Nonstandard solos for auditions

[BopEuph]

Just out of curiosity.

What are the feelings of orchestras if an auditionee was to use a solo outside of the standard tuba rep? Say, like the Mozart Bassoon Concerto down an octave or something?

I'm asking since I'm transferring to a tuba player from euphonium playing, and I have a ton of repertoire that would take little work to move to tuba, when compared to, say, the Vaughan-Williams.

[k001k47]

When I was a freshman in kollij, the audition material was 2 contrasting pieces, or excerpts of choice. I transposed the Siegfried horn call for one of them, and got the chair.



. . . but I was the only one to audition so. . .

||If I were on an audition panel, I might find it refreshing to listen to something other than the boring standard rep tubaists have to choose from.

[Dan Bradley]

There is nothing wrong with using other literature unless the solo is specified. In fact, it's a cool thing to do.

From what I understand, Gene Pokorny played "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" at his Chicago Symphony audition (flute piece) and Carol Jantsch played a trumpet piece by Allen Vizzuti at the Philadelphia Orchestra audition.

Good luck,
Dan Bradley
VA

[Mark]

In your example, I'd be a little concerned about a bassoon player being on the audition committee. In my experience some musicians don't look kindly on other instruments appropriating their solos. I don't agree with this; but it does happen. Just ask some cello players about playing one of the Bach cello suites.

[BopEuph]

Thanks for the info!

Mark, as a euphonium player who worked on the Bach Suites, the Hummel and Mozart bassoon concerti, Rondo for Trumpet, and the Capuzzi bass concerto (among many others), I completely understand.

Funny story, I played the first suite on euphonium for a Janos Starker masterclass in college. He loved it, while I got death stares from the cello studio.

Speaking of the suites, do tuba players tend to work on them at pitch, like John Fletcher? I don't think I can do that without an Eb or F!

[Mark]

Speaking of the suites, do tuba players tend to work on them at pitch, like John Fletcher? I don't think I can do that without an Eb or F!

There is a set of transcriptions for tuba by Ralph Sauer that are in an easier range. I'd still play them on a bass tuba; but I heard Chris Olka play one on a big Eastman 6/4 CC contrabass and it sounded fantastic.

[k001k47]

Speaking of the suites, do tuba players tend to work on them at pitch, like John Fletcher? I don't think I can do that without an Eb or F!

The previously mentioned transcriptions are good if you have problems with the range, and if you want to play on contrabass; Andy Smith gave a recital of a couple of transpositions at my old school on a Rudy 3/4, and I enjoyed it immensely. I've taken the 1st prelude ending down an octave like a whimp, because I couldn't play it with the sonority the music calls for at the end, but the rest of it isn't too difficult on f tuba as written. I've also practiced the 2nd suite prelude an octave down on CC for low range exercise, and it's a lot of fun. That Fletcher recording of Menuet 2 is a great tuba moment he left for us.

[timayer]

Look towards the oboe repertoire.

THANK YOU. Not enough people talk about this. The Mozart Oboe Concerto works really well on F tuba.

I'll second the warning regarding a player of that instrument being on the panel. Beyond the possible offense (Some really do; I don't get it; I always offer them the Vaughan Williams concerto for them to play on their instrument...), there is the issue of the piece not sounding on tuba the way it sounds on its intended instrument. The players who know the piece really well on the intended instrument will be left wondering if it is different simply because of the instrument or a fault of the player. The biggest area of consideration here is phrasing - no matter what we do, we'll be taking more breaths than oboe players. That will change the musicality of the piece, and every change will be noticed. This isn't insurmountable, but the performance has to be VERY convincing to get past that issue.

[Mike C855B]

Look towards the oboe repertoire. ...

... The Mozart Oboe Concerto works really well on F tuba. ...

Dagger stares from the oboe contingent here.

I enjoy playing Mozart horn concertos on a BBb, frankly, and I've used them for auditions. The Eb notation (cheater treble to bass transposition) falls well to the fingers and all four fit well within the meat of my best tone range.

My best non-tuba piece audition was decades ago. My chosen work was the pedal line of Bach's Fugue in G Minor. The panel loved it enough to gift me with first chair.

[k001k47]

staff.

To me heroic horn solos sound comical when played on the tuba...

