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Community orchestra is doing the Tchaikovsky Romeo et Juliette Ouverture - Fantaisie. Good and fun tuba part. My foot needs to work pretty hard in the off-beat passages. Question is breathing during the thirteen and one-half measures of tied whole notes on A three lines below the staff and nine plus measures of tied whole notes on second line B. I can't make either one the whole way without a breath. I'm too old to learn how to circular breathe. Are there standard places to breathe in these? If not, do I pick places where I am not exposed? Or is it better to look for the end of a phrase, whether exposed or not?

Listen to a recording and breathe when the strings are playing. When they aren't, it's dead silence other than you and the timpani. I'd mark 'em in your part, but when the strings are playing, there's enough sound to cover up your breath. Have fun, what a great piece of music!

JB

that's the piece where I learned how to circular breath...

I was able to play this in Shreveport a couple of weeks ago. Here is a scan with what I assume are my former teacher's own markings for that section.

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