Colonel Bogey... for orchestra

[quinterbourne]

Playing a concert with Colonel Bogey (Alford) on the program. Publisher is Boosey and Hawkes. 3 trombones and euphonium. I got the euphonium part. Most of it is very "tuba'ish" except the trio. I'm trying to get that euph part played by a trombone player (maybe on an actual euph)... I'll probably cover 3rd trombone part for the trio. Could any of you give some advice on this? Have you played it in orchestra before, and if so how did you handle the parts?

Attached is a copy of the euph part

[Tom Waid]

I remember having to play this part last Forth of July with a local pops orchestra. As the tuba player I had to play it on my CC. Of course everything is fine until the last part of the trio. Since it was an encore and fireworks were going off I went ahead and played the high part (though it was not perfect.) Screech tuba is not an appropriate sound for this part but, if my memory serves me, I believe the cellos have this with you. With that in mind it's probably better to let the cellos have it all to themselves.

[Toobist]

Hah! Last time I played this, I brought a euph along and got doubling pay. Sshhhh... don't tell 'em I coulda easily played it on my CC.

[iiipopes]

As we all know, "Kenneth Alford" is actually the pseudonym for Fredrick Joseph Ricketts, an early 20th century British officer who wrote under the pseudonym at a time it was not considered proper for a British officer to have any contemporaneous outside interests until after retirement, especially since he was commissioned Director of Music in the Royal Marines.

He was one of the best march composers ever, up there with the likes of Sousa, Fillmore, King and others. So he knew exactly what he was doing in writing the part. It would be a disservice to the music to play it anywise other than exactly as written with the instrument indicated, in this case, euphonium.

[OldBandsman]

Yes, I remember playing this at an orchestra pops concert. As I recall the trombones kept with their assigned parts and I played this on BBb tuba, (D and G Major fingerings seemed to sit under my fingers easily). I left the first half of trio to the bassoons and cellos... played the last half an octave down from where it is written... still sounds terrific! It was fun to play the counter melody.

It would be interesting to know if "Kenneth Alford" also wrote the orchestra arrangement.

John Roberts

[GC]

It would be interesting to know if "Kenneth Alford" also wrote the orchestra arrangement.

Especially considering how very different it is from the band part.

[Tubaryan12]

Especially considering how very different it is from the band part.

It's worth noting that the version most of us know, (from the movie; The Bridge on the River Kwai) was arranged with a new added counter melody by Malcolm Arnold.

RC

Harry Herforth has a brass quintet arrangement of this piece he calls "Col. Bogey (Goes to Hollywood)" where we play the original melody, then the counter melody, trio, then both melodies together.

[finnbogi]

It's worth noting that the version most of us know, (from the movie; The Bridge on the River Kwai) was arranged with a new added counter melody by Malcolm Arnold.

RC

Since we're already wandering off the straight and narrow path, I'd like to mention Dudley Moore's wonderful parody of a Beethoven piano sonata using the whistling tune as the main theme.

[iiipopes]

If the music says B&H with "original selling agent" etc., then it is the first edition which he scored for brass band, concert band and orchestra.

Yes, the movie version completely changed everything after the first strain.