Any tuba "solo" sounds comical to me, especially when it attempts to show off a "high range"

[k001k47]

well...
I should probably start playing some of those heroic-sounding horn pieces (as I was assigned to play in kolij) in the profundo basso octave, because the only chair I ever get to sit in at my gigs is "last chair".

I'm imagining that sounding like that insurance commercial, where the snoring grandpa's nose is whistling flight of the bumble bee, but with flatulence

[BopEuph]

Thanks for the replies.

Yeah, the bassoon lit is likely too notey for tuba...especially the Hummel, if played down an octave. Of course, I have a ton of euph lit, but I'm not really a fan of most of the solos.

Some of the local orchestras don't even seem to require solos for tuba. Orlando Phil doesn't, yet there's is a "solo of choice" requirement for the double bass when auditions come through.

[happyroman]

There is nothing wrong with using other literature unless the solo is specified. In fact, it's a cool thing to do.

From what I understand, Gene Pokorny played "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" at his Chicago Symphony audition (flute piece) and Carol Jantsch played a trumpet piece by Allen Vizzuti at the Philadelphia Orchestra audition.

Good luck,
Dan Bradley
VA

Jake sat next to Solti during the finals when Gene played the Debussy. Solti reportedly said "This is ridiculous." Jake told him, "But Maestro, if it had been written for tuba, wouldn't you want it to sound like this?"

Bottom line is that if you play something non-standard, you will need to play it extremely well.

[BopEuph]

Bottom line is that if you play something non-standard, you will need to play it extremely well.

I'd hope the goal is this with any piece of music. Sure, tuba literature will be heckled at less than oboe literature, but the latter is also a little more familiar, which is both a blessing and a curse.

But I'm glad to know I don't have to feel like I need to go and start stocking up on a ton of the tuba literature. I have stacks of euphonium competition literature that I'll never play again, and that's fine with me.

[k001k47]

I'm asking since I'm transferring to a tuba player from euphonium playing, and I have a ton of repertoire that would take little work to move to tuba, when compared to, say, the Vaughan-Williams.

Why not just learn the euph music on tuba? Modern big name tubaists seem to be extending the tuba tessitura higher in works commissioned for them. I'm sure I have a pffft attitude about it because I can't do it. I'd imagine there's also less of a possibility of getting dirty looks for stealing Euph rep in an orchestra panel.

In the end though, I think it's worth your time to learn the Vaughan Williams. It is our piece, after all, and it's nice music. Be proud of it

[BopEuph]

I've thought of it. Honestly, of all the euph literature, I really only care for the Jacob. Pantomime is nice, but that's as far as my care for euphonium literature goes. There's a reason we steal so much other literature! Some is better than others, but a lot of pieces that have been commissioned for competitions are too...experimental, I guess.

As for the Vaughan Williams, I do agree. It would take some time learning when compared to some things that I have ingrained into my musicality now.

[Dan Tuba]

I really enjoy working on the old "Cornet" solos. For Wind band/Symphonic Band/Brass band players, these solos really offer an enjoyable opportunity to employ some of the technical/musical skills that we work on in the Arban's and Clarke studies. Some of the required technical skills that these solos demand are very beneficial to a tuba player who performs regularly with the ensembles mentioned above, especially brass band. Would I play these solos for an orchestral audition? I don't know, I haven't auditioned for an orchestra.

[k001k47]

I'd agree with the notion that the euph hasn't gotten enough attention from composers. It's a pleasant instrument to listen to IMO

[jeopardymaster]

I did the Rachmaninoff Vocalise and Handel g Minor Oboe Concerto on my senior recital eons ago, both on CC, as well as some stuff originally for tuba. I wanted to program the Strauss Horn Concerto #1 as well but Sam thought that was too many transcriptions. I'd like to get the Handel back under my fingers on Eb if I can work out the transposition.

[BopEuph]

I'd agree with the notion that the euph hasn't gotten enough attention from composers. It's a pleasant instrument to listen to IMO

Agreed. The two pieces I mentioned really do show how the lyrical qualities of the euph shine, but I felt like most solos were just fast and high. A french horn player told me a joke among horn players: How do you get your horn to sound like a euphonium? Just blow air through it and move your valves as fast as possible.

I feel like one or two pieces from euph might transfer well to tuba, but the non-euphonium audience doesn't care about most of our literature, anyway. I'm not going to name a bunch of it so as to not offend the composers.