nature of the etudes is perhaps one of the unintended strengths of the collection, as it is some of the best sight-reading practice one can find. Torres' etudes certainly will not replace standard etudes by the likes of Blazevich, Kopprasch, and Bordogni, but the collection does have a valuable place in a course of study and will offer a challenging and diverting musical experience for both student and professional tubists. It is a strong first offering from the young composer, and the fresh music is welcome in a space that is too often dominated by the same few etude books. I enjoyed my afternoon sight-reading through the book and look forward to more of Torres' output in the coming years.
Josh Biere, Madison Symphony Orchestra
Characteristic Studies from the Complete Method: for F, Eb-flat and BB-flat tuba. Tuba. Jean Baptiste Arban. Transcribed and Edited by Dr. Jerry Young and Wesley Jacobs. Encore Music Publishers. www.EncoreMuPub.com. 2021.
Various Ranges
Difficulty Level: III
The fourteen "Characteristic Studies" found in the back of Arban's famous Complete Method for Trumpet have long proven their worth as musical etudes. They are doubtless studied by thousands of brass players all over the world and are nearly universally loved by students who have benefitted from mastering them. Tubists have also been able to reap the rewards from studying these etudes, although not without clearing a few hurdles first. Initially it was reading treble clef from the original trumpet book. Then, it was reading them down an octave from the volume transcribed for trombone (along with the fact that many sections were full of errata, and some left out entirely). In recent years, tubists have benefitted tremendously from Dr. Jerry Young and Wesley Jacobs removing these hurdles and finally publishing a version of the Arban method transcribed and written with CC tubas in mind. This version of the Arban method has been available for several years and is used daily by many players all over the world. Recently Young and Jacobs decided to revisit the fourteen "Characteristic Studies," publishing three separate versions specifically for F, E-flat, and BB-flat tubas. The studies are identical to the originals, only transposed to the fundamental keys that Arban would have intended for each instrument, resulting in the same fingering combinations used in the original trumpet version. Also, much like the version of the Arban method for CC tuba, Young has provided several helpful editorial remarks for students preparing to tackle each study. I found revisiting these familiar etudes in new keys a wonderful experience. In transposing them to the fundamental keys of their intended instrument, many of the more awkward fingering combinations and problematic sections are cleaned up, and the resulting versions of the studies are much more accessible and fun to play. While it is true that playing in more awkward keys with difficult fingering combinations is an important skill for students to develop, finding success early on in these challenging and virtuosic studies is a great way for younger students to get started on building their skills before clearing more problematic hurdles.
Josh Biere, Madison Symphony Orchestra
Concerto for Tuba No. 1 . Tuba, Drum Set, and Piano. Ian Lester. Cimarron Music Press. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM5163. 2021.
Range: CC - g1 (C2 optional)
Difficulty Level: V
Piano Difficulty: Difficult
Ian Lester's Concerto for Tuba No. 1 was written for Thomas Stein (Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Missouri-Kansas City) and utilizes the unique instrumentation of tuba, drum set, and piano. This four-movement work has evocative one-word titles for each distinct movement and includes a difficult piano part.
Ian Lester describes the first movement, titled "Flowing," as "swaying between several themes including the main 'flowing' material and a heavier eighth-note motive that morphs into a buoyant, jazzy groove." This movement opens with a delicate and rhythmic piano introduction followed by a lyrical tuba line. The opening section grows in intensity and suddenly breaks into a new rhythmic section joined by the drum set. This movement oscillates between lyrical and rhythmic material until an exciting and acrobatic conclusion.
The composer says "Dance," the second movement, "conveys a light-hearted dance, yet there is a stern, ominous undertone always lurking in the shadows." This movement moves quickly between meters to create a nimble and driving motive. The tuba line is acrobatic and interplays with the syncopated lines in the piano and drum set. This movement features a buoyant section just before concluding with a heroic quote of the original theme.
