The Dead Will Only De-Compose

[Norlan Bewley]

I understand that the thread about "Who do YOU wish had written a tuba/euph solo" is just for fun speculation, however none of those deceased composers, regardless of their fame and talent, will ever compose anything again or ever for the tuba or euphonium.

With 4549 Tubenet members, if each one contributed $20 towards the commissioning of new solo works by living composers, there would be a pool of almost $91,000 to get started. Three more new members probably just joined as you read this, so now there'd be over $91,000. Would you give $20 for a chance at getting great music written for your instrument?

Sure, there would be the issues of who would decide who is commissioned to compose what for which instrument and in what style, etc, etc, but wouldn't that be more fun, interesting, and productive to discuss and figure out.

We know there are great composers who could write for the tuba and euphonium now. $91,000 would get their attention, or at least some of them. Even half that amount would do quite nicely.

Yes, there would be many organizational problems to address in raising the funds, non-profit status, etc. There are members here who know how to handle such matters well, I bet. No small feat, but it's the kind of speculation that can actually accomplish something many talk about wanting to have happen.

However Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Mahler, et al just are not available anymore.

I'm sure they could have used the money, though. It's not much different today.

And don't tell me you don't have $20.

If you want more of this, it's going to take this, $$$.


Everyone pitching in a little can add up to alot pretty fast!

Just a thought.....

[TexTuba]

I completely agree. I suppose that thread was sort of along the lines of what sports fans do with there "fantasy rosters." I, for one, would GLADLY give $20 to see new pieces. Personally, I love the works composed by Elizabeth Raum. WONDERFUL music, indeed!!!

Ralph

[Mark]

A few years ago, James Grant (http://www.jamesgrantmusic.com) solicited members for a consortium. Each member controbuted a small amount. I think it was around $80. In return, Grant composed 4 tuba solos. I was one of the contributors and I got my money's worth.

I would be willing to contribute $20.

[bill]

If someone were to want to commission a work for tuba with certain specifications, how would one go about it? What would a 8 to 10 minute orchestral piece cost, more or less?

[OldsRecording]

Yes, it's cool to be able to say "Let's go and commission more new works!" but where would we hear them? NPR? Occasionally you might hear something new and different, but usually it's the Dead Germans. Our concert halls? Not likely here either. More Dead Germans, or maybe El Salon Mexico. Why is this? Most of the Patrons of the Arts aren't interested in expanding the art or cultivating more new works. They just want to hear pretty, familiar melodies and rub elbows with the other Patrons of the Arts. I think what is more important then commissioning more new works, we need to underwrite more orchestras and contribute to more NPR stations so we will have a place for all of our new works to be heard. Okay, I'm off my soapbox now.

PS- wouldn't 'Dead Germans' be a great name for a band?

[dwaskew]

Is that where the Three Furies came from?[/quote]


Nope--as far as I know that was a Mark Nelson commission.
The commissioning consortium referred to is one that I encouraged him
to do and to write works that were accessible by a wide range of players/abilities. The result was one unaccompanied (Stuff) and three accompanied pieces (Just a Thought, High Autumn, and Endorphins) all are available from tubaeuphoniumpress.com

[BVD Press]

More details very soon, but here is a consortium I was working on a few months ago:

viewtopic.php?t=21478&highlight=barbara+york

Hopefully this week we will have a page up with information on how to participate.

[Stefan Kac]

I recall reading somewhere that Harvey Phillips has commissioned "literally hundreds" of works. I don't know if I could name five of them. That's no disrespect to Harvey or any of the composers; it's just that I don't think that many of these works (if there really are "literally hundreds" of them) have attained much visibility (audibility?) even among us tuba players. When I received the Phillips ITEA legacy project CD, I was taken entirely off guard by the Gunther Schuller piece. Here is a piece by one of the great musicians of his generations and no one so much as mentions it, here or elsewhere.

I think the TubeNet community as a group has about the most conservative musical taste of any group of people I know, whether that be by electronic or traditional means. There's nothing wrong with that, but to be honest, I think it is kind of funny the way this topic keeps coming up over and over again, and meanwhile not a day goes by here that anything the least bit avant-garde is laughed off the stage. I don't find the Schuller to be a masterpiece per se, but I like it a lot and would love to perform it myself or at least hear it played at some point. As OldsRecording asks, where will this be able to happen?

I'll gladly put up $20, but Bloke makes a good point. I just paged through the Tuba Euphonium Press catalog; there are hundreds of pieces I've never heard of by people I've never heard of. I'm sure that there are a modest number of discoveries waiting to be made there, but I can't afford to buy the whole catalog. We need a consortium of people to each buy one of these "known unknowns", hire a pianist who reads their *** off, make a rough recording and write a review. If at that point we all still feel so deprived, maybe then the will to commission will be a bit stronger.

[TexTuba]

Speaking of TubaEuph Press, how many of you all know the Jan Kryzwicki (sp?) Concerto for Tuba? That is an AMAZING piece of music! I plan to buy a copy of it as soon as the dough materializes...

Ralph

[Mark]

PS- wouldn't 'Dead Germans' be a great name for a band?

The Warped Bombards ©

Firebombing Dresden

[T. J. Ricer]

Not to go astray a bit on the topic, but one of the new pieces worth checking out in the Tuba/Euph Press catalog is "Sonatina for Piano and Tuba" by Doug Spata. . . I premiered it at SERTEC 2005 and Craig Sutherland (principle tuba, Rochester Philharmonic) recently played it in recital. Tim Olt posted the first movement on his site http://www.timolt.com/studentsounds/

That site includes several new works.

Let's support the guys who are already out there writing for tuba, as well as encouraging more people to do so.

--T. J.

[LoyalTubist]

As far as I know Earle Hagen (who also composed "Harlem Nocturne") is still alive...

http://imdb.com/name/nm0006120/

[circusboy]

I, too, think it's a grand idea. You've got my twenty simoleans.

Choosing the composer will be the real tough one--and the type of piece.

My vote would be for a solo by

Silvestrov
Gorecki
Reich
Erb
Blackwood

or maybe Damon Albarn, now that he's written an opera

[LoyalTubist]

I go with Joe. Maybe we should contact Earle Hagen to write a tuba solo.