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Does anyone know of some good tuba and electronic pieces? I've got about 10-15 minutes to fill in on a recital and would like to include something more contemporary. I'm a fan of Tapestry III, perhaps there is an updated version? (Not a fan of the dated midi sounds)

Similar inquiry for tuba solo works (unaccompanied or not) that are more avant garde or contemporary.
Thanks!

New England Reveries, by Neil Corwell.
Mark Nelson recorded it a few years ago as the title track of his CD.
Your audience will be grateful for something that is musical rather than athletic.

Yup, a lot of avant-garde pieces with electronics out there, as well as some that are more tonal. Just depends what you want.

I've had Arthur Krieger's "Double Knot" go over very well. 10 minutes. I contacted the composer directly for the music: avkre@conncoll.edu" target="_blank

For a more contemplative piece, check out Jonathan Harvey's "STILL." Tuba with 60-second reverb, building clusters. I dig it a lot. 8 minutes.

To really mess with your head, get in touch with Brian D. Kelly (BDKellyMusic@gmail.com" target="_blank) for his piece "2/3." Premiered it this spring; it's a computer-aided algorithmic composition in which the computer controls the player by feeding him/her music (hexachord transformations from a set 12-tone row) in real time. Serial and chance music at the same time, with electronic accompaniment. A very different but very cool piece that also went over really well.

Scott Wyatt's Three for One, for tuba and tape, is worth a look. Very fun to play. Intonation and timing have to be spot on or else it is extremely obvious.

stephennutt2011 wrote:(Not a fan of the dated midi sounds)

That may negate my previous suggestion. The Wyatt piece (and the recording) is very indicative of the time it was composed. But isn't all music supposed to be indicative of a specific time period?

I wrote a piece for tuba and electronic sounds when I was in grad school called A Distant Thunder. The electronic sounds are mostly manipulated tuba samples, including striking a mouthpiece for bell like sounds.

There is a recording of it here:
http://myweb.stedwards.edu/mikekb/electronicmusic.html" target="_blank
Steve Bryant is playing.

If you or anyone else is interested in playing it, let me know and I will see about getting the score and electronic part recording to you. The original electronic part is on 1/4" tape. I'm fairly certain I had digitized it at some point. I'll need to see what is on my computer at home. You can PM me or email mikekb AT stedwards.edu

mike

stephennutt2011 wrote:Does anyone know of some good tuba and electronic pieces? I've got about 10-15 minutes to fill in on a recital and would like to include something more contemporary. I'm a fan of Tapestry III, perhaps there is an updated version? (Not a fan of the dated midi sounds)

Similar inquiry for tuba solo works (unaccompanied or not) that are more avant garde or contemporary.
Thanks!

What did you use for the pervasive thunder sounds?

If you're a fan of Howard Shore's music for the Lord of the Rings films, check out "Tomes of Hardened Steel" by Ben McMillan. Scott Watson recorded it on his "Thoughts of a Cow" CD. I heard about 30 seconds of it and decided I had to play it. McMillan has written a sequel that he calls a "companion piece" called "Tomes of the Wanderer", which uses some of the same thematic material but is a few years newer and takes advantage of a better instrument sample library.

http://benjaminmcmillan.weebly.com/" target="_blank

It is samples of me playing the tuba and then manipulated, mainly be considerably lowering the pitch and playing them as cluster tones.

mike

tbn.al wrote:What did you use for the pervasive thunder sounds?

I heard Matt Brown play:

2ba4 (for tuba, stereo playback and boomboxes) by Rusty Banks

a few weeks ago. Pretty cool and just the right amount of weird.

Kick-*** Sonata for Tuba and CD

http://www.lowbrassmusic.com/kick-***-s ... -tuba-8168" target="_blank

I just recently did a project on electroacoustic solo tuba repertoire, and it's an integral part of my doctoral research, so here are a whole bunch of suggestions. The works that have comments after them would be particularly good choices. Also, concerning Mr. Hovey's response, the implication that some of the more "contemporary" or "avant-garde" works are not musical is a rather dangerous claim to make (not to mention the idea that audiences are automatically unwilling to listen to more challenging works). But, I digress...

Works with fixed media (aka, works that are for solo tuba with a tape, CD, etc...)

Bjørntvedt, Kaja - Tubanitis (2011) [very solid newer work with tuba and fixed media; accessible without being pedantic]
Cope, David - Spirals (1976)
Hackbarth, Glenn - low end (omaggio:cm) (2007, rev. 2008) [a little on the dry side, but still an interesting work]
Hiller, Lejaren - Malta (1971)
Lazarof, Henri - Cadence VI (1974) [You have to pre-record the tape part, but this is a very good earlier work in the genre]
McLean, Priscilla - Beneath the Horizon III (1978)
Ross, Walter - Midnight Variations (1971)
Ruggiero, Charles - Fractured Mambos (1990)
Srinivasan, Asha – Dyadic Affinities (2013) [Like the first work, a solid piece that is accessible yet musically challenging and satisfying]
Witkin, Beatrice - Breath and Sounds (1975) [interesting older work; as far as I can tell, the first work for tuba+electronics by a female composer]
Wyatt, Scott - Three for One (1990)

Interactive electronics works

Unfortunately, a lot of these works require tech setups that are relatively difficult to put together.

Deyoe, Nicholas – Wouldn’t Need You (2011)
Harvey, Jonathan - Still (1997) [very satisfying work]
Hayward, Robin - Plateau Square (2011)
Helmuth, Mara – Expanding Space (2011)
Lanza, Mauro - Burger Time ou les tentations de Saint Antoine (2001-02)
Lippe, Cort - Music for Tuba and Computer (2008) [If you have access to someone who is very capable with Max/MSP, this is a good choice]
Nono, Luigi - Post-prae-ludium no. 1 per Donau (1987) [In my opinion, this is one of the true masterpieces for the tuba. However, the electronics are fairly difficult to put together, and require a new digital realization and electronics technician in order to perform]
Poore, Melvyn - One, Two, Three for Tuba and Delay System (1979)
Poore, Melvyn - Death Be Not Proud (2009)
Staern, Benjamin - Endast luft och brus (2004-05)
Subotnick, Morton – The First Dream of Light (1980)
Weber, Monte - Colossus (2013-14)


Hope this helps,

Aaron H

One piece that hasn't been mentioned is Jerome (Jerry) Grant's Time Cycles. It's been recorded by Jim Self and Sergio Carolino and it's a great audience piece.

I'd like to chime in on A Distant Thunder, too! I met Mike through a mutual friend at Texas and I've performed the piece (the old 1/4" tape version) a couple of times in the 1990's. As I recall it's not difficult to put together from an ensemble standpoint, which isn't always the case with these pieces. Definitely worth checking out!

Hey Stephen:

I wrote a 4 movement work in 2009 entitled Diversions. The composition is for tuba and piano so it doesn't incorporate electronics but it is written in a contemporary vein. I've included a url to the sound cloud recordings below. Let me know if you are interested.

Diversions for Tuba and piano https://soundcloud.com/kendallprinz/set ... -and-piano

Enjoy!