Lester describes the third movement, "Smoke," by saying that the work "brings the listener to the 1920s with the performers creating a smooth atmosphere in an era full of intrigue and mystery." The opening of this movement features an ethereal motive in the piano and gentle brushwork in the drum set. The tuba's line is lyrical and moves between duple and triple subdivisions throughout "Smoke." The movement comes to a close with rolled chords in the piano and a gradual slowing of rhythmic activity before ending softly on an E-flat major chord.
In the composer's words, "Festivities," the closing movement, "is a non-stop, chaotic ride that gains momentum through groovy syncopations and off-kilter beats. The tubist brings the piece to a rapid-fire close with a head-banging cadenza and the return of the original thematic material." "Festivities" opens with a quick and syncopated line in the tuba and rhythmic interjections from the piano and drum set. The tuba's line throughout this movement is acrobatic, active, and virtuosic. This concerto concludes with a bombastic ascending line that terminates with a fall from the extreme high register.
Dr. David Earll, Ithaca College
Mirrors for Solo Tuba . Tuba. James Gourlay. Cimarron Music Press. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM5211. 2021.
Range: BBB - e flat1
Difficulty Level: IV-V
Internationally acclaimed tuba soloist and conductor James Gourlay (b. 1956) is currently the music director of the River City Brass Band and teaches tuba at Duquesne University. Gourlay has also commissioned more than fifty works for tuba. Gourlay composed Mirrors for Solo Tuba in 2021 for his student Ethan Stainback. The piece contains parts for bass clef tuba and treble clef parts for E-flat and B-flat tubas, making it performable on any key of tuba. Though the music contains large intervallic leaps and encompasses a large range, the tessitura and some technical demands in the low register make it best suited for the contrabass tuba.
The opening movement, "Refractions," begins majestically in common time; the melody contains longer note values contrasted with quintuplets with feathered notation. The opening section segues into a faster section marked "Allegro Malevolo." This section scores rhythmically grouped eighth notes in mixed meters that shift between 5/8, 7/8, and 4/4. The shifting meters give an intense, driving energy to the section. There are several sections where there are intervals of a seventh in successive eighth notes and repeated tongued notes on an EE. In addition, there are large dynamic contrasts between fortissimo and pianissimo in successive measures. The movement's ending features a recapitulation of the opening theme and ends on a glissando to a CC.
The second movement, "Reflections," is lyrical in style and allows the performer to use rubato. Rhythmically, it does not contain any rhythms faster than an eighth note. Though atonal, the opening melody has a retrospective feel. The middle of the movement has a repeated eighth-note ostinato on FF to GG as the piece accelerates. The original theme returns directly after the fast section at a fortissimo dynamic. The movement winds down by getting softer and slower before ending in a low tessitura.
The third movement, "Mirrors," is marked presto in tempo. This movement contains mixed meter, large intervals, and other compositional techniques similar to the "Allegro Malevolo" section of the first movement. "Mirrors" utilizes well-placed eighth rests that create a groove and also allow for ample breathing opportunities. The groove continues throughout the rest of the movement. The piece ends on a two-octave glissando at a fortissimo dynamic. Gourlay lets the performer choose an octave in several sections of the composition, making it approachable on tubas of all keys.
Mirrors for Solo Tuba is a fun, entertaining, and enjoyable work for both performers and audiences alike. The intervallic leaps and dynamic contrasts can help students prepare for compositions like Penderecki's Capriccio. In addition, it fulfills a need for solo literature that is approachable on the contrabass tuba.
Dr. James M. Green, Ohio Northern University and Ohio Christian University
Rhapsody for Tuba and Piano . Tuba and Piano. Wayne Lu. Veritas Musica Publishing. www.veritasmusicapublishing.com. 2021.
Range: FF-sharp - g (optional EE-flat - e-flat1)
Difficulty Level: III
Piano Difficulty: Medium
As an educator, I am always in search of good works that are accessible and interesting to perform on the BB-flat or CC tuba. Much of our solo repertoire is aimed at the higher horn. When I see a new piece with a range intended for the contrabass tuba, I am always excited. Wayne Lu has brought us a new work, Rhapsody for Tuba and Piano, which fulfills the needs of the contrabass tuba and is, most importantly, a lovely, fantastical piece for our repertoire.
