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My ensemble is playing Respighi's Pines of Rome (Duker's transcription for band), and there is a notation that says "One Desk". I would guess this means one player per part, but what is the origin of this phrase? I have never seen it before, and I can't find in reference to it in a musical notation dictionary. Just curious as to the history of this.

I am thinking this means the same as "one stand" which normally translates to two players per part (back when everyone shared a stand).

So it would not be one player, it would be two players? Why have the notation if all players are supposed to play the line? Were more than 2 players typically on a stand then? It's an extremely soft part, it just seems counter intuitive to me.

It’s moot as I am the only bass trombone, but nonetheless interesting.

Liberty Mo wrote:... Respighi's Pines of Rome (Duker's transcription for band), and there is a notation that says "One Desk". ...

I agree with Marty. Use of the word "desk" sounds like they intended one stand, but maybe the "translation" wasn't as accurate as one might have hoped.

I have seen early pictures of bands where they actually did play off 'desks', rather than music stands, so maybe that is the origin of the term.

I would interpret it to mean 'lighten the texture'. If your band normally has 4, or more tubas playing, cut back to 2 - if normally 2-3, then to just 1.

Neptune wrote:I have seen early pictures of bands where they actually did play off 'desks', rather than music stands, so maybe that is the origin of the term.

I would interpret it to mean 'lighten the texture'. If your band normally has 4, or more tubas playing, cut back to 2 - if normally 2-3, then to just 1.

I'd say this just about sums it up. If you follow this advice, you'll handle it just fine.

The first time I ever saw the term, it was in the context of a joke:

What do you do with a dead violist?
Move him back a desk.

MileMarkerZero wrote:The first time I ever saw the term, it was in the context of a joke:

What do you do with a dead violist?
Move him back a desk.

That's funny, the way I heard it was-

What do you do with a dead violist?
Move them UP a desk.