tuba quartet and band
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Bill Troiano
- 5 valves
- Posts: 1132
- Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2004 11:08 pm
- Location: Cedar Park, TX
tuba quartet and band
Does anyone know of any pieces for tuba quartet and concert band? It would be used for a summer band concert in a park, so something fun to listen to would be preferable. Any trombone quartets and band pieces that might work? Thanks!
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imperialbari
- 6 valves
- Posts: 7461
- Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 3:47 am
The desired format does not look as a likely one to exist in many samples. If the soloists were to be taken from the band members, some bands would be bereft of just about their whole low brass section.
So not many editors would see a big heap of money waiting to be picked up by issuing such arrangements.
There may be another way to go, however.
At least in Germany the combination of male choir and band was popular some 150 years ago. I don’t think many of the original works have survived in the repertory. They where part of a liking for overly pathetic tribute hymns to royalty, nobility, and other dignitaries.
But you may be able to find some arrangements of popular opera choirs set for male choir and band.
Two such choirs come to my mind:
The "Jägerchor" (Huntsmen’s choir) from Webers "The Magic Bullet". The background orchestral setting for all practical purposes is a band setting. It takes 4 good horns. They will not like my suggestion, that the original key of D shall be moved to Eb in a band context. This item surely is long enough to make an effective concert entry.
The "Matrosenchor" (The Sailors’ Choir) from Wagner’s "The Flying Dutchman" is a very dramatic earcatcher. But it is 35+ years since I last saw it on stage, so I cannot remember how long it is, even if I still can sing the theme. And as always with Wagner, it may not be a clean-cut item, which can be made into a stand-alone concert entry.
And then the last movement of Beethoven’s 9th has a Bb major section, where the instrumental background also is very band-like. I would call it a march in 6/8. There is a very prominent tenor voice, but I cannot avoid recalling the males of the choir singing in four parts also.
Furthermore there is Sarastro’s aria of The Magic Flute, which is a perfect bass tuba solo. The contrasting male choir as I recall it is only in 3 parts. Not exactly a tuba quartet, but all 4 will be employed in interesting work. No flutes, oboes, trumpets, or horns, but a lot to do for clarinets in their low range. The trombones are set in immensely beautiful trio harmonies.
I hardly hit the nail of your desires, but hopefully have been inspiring.
If you want to look in more jazzy directions, I would recommend searching for band charts made for The Mills Brothers, The Delta Rhytm Boys, and/or The Jordanaires.
As I understand the set-up of the main service bands in DC, at least some of them have choirs attached to their general outfits. Also sometimes working with male choir and band together. Getting those charts may take some connections.
The Red Army had the band with male choir as one of its favourite and most effectively working entertainment formats in the internal agit/prop department. And even if I hated the commies, I love Russian folk music.
Getting those charts may take the knowledge of Russian plus a few US$.
But then there are a lot of Russian immigrants in the US. Your next-door neighbour may have been through one of the immensely effective Red Army conservatories, where band composing and arranging was high on the curriculum. You may like the style or not, but you cannot complain the musical craftsmanship.
Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre
So not many editors would see a big heap of money waiting to be picked up by issuing such arrangements.
There may be another way to go, however.
At least in Germany the combination of male choir and band was popular some 150 years ago. I don’t think many of the original works have survived in the repertory. They where part of a liking for overly pathetic tribute hymns to royalty, nobility, and other dignitaries.
But you may be able to find some arrangements of popular opera choirs set for male choir and band.
Two such choirs come to my mind:
The "Jägerchor" (Huntsmen’s choir) from Webers "The Magic Bullet". The background orchestral setting for all practical purposes is a band setting. It takes 4 good horns. They will not like my suggestion, that the original key of D shall be moved to Eb in a band context. This item surely is long enough to make an effective concert entry.
The "Matrosenchor" (The Sailors’ Choir) from Wagner’s "The Flying Dutchman" is a very dramatic earcatcher. But it is 35+ years since I last saw it on stage, so I cannot remember how long it is, even if I still can sing the theme. And as always with Wagner, it may not be a clean-cut item, which can be made into a stand-alone concert entry.
And then the last movement of Beethoven’s 9th has a Bb major section, where the instrumental background also is very band-like. I would call it a march in 6/8. There is a very prominent tenor voice, but I cannot avoid recalling the males of the choir singing in four parts also.
Furthermore there is Sarastro’s aria of The Magic Flute, which is a perfect bass tuba solo. The contrasting male choir as I recall it is only in 3 parts. Not exactly a tuba quartet, but all 4 will be employed in interesting work. No flutes, oboes, trumpets, or horns, but a lot to do for clarinets in their low range. The trombones are set in immensely beautiful trio harmonies.
I hardly hit the nail of your desires, but hopefully have been inspiring.
If you want to look in more jazzy directions, I would recommend searching for band charts made for The Mills Brothers, The Delta Rhytm Boys, and/or The Jordanaires.
As I understand the set-up of the main service bands in DC, at least some of them have choirs attached to their general outfits. Also sometimes working with male choir and band together. Getting those charts may take some connections.
The Red Army had the band with male choir as one of its favourite and most effectively working entertainment formats in the internal agit/prop department. And even if I hated the commies, I love Russian folk music.
Getting those charts may take the knowledge of Russian plus a few US$.
But then there are a lot of Russian immigrants in the US. Your next-door neighbour may have been through one of the immensely effective Red Army conservatories, where band composing and arranging was high on the curriculum. You may like the style or not, but you cannot complain the musical craftsmanship.
Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre
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JayW
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