Stars and Stripes- pic. solo (trill question)...

[jon112780]

I looked in the archives, but nothing much came up as to the trills themselves. The trills on the whole notes (if it's an Eb) would go up a step to F, but what about the trills on the quarter notes?

They are more like grace notes (?), so is it just one grace note or two?
If it's just one, then it would be a 1/2 step down from the original quarter note (say from a D up to an Eb)?

If it's two grace notes, then it's would be a whole step, then a 1/2 step (say a C, D, then up the the quarter note Eb)?

I'm playing this in a couple of weeks, and I've heard a couple different instrumentalists do slightly different things with it, but not sure which one is correct...

thanks!

[Todd S. Malicoate]

I play two grace notes...the same note as the quarter note first followed by a step above (in the key). Eb-F for the first one, Db-Eb in bar 9, and so on. I play them just before the beat. Whether this is "correct" or not is up for debate. Better yet, here's what I do:

[markaustinhowle]

here's what I do:

I'd do it the same way except for the very end. I'd continue the Eb to F trill right into the final note Ab. (So the last three notes would be Eb F Ab instead of D natural Eb Ab) I also agree to treating the quarter note trills like two grace notes, playing them right before the beat.

[jmerring]

Although it is no longer on the site, the Dallas Wind Symphony had an authoritative discussion of the performance of this piece. Therein, it was stated that the grace notes to the piccolo part were to be played directly on the downbeat. That would, in my opinion, make them a bit more difficult, because of the extreme sudden changing from Eb to Ab following.

There was another interesting note, that Sousa requested, very late in his tenure with the President's Own. On the 13th measure of the trio (clarinets), the first beat was to be 1/16th & dotted 1/8th note (rather than two eighth notes), thereby giving a 'Spanish' flair to that measure. The exact notes escape my memory at this time. I'll try to look it up.

I wonder if anyone else knows of this information and where it could be verified?