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Disclaimer: No promises made about a final result!

The discussions about settings for 14 piece brass choir before Christmas showed some interest in Richard Strauß's Feierlicher Einzug, which in the original has the 14 brasses and timps. Plus those extra 11 trumpets which in many environments are impossible getting together.

Already at the issue of the original in 1909 there were several versions made for military bands, orchestra, organ, and diverse constellations with pianos. Since then arrangements for brasses and organ have been much played.

I certainly like the 14 piece brass format because it has full quartets of trumpets, horns, and trombones plus one each of euphonium and tuba, but I see no purpose in making an arrangement which is next to identical with what is already available. My setting of Joy to the World for 14 piece brass, timps, and SATB choir/soloists was well enough received to try something similar. Only the vocal ranges are much more demanding, especially upwards, with Strauß. The demands on precise sense of pitch and tonality in the vocal entries also are higher.

The purpose of this posting is about testing how realistic the hypothesis behind my sketching of the score is.

Very few churches aside of cathedrals have space enough around the organ keyboard to accommodate the brasses, timps, and a reasonably sized choir. Placing all performers aside of the organist near the altar takes very experienced performers to avoid rhythmic offsets between organ and the ensemble & choir.

My suggestion is about using two good electronic single keyboard church organs with good quality, but not necessarily very loud, amplification. And then group permutations of the SAT vocalists around each of these two small organs, which will provide tonal guidance for the vocalists. The bass vocalists cannot do much, when it comes to substitution of the 11 trumpet parts not manned, but they may give some weight to the original Tuba 1 part, which I largely give to the euphonium. The bass vocalists may be placed close to the euph and the tuba.

Strauß's version for orchestra has an optional unisono choir. I very much would like to see that choir part. Not the voicing, but the text has my greatest interest. If Strauß uses Ah's, I would do so also, even if I don't like that syllable. I have tried to trace that choir part, but in vane so far. Help in that matter is most welcome. Alternatively I have ideas about creating a very simple text with relation to the title.

Those I have worked with know that I am very stubborn, if wishes for changes of my ideas are not well founded, but if I have overlooked real problems, then I certainly will work for better solutions.

The attached pages only show the current early stage of the process, where I use Strauß's transpositions: trumpets and horns in Eb. The trumpets will end up in Bb transposition. The horns will get alternative parts in F or Eb. Trombones 1&2 will get alternative parts in tenor and bass clefs.

Klaus

All melodic leads, bass lines, and inner lines now have been entered in the 14 brass parts. Some long harmony notes still have to be entered.

There isn’t a whole lot of motor energy in this piece. In some ways it is more of a meditation than of processional march.

There are a lot of unisonos and octaves, which indicate that Strauß wanted a scintillating chorus effect. Along with balance and keeping the effect of large brass choir rather than an organ or choir piece this is my main focus right now.

the last third or so has all 4 horns in unison with 3 trumpets playing an octave above. Within this octave there are two melodic lines in almost the same rhythm played by each 2 trumpets. This reminds me of the thickened-line-writing in jazz scores. With only 4 trumpets available I so far have found 2 on then top line and one on each of the inner parts the best solution.

In general I will avoid letting horns or trumpets substitute for the missing trumpets, but simultaneously with the said thickened line there suddenly is a trumpet fanfare in octaves played on notes not otherwise present in the chord stacks. Very close to killing the whole project for lack of players available as I want neither vocal nor organ fanfares. Fortunately Strauß lets the two upper trombones rest in exactly these bars, so I moved the fanfare to these two trombones. The first trombone has to play an exposed high Db, which very few amateur trombonists could do when I was young. Much more likely to succeed today.

The remaining job of getting the balance and sound right by writing the parts for the non-brass performers will be the tough aspect of this project.

Klaus

Other matters have claimed my attention in between, but listened to the playback of the score today while reading it from the screen.

All horn parts are identical to the original score. Trombones also but for a trumpet fanfare in octaves added to the 1st and 2nd parts at a place, where they rested. Tuba parts have been redistributed between the euph and contrabass tuba parts
of my score, but the combined effect is close to the same.

The main problem of course is about covering the notes and the unisono effects of 15 trumpets by only 4 trumpets in the 14 piece format of 4441 euph (+ timpani).

There are no social therapy parts, so where Strauss only uses 3 trumpets, there the 4th player rests. Where several trumpets play together on the upper line of a 3 part setting, I have let the 1st and 2nd play together, as the demands on stamina and on exact intonation are huge. The 3rd and 4th players cover the two inner parts. There is a slight redistribution on the last statement.

So far my idea about using a choir to make up for the lacking weight of the fewer trumpets in the balance points towards splitting the female voices in sopranos, mezzos, and altos, which possibly will be subdivided in some places. These three voices groups will be given each their own staff like the tenors. These 4 staves will be divided in 2+2 and given to small organs, likely electronic ones, to be placed among the singers for pitch support.

The socially tough matter is about what to do with the bass vocalists, which cannot cover trumpet lines? So far I plan to let them sing along with the euphonium part.

An mp3 file representing the score work so far is to be found here (the vocal lines are done by sampled clarinets):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zsgt3hgr1rs4h ... 3a%201.mp3

The score sketch is here:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Yo ... %20Einzug/

Horn parts still are in Eb for easier comparison to the original score. Trumpets have been transposed from Eb to Bb. Vocal parts are in concert notation.

Are those high horns and trumpets at all possible for amateur ensembles?

Klaus (aware that some of the text is a repeat from previous posts)