Wayne Lu has a varied career as a composer, professional horn player and administrator and is currently an educator in Eldora, IA. He holds degrees from the University of Illinois and the University of Minnesota. He was commissioned by Dr. Chris Dickey, professor of tuba and euphonium at Washington State University, to write Rhapsody for Tuba and Piano.
Lu's varied background is on display in Rhapsody. Not only is it compositionally a worthy piece of music, but the idiomatic brass writing lays well for the tuba. Additionally, the optional range choices, accessible technique, and beautiful melodies make the work a perfect piece for the aspiring tubist to perform.
Rhapsody for Tuba and Piano is varied throughout, moving from songlike lyrical melodies to more technical rhythmic sections. The work is free in form and begins by moving from a beautiful adagio section to a folksong-influenced allegro. The piece weaves between these two contrasting styles with use of a cadenza or rubato to bridge the sections. It concludes with a lovely largo section that closes with a peaceful ending.
The difficulty level of the work is considered Level III, as there are several time and style changes throughout. There are a few challenging rhythmic components, but those are most often found in the cadenza sections of the piece. There are several choices for the performer when it comes to range. Officially, the range is from FF-sharp to g. However, the more advanced player could perform the full optional range which is listed from EE-flat to e-flat1. Using the optional range allows the performer to show off the beautiful high tessitura of the tuba.
Steven Maxwell, Kansas State University
Euphonium
Freefall . Euphonium and Piano. Jared McCunnie. Self-published. jaredmccunnie.weebly.com. 2019.
Range: D-sharp - c2 (optional FF - f2)
Difficulty Level: IV
Piano Difficulty: Medium
Freefall for Euphonium and Piano by the Australian composer Jared McCunnie is a piano reduction of this same work originally written for brass band. This work was inspired by a project titled Red Bull Stratos, when Felix Baumgartner broke the world record for the highest altitude freefall jump. This freefall took place in 2012 and involved a leap from nearly 39,000 meters above the ground. The duration of the fall was nearly ten minutes. This new work places the euphonium player in the role of Felix Baumgartner, and the piano reduction represents the people below on Earth. The premiere of this approximately eight-minute work's piano reduction took place at the 2019 Lieksa Brass Week in Finland with Fletcher Mitchell as the euphonium soloist. This piano reduction is of medium difficulty.
Freefall opens with a reflective and gentle piano introduction that features a lyrical and chromatic melody. The euphonium's entrance takes over this beautiful melody in the middle register with several delicate embellishments. Many of the motives throughout this introductory section slowly ascend before approaching moments of musical tension.
The opening is followed by a short transitional section with an ethereal compositional style which features several motivic ostinatos in the piano and a continuation of flowing melodic lines in the euphonium. This transition leads into the section that so clearly depicts the leap and freefall, a frenetic section in 6/8 time with multiple syncopated gestures and an acrobatic, driving melody in the euphonium. This section showcases the technical abilities of the player as it quickly moves through slurred motives and rapid shifts to the perceived tonal center due to an inventive and catchy sense of chromatic adjustments in the piano.
Freefall closes with a shift into a half-time feel and a new rhythmic ostinato in the piano. The now-familiar sense of Jared McCunnie's bold harmonic language returns in both the piano and euphonium as the music seems to pull back markedly in tempo. This section almost certainly represents the moment that Baumgartner deployed his parachute and celebrated the success of this record-breaking freefall. The closing moments of this piece feature quotes from the opening and frenetic sections, and the euphonium soloist ends the work with several triumphant, ascending leaps into their extreme high register.
Dr. David Earll, Ithaca College
Modal Suite . Euphonium. Kayla Roth. Cimarron Music Press. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM5048. 2020.
Range: F - c2
Difficulty Level: IV
Kayla Roth teaches music theory, aural skills, and music history at Stephen F. Austin University and Tyler Junior College. Her Modal Suite was composed as a contest entry for the Leonard Falcone Festival's composition competition, in which the work received an honorable mention. The work consists of five brief movements, each composed using a different scale mode.
