Vaughan-Williams ala Vaughan-Williams

[Z-Tuba Dude]

Has anyone recorded the VW Concerto, using Ralph's articulations? For better, or worse, I've become accustomed to Philip Catelinet's articulations. It would be interesting to hear how it was originally intended.

[Rick Denney]

Has anyone recorded the VW Concerto, using Ralph's articulations? For better, or worse, I've become accustomed to Philip Catelinet's articulations. It would be interesting to hear how it was originally intended.

Interestingly, the recording by Catelinet made the day after the premiere is not at all articulated the way Fletcher (or Lind) performed the work. By comparison, it is quite clipped.

I've never seen the original, but it seems to me that both Fletcher and Lind went in the direction of the articulation markings I've heard described by those who have seen the manuscript. I can't really imagine it being any smoother and being worth listening to.

Hans Nickel, on the other hand, seems to have articulated it as published, but (unlike Catelinet), did so to modern musical standards (to put it charitably). He makes a strong case for the published version. Bill Bell's recording likewise. Both understood the essential humor.

Rick "thinking RVW would roll his eyes at how seriously we take that work" Denney

[eupher61]

But a Besson F is an amazing instrument. I've played maybe 5 or 6, and aside from issues from a massive customizing job on one of them--added a tritone 4 th valve--they've all been extremely consistent. GRRRRRREAT solo horns.

[greatk82]

Just yesterday I found my old bright yellow copy of the original publication for tuba and piano with all Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's pencil marks from 1969.

I am also quite fond of the Professor James Moriarty's markings.

[Albertibass]

Sunday, August 26, 2007
The Vaughn Williams Concerto

It happened again and each time it gets more painful. While chatting on Skype with a friend, an old student from Le Domaine Forget in Quebec and the Royal Northern Collage of Music in Manchester, I found myself involved again defending my preference of the original phrase and articulation markings found in the hand written score of the Vaughn Williams Concerto, which used to appear only with the rented orchestra parts. Quite simply, those markings in the old score sound better than the printed phrase and articulation markings in the 1954 Oxford University Press version.

The Vaughan Williams Concerto was dedicated to the composer’s nephew who played and loved the tuba. It was premiered in 1954 in with Sir John Barbaroli conducting the Halle Orchestra, and Philip Catelinet played that premier.

I met Philip Catelinet in Montreux Switzerland in 1972 at the First International Brass Symposium. He was a very nice man and a very talented man. He was an arranger, composer, euphoniumist and pianist but he was not a tubist. His arrangements and compositions are still quite visible particularly in the British Band world. I’m sure there is an interesting story about how he became the one to premier this concerto but I have never heard it.

I have, however, heard a recording of the 1954 premier of the concerto and although I hold deep respect for Mr. Catelinet as a very talented and well-versed musician I must say in all honesty that his tuba playing was very disappointing.

Having played the Vaughn Williams concerto many times and having studied the original hand written score that came with the rental of the orchestra parts, I noticed that the tuba part had phrase and articulation markings that were quite different from the printed version. When playing the original articulations and phrases in the hand written score, I found that to my ears they sounded strikingly better.

After several performances I wrote the Oxford University Press and inquired why the original markings were changed. Their answer was that Vaughn Williams liked to give such editing decisions to the performers and that all the articulation, phrasing and breathing markings were the decision of Philip Catelinet.

Now we face a dilemma, should we play the editings made by a non-tubist over 50 years go or should we take the prerogative and make our own editings? Most tubists today who are performing the Vaughn Williams Concerto are far more sophisticated than the time that Mr. Catelinet made those editings, shouldn’t the tubists of today have the same prerogative that Mr. Catelinet had a half century ago?

But what of the audition, competition and exam panels, juries, Judges and commissions that don’t know the Vaughn Williams Tuba Concerto history, will we be judged negatively for parting from the ink? Having been a member of many of these panels and commissions I can say that there is usually a lot more the judges are listening for than, a perfectly in tune and perfect reading of every detail exactly as printed. We can only answer that question for ourselves; however, I believe strongly that we can far better make the right decision after we are able to play both versions. However, the original version is also problematic, there are phrase markings that are so long that one must take a breath in mid hand written phrase, therefore I have a third edition, the one I used to use that (for want of a better name) I call the Bobo version. I will put the exposition of the first movement as part of this blog so a comparison can be made.


Further, when I teach this concerto I have the player learn four versions, the printed Catelinet version, the markings in the hand written score version, the Bobo version and finally a copy with no markings or edititings at all, so that the player is free to make his own version.

The tuba is such a young instrument that I find it sad that many players show a fear to move forward. We’ve come so far in such a short time it seems a shame to get stuck in an old school time zone.

Is it possible that the tuba’s coming of age has been affected by the fact that it’s growth has been more or less parallel with the emerging industrial age and is it possible that mass production vs quality has compromised our artistic integrity? The Vaughn Williams Tuba Concerto is a fine work; I hope we can let it evolve to the quality it deserves.

- August 26, 2007, Tokyo

http://bomaestro.blogspot.com/

i saw this on roger bobo's blog a few months ago.

[Z-Tuba Dude]

So, I'm guessing that there are no recordings, which use the composer's articulation markings....?