Octaves in Symphony Fantastique?

[DaTubaKid]

It's all perception. The sounds you hear coming out of your bell are not 100% the same sounds the conductor will yet. You still don't HAVE to be a teacher to understand that. You can be a listener. The perception of the audience will be different than the performer. But you don't HAVE to do that either. Simply being aware of the physics of your horn, can do the trick.

If standing in front of an ensemble is what you need to further your tuba studies, by all means, do what works for you. But that doesn't mean that'll work for everybody.

[windshieldbug]

I'd hate to not do it in an audition

In an audition, the parts are supplied or the edition noted. At worst, you can always ask before.

[windshieldbug]

How bout if I brought an ophicleide? AND could play it?

Then you could give March to the Scaffold a whole new meaning...

[Charlie Goodman]

Turns out you can be getting a degree studying tuba and still, for all practical purposes, know just about nothing. I'm doing it, and it seems I'm not alone here. Don't take everything so personally, guys.

[Mark]

March to the Scaffold has Bb's that are repeated octave jumps in the regular parts. With the repeat, and a crummy conductor, it can be a lengthy ordeal. Does that help?

Some editions of SF have that repeat and some don't. I was in a rehearsal where this was a problem on the first read through. There was a quick and easy fix; and, I hope some one talked to the librarian.

[DaTubaKid]

For the most part, Rob, I agree with you. Our difference in opinions is subtle. I certainly won't deny that performing can be a great way to develop as a teacher. I just don't believe it is the end-all be-all of musical growth. Simply listening to recordings can give a teacher the knowledge and familiarity with high quality performance to help him teach it.

Like I said, I don't disagree with you. I disagree with making a general statement about it. Teaching, performing, listening to recordings, going to concerts, reading articles from magazines, talking to other tuba players on tubenet are all ways to develop as musicians and as people. Some ways work more for some than others. No one has a right to say that one way is better than an other because it is different for everyone.

Words like "have to" and "will" should be replaced with "should" or "could" to convey that there is a possibility a method will work for someone, and a possibility it won't.

Sort of back to the original topic...

I'd hate to not do it in an audition

Professor Moore at U of I always tells us to prepare all parts from the audition list so that you are ready for any curve balls they might throw at you. A good example of this is Petrouchka. I haven't seen the eighth note section called (I also haven't auditioned much), but it could be called. Plus, between the two versions, the octave of the part differs. Preparing all possible outcomes means you know exactly how to handle all curveballs.

[TexTuba]

for example in the front of the band, the director says play lighter, and keeps on saying it and trying to make music and you are trying your best to play light but cant get any lighter or softer....but when ur up there at the front you hear that and then it sparks your thinking and maybe a compromise must be made between performer and conductor

Ever been in a situation like that while playing, ive been in front and in a band....2 different viewpoints

I gotta say, for a performance major you sure do post alot!! LOL

Ralph ALL in fun...

[Chuck(G)]

Where Berlioz uses two ophicleides, doesn't he usually put them in octaves? I don't know that there's a definite advantage to playing them that way on tuba, other than to give a thrill to the guy on F.

Here's another work, the third movement from the Symphonie Funèbre et Triomphale:



Is there any 2-ophicleide work of Berlioz where he doesn't do this?

[MartyNeilan]

But performance is not just about being able to play, its about being able to learn stuff and probably even more importantly, sharing what you know with others

I have been following your posts for a while, and it is quite obvious that you are very young and have little or no real first-hand experience.

There are two types of clueless people on this board:
There is the Bob1062 kind, a friendly fellow with no pretenses who just has a million questions about everything and hasn't quite figured out what he is going to do with it all yet.
Then there is the kind that is so clueless they don't even realize it yet.

[UDELBR]

Could you tell me what recordings and what orchestras? I'd like to listen to those recordings and find out why the "big-time" orchestras are going against convention.

Because they've made the outlandish choice to play what's on the page?

Someone once posted this Berlioz quote (his opinion of others 'editing' his works) on TubeNet, one of the previous times this same question came up:

"No, no, no, a million times no! You musicians, you poets, prose-writers,
actors, pianists, conductors, whether of third or second or even first
rank, you do not have the right to meddle with a Shakespeare or a
Beethoven, not even to bestow on them the blessings of your knowledge and
taste."

"Is this not the utter ruin and destruction of art? And ought not we, all
of us who are in love with the glory of art and vigilant to protect the
inalienable rights of the human spirit, ought we not, when we see them
attacked, to rise up in our wrath and pursue and indict the malefactor, and
cry aloud for all to hear, "Your crime is contemptible--despair! Your
stupidity is criminal--die! May you be scorned! May you be hissed and
hooted! May you be accursed! Despair and die!"

Uncle "improvises on his own dime" Beer

[joebob]

Ed - I've certainly heard of tubists playing it in octaves, but not enough to where I would call it a "convention" or say that "most" orchestras do it that way. Can you tell me which orchestras you've heard play it in octaves. In my limited experience in playing it and hearing it, I've only heard it played as written. I've heard that Pokorny likes to do the octaves. Who else does that?

Thanks

Also, I have heard that some people do the Dies Irae in octaves (or more!). Is there some sort of historical point behind this, or does it just sound cool?

Thanks!

I just came across this thread. Bob, it's become accepted for the two tubas to play the Dies Irae in octaves. Most conductors, in my experience, don't know this. We just do it and it sounds good. It's not written that way, but it's the way it's done in pretty much every pro modern orchestra.

Hey, look, my 50th post - what a milestone!

[BVD Press]

Ed - I've certainly heard of tubists playing it in octaves, but not enough to where I would call it a "convention" or say that "most" orchestras do it that way. Can you tell me which orchestras you've heard play it in octaves. In my limited experience in playing it and hearing it, I've only heard it played as written. I've heard that Pokorny likes to do the octaves. Who else does that?

Columbus (Ohio) plays it with an F Tuba on bottom and a C on top. It is a quite a nice color!