The opening four pages of the work consist of a brief introduction, performance considerations for each movement, and an instructional music theory guide about modes. The first movement, "Mixolydian: Midsummer Fair," is in 12/8 meter with the dotted quarter note between seventy and eighty-eight beats per minute. It is in the style of a troubadour song from the European Middle Ages and is marked "Frohlich, with much lilt." The piece opens with a dance-like rhythm contrasted with several measures of sixteenth-note runs. The second movement, "Dorian: Voices Echoing in a Cathedral," is marked "cantabile" and is in common time with the quarter note between fifty and sixty beats per minute. This movement evokes the style of an early music singer in a liturgical setting. The opening begins slowly in the lower register, and the phrasing makes it difficult to discern a meter, as intended by Roth. The middle of the movement ascends to the upper register. It is marked "pesante," and the ending descends into silence. The third movement, "Lydian: Neon Lights," is in a 2+2+3 7/8 meter with the eighth note at 350 beats per minute. Roth relates the music in this movement to the intense lights of New York City and directs the performer to emphasize accented notes, which adds intensity to the energetic rhythm. Though brisk in tempo, there are few intervals larger than a fifth, and only a brief section is in the upper tessitura. The fourth movement, "Locrian, Breathing," is in 4/2 meter with the quarter note at sixty beats per minute. The performer should consult the introductory notes regarding phrasing in this movement. Though each measure is an individual phrase, some have special breathing instructions. A significant section of this movement is in the upper tessitura, which may pose endurance issues in combination with the slow tempo. The final movement, "Phrygian: Bulería," is in 3/4 meter with the quarter note at eighty beats per minute. This movement represents a flamenco song (which uses the Phrygian mode). It contains many notated embellishments and emphasized downbeats and becomes faster as the movement progresses. The middle section contains music compositionally similar to Bach's cello suites, with leaps of over an octave in eighth notes, and leads into a brief cadenza. After the cadenza, the opening style returns and accelerates to the ending, which has sixteenth-note runs at 144 beats per minute and a brief fanfare. The piece ends in a free time statement and gives the performer an option to conclude the piece in a high tessitura.
I have found that many students have difficulties connecting to topics learned in early music history and the study of modes. Roth's Modal Suite is an enjoyable piece of music and has a dual purpose that will help students connect academic classes to their performance study. In addition, Roth's composition is scored well on the euphonium in terms of phrasing, range, and technique.
Dr. James M. Green, Ohio Northern University and Ohio Christian University.
Sonatina for Euphonium. Euphonium and Piano. Charles Ingram. Cimarron Music Press. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM5149. 2020.
Range: G - b1
Difficulty Level: IV
Piano Difficulty: Medium
Charles Ingram (b. 1951) received degrees in music composition and theory from the University of Southern Mississippi. He also received a degree in choral music from the University of Southern California. His primary composition teachers were William Presser and Luigi Zaninelli. Ingram retired as Professor of Music from Los Angeles Southwest College in 2008 and currently composes full time. Some of his recent commissions include solo and chamber music for brass instruments and settings of African American spirituals for choral ensembles. Ingram's Sonatina for Euphonium was commissioned in 2020 by Cimarron Music Press and includes both bass and treble clef solo parts.
Sonatina for Euphonium consists of four contrasting movements. The first movement, "Energetic," is in common time at 130 beats per minute. The opening theme begins with an arpeggiated motive followed by tongued eighth-note scalar passages with shifting tonal centers. The theme develops with the introduction of syncopation and ties that obscure the third beat of each measure. The middle of this movement contains a lyrical melody at a slower tempo. After a brief recitative, the melodic material from the first section is restated, though many of the scalar passages are slurred instead of tongued. The second movement, "Always with expression," is a slower lyrical movement that consists of melodic two versus three hemiolas in the upper register. Since the piano part primarily consists of sustained chords, the soloist has musical freedom throughout the movement. The third movement, "Intermezzo-Freely," begins with held chords in the piano. The euphonium then enters with a lyrical melody of eighth notes, while the accompaniment contains syncopated rhythms and passing dissonances. In the middle of the movement, chords analogous to the opening return in the piano. The last part of the movement is muted and contains similar melodic material to the opening. The fourth movement, "With a Jazzy Lilt," is in 6/8 time with the dotted quarter note at eighty beats per minute. The eighth notes are not swung, and the movement is unmuted. The movement begins with the theme from the opening of the first movement in the euphonium, though, this time, the piano plays a walking bass line. The middle section of the movement is in common time and is lyrical in style. The opening theme of the movement is restated at the end of the movement, and the piece ends on a dissonant, unresolved chord.
