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Does anyone know of a piece out there that features the tuba as a solo instrument against a gamelan-like background? In case you don't know what that is, a gamelan is a group of musicians plying very complex and closely knit music, almost in a counterpoint. Usually plays music of a middle-eastern or asian style. I know Messiaen used that grouping a lot, but he never wrote tuba music, (although I wish he had.) But don't go off of my explanation, I'm sure I got it wrong. Anyways, if anyone knows of such a piece, I would appreciate a reply. Thanks, Aaron "TF" Hynds

I wouldn't have even thought of tuba and gamelan. It sounds like an interesting idea. If it has not yet been done, try contacting universities with both strong percussion programs and ethnomusicology PhD programs... these are the schools that usually have a extant gamelan. University of Illinois comes to mind. I think University of Oregon also has an active gamelan. Cool concept!

It's interesting that you should mention U of I as a place to look, seeing as that is one of the two or schools I'm considering applying to. I'll definitely look into the programs there for such a setup. The reason I asked about this type of piece is that I am considering writing such a piece, so I may be the first!
Thanks again,
Aaron Hynds

Cool,
let me know what you find out. I had a great time playing in a gamelan ensemble and there is one here in Atlanta and I'd love to see if they would do a solo piece with me.

Bill

If you're considering writing a piece, I would definately spend some time in or listening to a gamelon... master the form, so you can be idiomatic!

Thanks for the support. One of my favorite composers has a heavy gamelan influence in his music, (Messiaen,) so I have some experience in listening to a gamelan style. I've also just bought a couple of CD's of the music itself, the name of the group escapes me, but I have listened to the CD's extensively for the past couple of days. I'm just trying to think of how to put the tuba in as a solo voice without compromising the song. Thanks again for the support!
Aaron "Tubafatness" Hynds

If you're looking for a...

gamelan-like background

...you may want to look into some prepared piano music by John Cage. I would refer you specifically to Sonata V from his Sonatas and Interludes, a piece I know to capture the Javanese gamelan character pretty well. I know that prepared piano music is no longer in vogue (and perhaps for good reason,) and that schools are unlikely to let you put stuff inside their Steinways, but it's something to think about.

For all the flack he takes from most anti-modern music folks, he sure does some interesting stuff.

Just a practical note on prepared pianos:

In 1980 I wrote a piece which which included prepared piano, and was performed on a faculty recital by the horn teacher. The school WAS willing to let me prepare one of their Steinways, Although I had written and performed the piece previously on a grand, I discovered to my dismay that the mechanics of the Steinway harp prevented me from placing the preparations where they needed to be. So we quickly had to find a grand that would work (much to the delight of the piano faculty... ).

Lesson: keep piano preparations string/harmonic independent!!

That's weird, as I went to read the posts about the prepared piano works of John Cage, I actually was listening to the works you were talking about! I happen to be a big fan of Cage's, especially his piano pieces, so I will give those a hard listen as well. Thanks once again for the great support!
Aaron Hynds

Aaron,
I have forwarded an article to you about the new gamelan collection at UIUC.

Mark Moore

Hi,
If I remember right, there are 2 types of Gamelan music, Balinese and Javanese, with 2 different types of instruments. Most Gamelan is also taught by rote, but I think it's a cool idea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamelan

Bill