Music that hits your Sour Spot

Dean E · Post by **Dean E** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 1:53 am

Reveille

The Macarena

YMCA

MC Rove

USTuba08 · Post by **USTuba08** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 9:33 am

bloke wrote:Your perspectives, so far, seem to reflect

- music with uninteresting tuba parts
- music with nearly impossible-to-play-yet-ungratifying tuba parts
- music with no tuba parts
- music that you have played far too often
___________________________________

These are probably the same people that think Richard Straus is a great composer.

You've hit the nail right square in the head. Those that don't like Brahms and Mozart and Bach need to realize that "the cream will always rise to the top" to quote a good friend of mine.

Jonathan Fowler · Post by **Jonathan Fowler** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 10:58 am

I like Mozart and Bach, but cannot stand the likes of Mach.

lgb&dtuba · Post by **lgb&dtuba** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 11:17 am

The Chicken Dance.

At least once a set, every set for the past 11 years.

GC · Post by GC » Wed Apr 04, 2007 2:21 pm

Elvira. The Oak Ridge Boys do it in C. We do it in G, a fourth lower. I have to sing the bass part down a fourth, dammitall.

Fortunately, we retired it years ago, but we still get an occasional demented request.

ZNC Dandy · Post by **ZNC Dandy** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 2:44 pm

GC wrote:Elvira. The Oak Ridge Boys do it in C. We do it in G, a fourth lower. I have to sing the bass part down a fourth, dammitall.

Fortunately, we retired it years ago, but we still get an occasional demented request.

That sucks. If you have to sing waaaay down there. Almost painful isn't it. Richard Sterban has one of the best bass voices of all time. So huge and clear. He's a big influence on my tuba sound.

TubaSteve · Post by **TubaSteve** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 3:35 pm

It's good to see that I am not the only one who doesn't care for Copland's stuff. "Emblems" Yechhh!!!!!

I also have to give a nod to the poster who stated there was a reason for some of Sousa's rarely played marches. Rarely played because they were not any good in the first place, but I will still play SSFE happily. Perhaps I havn't played it too much, but we usually only play it one or two times a year. I can live with that.

Also, usually someones doctoral "opus" that our community band director finds is usually better suited for the bird cage.
Steve

Tubaguy56 · Post by **Tubaguy56** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 5:28 pm

oh this entire thread makes my blood boil with memories of bad pieces!

IVES SECOND SYMPHONY!!!! GARRR!!!!

oh, but wait, in that paticular concert I also got to play the virtually unheard of Suite from the Incredible Flutist by Piston!

oh, and what could top off that already amazing concert set besides Lincoln Portrait by COPLAND?

remember guys, this was ONE concert, in a HIGH SCHOOL youth symphony, which means 10 or so rehearsals of 3 hours each. The conductor didn't understand why the orchestra hated him so much for ten weeks.....

Gar, and yes, forced is not an exaggeration, it's a long story....

Copland, Ives, Webern, anyone in that vein---GARRR

Sousa is alright for me as long I don't play him too much (hence why I'm not even considering some of the military bands)

Can I say Ives again? I've had the "joy" of coming into contact with his pieces way too many times

Oh, and ditto for Emblems, I actually managed to develop a migrain during rehearsals.

TubaRay · Post by **TubaRay** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 9:04 am

MikeMiller wrote:I hate having to spend 6 weeks of rehearsal on stuff that we should be able to do in one.

This is a complaint I have had on many, many occasions. I have been part of a group with a conductor who I believe places a greater emphasis on the appearance of rehearsing than on actually rehearsing.

MaryAnn · Post by **MaryAnn** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 4:01 pm

Vivaldi. He wrote the same piece 500 times. When it comes on the radio, I change the station.

Handel's Messiah. I played it too many times in out-of-tune high school orchestras that sounded like mulitple cats in agony, and I just can't get away from that memory when I hear it, even if it is played wonderfully. I can generally stand it if it is played by all brass instruments, though.

Anything by a certain composer who goes over the top with self-promotion, and I won't say any more about that even if queried privately.

MA

ken k · Post by **ken k** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 5:20 pm

the only thing that I hate that was mentioned here is Pachelbel Canon (not really even considering rap and country as music, although I do like Johnny Cash)

I am not sure how you could hate the New World Symphony, granted the tuba part sucks but aren't you linstening? same goes for Mozart. Rent Amadeus and listen to the music in the soundtrack. it is a little slow-moving harmonically, but the expression and simplicity of it is what makes it beautiful.

