the brass ensemble compositions of Victor Ewald

[roweenie]

Interesting topic (and, no, I'll never get tired of #1!).

It's difficult to pick a favorite, with the exception of #4, which I played through, once, many years ago. I find it to be the weakest of them all, and I suspect, likely not even being written by him.

Numbers 2 and 3 are also so different from #1, that I've always had suspicions that they also were not written by him. The only one that I have personally seen as an "original" publication (not as an "arranged" Empire Brass edition) is #1, as published by Belaiev, around 1910 or so.

Excepting #4, they are all very fun to play, and as about as close to original Romantic-period works as a brass quintet will get. I think they are very accessible audience pieces, too.

I think the key to interpretation lies in the choice of instruments, partially. The original Belaiev #1 score calls for B flat cornets, E flat alto horn, B flat tenor horn, and a tuba part that was likely written for one in E flat (lowest note being A1). A homogeneous sound works best, IMHO. Polished technique is not nearly as important as is a good concept of Romantic-era interpretation.

That said, my favorite Romantic period brass work is the Böehme Sextet - in fact, in my youth I made an arrangement of it for quintet, but unfortunately I don't know where I put it.....

[roweenie]

The differences I see are in the idiomatic writing; #1 is obviously written for brass, while #3 almost seems as though it could have been written for string quartet. (I should correct myself here in saying that #2 and #3 could very well have been written by Ewald, just not originally for brass).

#2 seems to be sort of a "hybrid" (maybe transitional?)

[Ben]

These pieces stand up as works on their own. Recently I shared the Stockholm Brass Quintet recording with a string friend, and they were very impressed with all four quintets. So at least one non-brass player believes the works have merit!

Picking a favorite is a challenge. Especially when choosing between #3 and #4 as a favorite- there is something magical about the first 3 movements of quintet #4. Besides attempting to find a copy (one exists in the NYPL), performing #4 is a fierce challenge. Doing so musically even more so.

My one beef with Ewald, is I don't care much for his finale movements. I can safely say the same for the above mentioned Bohme. Of course, one can attribute that the the overall style of early brass romantic works, modern music doesn't have much of that happy/glib finale sound. History can't really be seen without the context in which we live, and I suspect music is no different.

[Michael Bush]

Ewald (pronounced Evald)

Thanks for this. That is what I always thought it must be, but then I heard Fred Child on the radio say it in the way that would come more naturally to an English-speaker, and figured he wouldn't likely be wrong. Shouldn't have let that shake me. This is obviously correct.

[MaryAnn]

You can always sort out the top-level performances:
- In the 5/4 movement, they don't bump 2+3, but - simply - play 1-2-3-4-5.

One of the huge advantages for us lower level players is having CDs available of high level players. If you can play along with the CD without a problem (I played euph on this one,) you can show up to rehearsal and be frustrated by the other players who can't do the 5/4.

[ken k]

Many Many years ago I heard the Chestnut Brass Company play the ewald 1 on conical bore instruments, cornets, alto and tenor horns and Eb tuba. very nice tone blended from top to bottom and the arpeggios in the 4th part layed much better on valves than the slide.
npt sure if they ever recorded any Ewalds.

My favorite recordings also are the Empire Quintet. When I studied with them in 1983 (was it really that long ago) at the Boston U Tanglewood Institute, they performed the first three quintets throughout the summer, so I got to hear them a few times for that month that I was there. Sam's sound is always in my mind.

kk

[ken k]

I'm just about as certain as I can be that I've played a FULL BRASS ENSEMBLE version of the first one entitled "Symphony For Brass"...with four horn parts, trumpets/trombones/baritone and tuba... and the whole kit and caboodle... Has anyone else every encountered that arrangement/expansion?
I believe I probably played it around 1975 or so.

there is also a sextet Robert King edition of it with the same name "Symphony for Brass" written for two trumpets horn trombone, baritone, and tuba.

kk