Ingram's Sonatina for Euphonium is an excellent addition to the euphonium repertoire. Pedagogically, it is effective at teaching musicians how to frequently shift between multiple styles without strenuous demands of range or technique.
Dr. James M. Green, Ohio Christian University and Ohio Northern University
Chamber Music
Contours. Tuba Duet with Piano. Frank Gulino. Cimarron Music Press. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM4160. 2019.
Range: FF - d flat1
Difficulty Level: IV
Piano Difficulty: Easy
Frank Gulino has had works commissioned, performed, and recorded by some of the world's foremost brass players, including euphonium virtuoso Steven Mead, the Israel Tuba Duo, and members of prominent symphony orchestras as well as members of the four Washington, DC premier military bands. His 2019 work, Contours, was written for The Israel Tuba Duo of Avital Handler and Haim Mazar. The premiere performance was at ITEC 2019 in Iowa City, Iowa.
With sections marked "Flowing" and "Adagio," tempos delineated between sixty-three and eighty beats per minute, and ample rest for each performer, Contours would be an excellent choice when programming a recital for performers to get a little rest before or after a technically challenging work. As with much of Gulino's other music, beautiful melodies and consonant harmonies rule the day. Lasting approximately six and a half minutes, Contours contains many diatonic scalar passages with few leaps larger than a fifth. This flowing, calm piece tapers to a close with both tubas ending in unison.
Dr. Jarrod Williams, East Carolina University
A New Dawn. Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble (EETTT). Lynn Blake John. Cimarron Music Press. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM5157. 2021.
Ranges:
Euphonium I: B-flat - a1
Euphonium II: G - g1
Tuba I: E - f1
Tuba II: AA - e-flat1
Tuba III: FF - e
Difficulty Level: IV
Lynn Blake John is an exciting and fresh composer beginning a new career in composition after spending much of her life in the field of IT. She is now focusing her attention on music composition, writing, and art. Although she grew up in Washington, DC, she currently lives in Carmarthen, Wales. She began studying composition privately in 2016 with Peter Williams, a professor at the University of Wales-Trinity St. David. She also continued studies in music theory and string composition in London. Her work has paid off, as she has won numerous prizes for composition over the last three years, including an Honorable Mention at the 2020 Lenard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival Solo Work Competition.
A New Dawn is written for a five-part tuba-euphonium ensemble. The work is approximately six minutes in duration and is charming and well-crafted. You can hear the English and Welsh influence of John's writing, as the work begins with a short fanfare and settles into a beautiful, pleasant melody with a nod to a formal procession. John passes the melody between the Euphonium I and Tuba I parts, which keeps the work balanced. A secondary melody is presented, and John moves back and forth between these two themes. The well-crafted nature of the piece peaks with a fugal statement of the secondary melody, bringing new interest to the theme. After a recap of the opening theme, the work concludes with an accelerando into a flashy technical coda which creates an exciting conclusion.
A New Dawn is considered Difficulty Level IV due to the use of high tessitura in the Euphonium I and Tuba I parts as well as a heightened rhythmic complexity and likely use of multiple tonguing.
Steven Maxwell, Kansas State University
Tribute Duets . Euphonium and Tuba. Tom Bough. Cimarron Music Press. www.cimarronmusic.com. CM4297. 2020.
Ranges:
Euphonium: c - a-flat1
Tuba: FF - c1
Difficulty Level: IV
Tom Bough is an active composer, arranger, and band director as well as an accomplished tuba player. He has been on the faculty of Northern Illinois University since 2005.