I can understand pieces that people have played to death, SASF, Pomp & Circumcision, etc. Them Basses is just hokey. And the whole serial music thing is not listenable to me. Not sure I understand why you all hate Copland either. Isd that because you played them too often? I love his ballets. His later stuff got a bit weird. I guess people say the same thing about Andrew Lloyd Weber.
gotta run, I'll be back.
ken k

Aco · Post by **Aco** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 7:02 pm

Barber's Adagio

KevinYoung · Post by **KevinYoung** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 7:13 pm

American Soldier?!!

I loved that march! That break up strain is by far one of best ones to blat away on! I agree that there's not much music in it, but it was so much fun to piss off my commander. I thought he (j j j j j J. S.) was a complete idiot.

Kevin "remembering the good ol' days" Y.

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 12:25 am

GC wrote:Elvira. The Oak Ridge Boys do it in C. We do it in G, a fourth lower. I have to sing the bass part down a fourth, dammitall

"Oom papa oom papa mow mow"

OldsRecording · Post by **OldsRecording** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 8:29 am

Barber's Adagio

Yes,it was kind of tedious in "Platoon"(a la 'Lara's Theme in "Dr. Zhivago") but I do rather enjoy it in its "Agnus Dei" setting.

MikeS · Post by **MikeS** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 10:41 am

MaryAnn wrote:Handel's Messiah. I played it too many times in out-of-tune high school orchestras that sounded like mulitple cats in agony, and I just can't get away from that memory when I hear it, even if it is played wonderfully. I can generally stand it if it is played by all brass instruments, though.
MA

The worst part for me is "His Yoke is Easy." When the tenors come in for the first time to introduce the minor variation and half of them sing the phrase exactly like they did the first eight times. I'm normally a reasonably tolerant sort, but when you hear people who have made the same mistake consistently for forty-odd years...

The second worst part of "Messiah" is hearing pompous twits moan about performances that are not "authentic." This usually means using more vocalists than Handel used at the premier. It also means ignoring that Handel was his own promoter and had to pay the singers out of his own pocket, cover expenses, and still have something left over for the orphans. He might have loved it with 400 singers but he darned well couldn't afford it. I don't know and they don't know, so I wish they would stop pretending they do.

tubiker · Post by **tubiker** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 6:07 am

Greetings

Malcolm Arnolds The Return of Odysseus is an absolute dog

Sir Malc must have been having an absolute brainstorm that day - its for Choir and Orchestra and really shows up his lack of choral awareness and interest. It makes Elgar seem interesting............ that bad

Bin it

Andrew M

Albertibass · Post by **Albertibass** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:00 am

UncleBeer wrote:Dvorak's 9th: "New World".

i know my response is late, but i definatley agree with you. We are playing that with the youth symphony im in. and there are some rehearsels where we dont even rehearse the 2nd mvt. (where the tuba plays) But still!! i have to go to rehearsel. even if that is all we are doing. I am one un-happy bear.

OldsRecording · Post by **OldsRecording** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 4:08 pm

*****WARNING! SENSITIVE SUBJECT ALERT!******
The other day I was listening to the Vaughan Williams Tuba Concerto in the car, and as much as I love VW (the Tallis Variations...mmmmm....) I came to the conclusion that the concerto is simply not a great piece of music. Granted, the second movement is quite lovely, but the 1st and 3rd, well, not so much. If you are going to throw tomatoes, my only request is that you take them out of the can.

TubaRay · Post by **TubaRay** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 4:41 pm

OldsRecording wrote:*****WARNING! SENSITIVE SUBJECT ALERT!******
The other day I was listening to the Vaughan Williams Tuba Concerto in the car, and as much as I love VW (the Tallis Variations...mmmmm....) I came to the conclusion that the concerto is simply not a great piece of music. Granted, the second movement is quite lovely, but the 1st and 3rd, well, not so much. If you are going to throw tomatoes, my only request is that you take them out of the can.

I have heard many express the same or a similar sentiment. I don't think the first and third movements are great music, but they are historical for those of us who play tuba. I really, really like the second movement, though.

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