Begräbnisgesang
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 9:42 am
This choral funeral hymn by Brahms was composed in 1858, fairly early in his career and early in the history of actual tubas. The composer's manuscript does, somewhat surprisingly, say Tuba, not ophecleide nor serpent. Therefore, relying upon a simply HIP (Historically Informed Performance) perspective may not be sufficient to determine which horn to use.
The instrumentation, along with the chorus, is rather unusual: 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (B♭), 2 bassoons, 2 horns (E♭), 3 trombones, tuba, timpani. No strings, not even string bass. So it is the tuba, sometimes in octaves or unison with the 3rd trombone, that carries the bass line through the heavier passages while bassoon assumes that role in other sections of the piece.
The range is from B♭ below the staff up to A♭ at the top of the staff. Dynamic indications for the tuba and all other participants extend from pp to f; tuba plays a forte low C at one point in the score.
Given the fairly small instrumental ensemble and the caveat not to drown out the chorus on this or other choral pieces, a 6/4 anything seems way out of the question if for no other reason than the more massive horns didn't "make the scene" until much later with Wagner, Bruckner, etc. Although Brahms writes no indication of pesante or similar designation, his Tempo di Marcia funebre would imply some sense of grave (pun intended).
So, let's assume that a non-brass-playing conductor is not put off by a somewhat larger horn merely due to its visual implications. Would you play a 4/4 or 3/4 contrabass, or a bass tuba...or does it simply depend upon YOUR sound on a particular instrument for this type of composition?
The instrumentation, along with the chorus, is rather unusual: 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (B♭), 2 bassoons, 2 horns (E♭), 3 trombones, tuba, timpani. No strings, not even string bass. So it is the tuba, sometimes in octaves or unison with the 3rd trombone, that carries the bass line through the heavier passages while bassoon assumes that role in other sections of the piece.
The range is from B♭ below the staff up to A♭ at the top of the staff. Dynamic indications for the tuba and all other participants extend from pp to f; tuba plays a forte low C at one point in the score.
Given the fairly small instrumental ensemble and the caveat not to drown out the chorus on this or other choral pieces, a 6/4 anything seems way out of the question if for no other reason than the more massive horns didn't "make the scene" until much later with Wagner, Bruckner, etc. Although Brahms writes no indication of pesante or similar designation, his Tempo di Marcia funebre would imply some sense of grave (pun intended).
So, let's assume that a non-brass-playing conductor is not put off by a somewhat larger horn merely due to its visual implications. Would you play a 4/4 or 3/4 contrabass, or a bass tuba...or does it simply depend upon YOUR sound on a particular instrument for this type of composition?