Tribute Duets was written by Bough in honor of two influential musicians in his life, Neil Peart and Sam Pilafian. Peart is the recently deceased drummer from the progressive rock band Rush. Pilafian was a world-renowned tuba player who performed with the Empire Brass and taught for many years at Arizona State University, Bough's alma mater. The piece was premiered at the 2020 Missouri State Low Brass Day by Bough on tuba and Dr. Jennifer Jester on euphonium.
Tribute Duets is written in two movements, each giving tribute to one of the two influential musicians mentioned above. The first movement, labeled "Funk; RIP Neil Peart," is a moderately paced funk groove. It begins with the tuba laying down a syncopated funk rhythm, one you could certainly hear being performed by the band Rush. The euphonium joins with a syncopated melody and seamlessly connects with the bassline. Bough does a nice job of passing the line between the voices which keeps a great amount of musical interest in both parts. The second movement, labeled "Latin; RIP Sam Pilafian," creates an Afro-Cuban rhythmic feel where you can almost hear the son clave accompany the duet. This movement begins with the euphonium giving the opening rhythm and melody. The tuba soon enters and holds the bass line while the euphonium plays the Latin theme over the top. Bough gives the euphonium a break and features the tuba alone with both the bass line and melody. The euphonium joins back in and transitions back to the original theme, and the two voices groove to the conclusion.
The difficulty level of the work is a level IV due to the heavy number of syncopated rhythms and advanced range. A performer with familiarity of funk and Latin rhythms will not have any problem capturing the rhythms of this piece. It is a well written and exceptionally fun piece to play!
Steven Maxwell, Kansas State University
Audio
Dream of Dragontamer: Hidehiro Fujita's Tuba World vol. 5. Hidehiro Fujita, tuba. Fujita Record. Available on YouTube. 2021.
For the past thirteen years, Hidehiro Fujita has been the Principal Tuba of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. He has worked as an active freelance tubist for such orchestras as the Israel Philharmonic, Sydney (AU) Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Malaysian Philharmonic, Macao Orchestra, NHK Symphony and the Saito Kinen Orchestra. Fujita collaborates with pianist Kimiko Funamoto on his YouTube album Dream of Dragontamer. Comprising eight tracks and over eighty minutes of music, Fujita provides an interesting blend of old and new material.
The first track is the 1980 composition written for Roger Bobo, Sonata for Tuba and Piano, op.34 by Trygve Madsen. Fujita delivers a very athletic interpretation with exceptionally strong playing throughout.
Kasumasa Yamagishi's arrangement of Intermezzo, op. 8, no. 2 by Johannes Brahms is so skillfully done, one would think this was what Brahms originally intended. Be sure to pick this transcription up at askswinds.com-it is a keeper!
Following the Brahms is an original work of Yamagishi, Lyrical Impromptu. The world premiere was given during ITEC 2016 at the University of Tennessee. One has to wonder if Yamagishi was working on the Brahms transcription at the same time he was composing this piece, as they are remarkably similar.
Fujita next borrows a work originally for oboe by Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Introduction, Theme, and Variations op. 102, and retains the style and clarity of the instrument for which the piece was written.
Silhouette is one of the more than 160 published compositions for chorus, band, brass chamber groups and jazz ensemble by Wisconsin native John Harmon. This performance would be an excellent reference for students competing in this year's Falcone competition.
Another piece written for Fujita's ITEC 2016 performance is the Sonata "Fantasie of Japanese Childhood" by Keiko Iwata. Fujita's tasteful playing retains the charming playfulness of the original Japanese children's songs used in the composition.
Following a performance of Sergei Rachmaninov's Vocalise op. 34, no. 14, the eighth and final track of the album is Capriccio da Camera by Christer Danielsson arranged by Fujita for saxophone ensemble. This is a really terrific texture to compliment the solo tuba. Hopefully this arrangement will be available for purchase in the future.
Overall, this is a lengthy, balanced album with an even blend of compositions written for Fujita, chestnuts of our literature, and new transcriptions of established composers. My only complaint is with the format. Each track has an intro and outro graphic with jarringly loud music as if an action movie was about to begin. If you have the volume set for a tuba recording, this can come as quite a surprise. Also, multi-movement works only receive one track, leaving inexperienced listeners to guess if the piece is through-composed or not. That said, Fujita delivers good performances of great literature for a price you cannot argue with.
