Tuba recitals

[Ian Stewart]

This is something I have been thinking about for some years now, although I suppose it is an undefined question.

I studied composition, piano and trombone and would have liked to change to tuba as a student. Among my favourite instruments are tuba, bass trombone, euphonium, bassoon and cor anglais, and I also know that there are many exceptional players on these instruments. It also appears that there are thousands of compositions for these instruments as well. So my question is, why do we rarely (if ever) see recitals with these instruments?

I live in London, one of the musical centres of the world, yet I never see a tuba recital in London advertised. Maybe the classical music public prefers piano, violin or cello; in fact it is only occasionally you see a viola recital.

As classical music it is supposedly loosing its audience, would recitals by other instruments, such as tuba be attractive to the concert going public. Maybe this is a strange question but it has been on my mind for sometime.

[LoyalTubist]

I politely disagree with the previous poster. Check through the mail order catalogs. Listen to recordings of some of the world class players.

In 1974, R. Winston Morris wrote the TUBA MUSIC GUIDE (published by the Instrumentalist Magazine). I would venture to say that I haven't heard more than about half of the professional solo literature mentioned in that book. Most of it is still available for publication. Look around. If you can find this book, get it. The late Fred Marzan also wrote a similar book, although it's not quite as detailed.

[LoyalTubist]

In my Junior, Senior, and Master's recitals, the only transcriptions I played were Baroque pieces, as they were required by the schools I attended. I had to play transcriptions because you know our instrument was not around until 1835!

[SousaSaver]

One of the most important pieces of Tuba solo literature, the Ralph Vaughan Williams Concerto was only published in 1955, but that doesn't mean there isn't a lot of good music to choose from. It only means that we have less to choose from than Trumpet players because there instrument has been around much longer.

This is an interesting and important problem that I plan on dealing with locally, than nationally if I can manage. (Listen to me, eh?)

You need to check the calendars of local universities and even contact the local Tuba instructors. They are usually more than happy to accommodate because it means that more people will see their performance. You aren't going to hear about it on the local television or radio, but if you look hard enough you will find performances.

[Ian Stewart]

Thank you for all your comments. I wonder if recitals of less usual instruments such as tuba would be attractive to audiences at a time when classical music is becoming less popular. For instance, if you listen to John Williams, one of the most popular film composers, the first thing that you notice is his exceptional use of brass. Recently I was involved in some orchestration for a computer game and the orchestra had tuba, cimbasso and bass trombone, so the interest is there.
Among my colleagues I have a reputation for liking unusual instruments yet I never see such recitals advertised. One of the most interesting things I have ever done was live broadcast on an alternative music station with four tubas and free jazz saxophone - however that only happened once.
A colleague of mine organises at least two recitals a week, mainly violin or cello with piano, piano trio, string quartet and sometimes a clarinet recital. Because I introduced him to one of the best classical saxophone players in the U.K. he is now putting on saxophone recitals. In fact people who have never heard a really good classical saxophone player cannot believe how beautiful the sound is. Perhaps it is time to introduce him to brass players.

However I still believe the more unusual instruments may be able to revive the flagging classical music scene.

[olaness]

Currently the classical music scene is shooting itself in the foot, collectively, by being too conservative in its programming. I work with an off the beaten track chamber group based a little north of London. The most commonly used excuse for not hiring the group is just that: it's off the beaten track. We get asked questions like, 'ooh, that's an unusual combination of instruments, can you play Beethoven string quartet op.xyz?' When the answer is no, that we do our own thing, we get turned down, with the statement that they have their usual stable of string quartets and piano trios that come back every year playing the same repertoire every year, and they have to keep them coming to keep the audiences interested, because audience numbers are dwindling year by year. That is a very commonly repeated excuse we get from a venue/organisation for turning us down. And they don't even see the irony in their own statement. I would love to put on tuba recitals, but some years ago when I put in some effort to promote myself for them I got a shortened version of the same answer, i.e. 'No (can barely contain my laughter at your preposterous proposal!)!!'. It didn't take me long to give up, as it took waaaay too much effort to get scheduled on a single one of these promotors' lists to make it worth while.