Dr. Jarrod Williams, East Carolina University
Secret Frets: Jim Shearer & Friends with Strings
. Jim Shearer, tuba. Summit Records. www. summitrecords.com. DCD 742.
2019.
Secret Frets
is a terrific mix of style and innovation by one of the more prolific solo
recording artists in the tuba community, Jim Shearer. Shearer teaches tuba,
euphonium, music history, and music appreciation at New Mexico State
University in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
This latest addition to his catalog is a terrific mix of style and
innovation with a great story of time and patience at the foundation of its
creation. The genesis of this project began with a pick-up band inspired by
the music of Django Reinhardt. The band eventually became known simply as
Django and featured an unusual assemblage of instruments and talent: Steve
Smith, mandolin; Gordon Butler, violin; Joseph Mancilla, acoustic rhythm
guitar; Curt Warren, electric arch-top guitar; and Jim Shearer, tuba and
vocals. Through a series of events stretching from the 1990s up until 2016,
when Steve Smith and engineer Emmit Brooks curated material from the
sessions over those years, Secret Frets took shape.
One of my favorite features of the physical copy of this recording is the extensive and well-designed liner notes which give a detailed background on the pieces and history of the group. The overall look of the album is beautiful, with a unified artistic tone and visual presentation. Shearer lends his talents in a variety of roles, between laying down rock-solid basslines on the tuba and offering a diverse vocal styling, which exemplifies his immense talent and knowledge of the array of musical styles in which he is well versed. The overall feel of the album is expansive and satisfying with differing elements borrowed from more romantic interpretations all the way to traditional jazz styles. The most impressive element, however, is the production and curation of recordings made in the 1990s combined seamlessly with elements recorded almost twenty years later-a true blend of artistic inspiration and technical vision.
This is an exciting and wonderful recording. Jim Shearer and the members of
Django should feel an immense sense of pride and accomplishment at its
creation-go listen to this recording!
Dr. Chris Combest, Middle Tennessee State University
Methods
LowFi Backing Tracks. Various Exercises. Tracks created by Brett Copeland. Self-published. www.brettcopelandmusic.com. 2020-2021.
Covid-19 has forced many of us to innovate and creatively problem solve in our own personal practice and music making. A silver lining of the lockdown has been many of the new projects and ideas born from solitary practice and technological innovation. As a result of his time during the lockdown, Brett Copeland has created an exciting pedagogical resource to augment some of the most used daily routine and fundamental exercises. It is a project that is certainly worth following and trying out in your own practice room. Copeland has developed what he calls "LowFi Backing Tracks" for exercises that nearly all tubists are intimately familiar with. The tracks themselves are meant to be played in the background. They provide an interesting and engaging backbeat or groove, clear pitch centers, and background instruments to match while progressing through the exercises. They are very well constructed in a typical "LowFi" groove and come in a variety of different tempi and keys. Thus far, Copeland has released backing tracks for several of the exercises in the Roger Bobo Mastering the Tuba routine, as well as some of the exercises from Arnold Jacobs' Special Studies. He has also developed some original exercises or modified existing exercises in new and interesting ways. All the backing tracks were made with Ableton Live and are engaging and fun to play along with. Perhaps best of all, Copeland has made these tracks available to try out for free on his personal YouTube channel under the playlists section. It is also worth checking out some of the other clips that feature Copeland's own playing with the tracks. All the videos contain the sheet music, so it is easy to simply load up the clip and play along. Or, if you prefer, the tracks and corresponding pdfs can be purchased at his website: www.brettcopelandmusic.com. The benefit of the tracks themselves is immediately realized, as there is a constant feedback loop created of both pitch center and groove. Perhaps most importantly, it makes playing these vital exercises more fun and provides a fresh way of approaching constructing fundamental skills. Copeland has plans to continue to develop and release new tracks for more routines and exercises, and I plan to check back in on the project often.
Josh Biere, Madison Symphony Orchestra
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