Regarding the availability of music - it is certainly some listenable music out there, it only takes some research to find it, but as was mentioned earlier in the post, the vast majority of tuba music out there is not worth the paper it's written on. That, however, does not differ one jot from any other instrument or group out there, it's just that there is not enough tuba music written to make that 1% or so of music that is genuinely good into a repertoire of a decent size. The fact that some pretty rubbish pieces get played to death in conservatories all over the place to the detriment of the decent music that is actually out there, doesn't help much either.

So in conclusion, as someone mentioned, there is a lot of very noticeable brass writing (or writing for the oh-so-overused MSN plastic orchestra imitating brass) in films and computer games, that one should have thought that the general public likes brass, including the tuba. Maybe they do, maybe they don't, the problem is that if they DO, then they don't know about it themselves, and this is where the problem lies - educating the general public. And currently that does seem a very difficult task, with the aforementioned computer orchestras taking over increasing amounts of the sound space that orchestras really should have occupied, and the presence of far too powerful people like Simon Cowell, who does what he can to de-educate people's musical tastes because this is in his own financial interest.

If anyone have got any goof ideas to counter these issues, then I for one, am all ears.

Ola

[Ian Stewart]

Good post Ola and I understand the situation you are describing. I know classical saxophone quartets and they all would play the same pieces. When the audiences shrunk they would narrow their repertoire even more, and just play the same handful of pieces by a couple of composers they thought (wrongly) would bring in the audience. My view is they should have extended their repertoire, maybe commission composers to write versions of Bowie and Radiohead tracks for instance, except in a classical style.

Do you think if you were to do a straight classical recital with piano you would get more interest? This would link the tuba historically with the recital tradition, which may mean the audience and promoters would be more sympathetic.

Also I have often wondered if a mixed recital may work, e.g. a cello sonata, tuba sonata, oboe sonata, in the same programme. I know it would mean the fee would be split into four instead of two but it may be a start. Recently I went to a recital that was a series of wind quartets - clarinet , bassoon, French horn and flute with a string trio. It was an excellent concert and well received. Do you think a concert of four brass sonatas - tuba, trumpet, French horn and trombone each with piano would be a novel way of presenting brass?
The other thing Ola is that with your reputation in England (playing with such established orchestras) I am sure you could convince people to give it a try. Maybe four brass soloists from an orchestra you play with.

[BVD Press]

There is not as much solo music as you would think, most of our solo music about half is borrowed from other instruments, then another quarter is just not that well written. That leaves a small amount that is actually good music to play and perform.

I would 100% disagree here. There are many more pieces than anyone could imagine out there currently. There are piles of new music that have been created in the last decade or so that is excellent. Look through the ITEA Journal programs and each quarter there will be listing of pieces being performed.

Here is a link to a new piece which might be of interest from Anthony O'Toole:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMaHLDR9 ... re=related

Good stuff in my view...

Maybe 20+ years ago the statements above would be true, but I don't believe this is the case anymore.

[Highams]

Thanks for the contact/link Ken, we are now in touch.

Chas

[Wyvern]

Very interesting thread particularly led by UK based TubeNeters.

One of my groups, Beenham Wind Orchestra does hold 6 monthly chamber music concerts in the historic setting of Old Bluecoat school in Thatcham, where a variety of small groups, such as saxophone quartet, flutes, clarinets, brass quintet and individual musicians from the orchestra perform. The first trumpet, flute and bassoon gave solo recitals at last concert and I plan to play the unaccompanied tuba solo Lyri Tech 1 by Eugene Anderson at the next on 28th June.

This has only started in the last year, but the idea could develop into something bigger.

[Ian Stewart]

The Old Bluecoat School school looks a beautiful venue Neptune, and the variety of recitals, bassoon, trumpet for instance is refreshing.
Frequently there are string quartet concerts where in one work, they will introduce another instrument for variety. For instance I have been asked to write a work for saxophone and string quartet for such a concert. If a tuba player had friends or colleagues in a string quartet would a tuba quintet work - I am convinced it would?
It is interesting that there is much talk about the decline of classical music when most of it is never performed, and most of the instruments are rarely used.

[Wyvern]

The problem, more though, is the sound of a tuba and a piano for 1-1/2 hours than it is the music.

I don't enjoy listening to any one instrument for that length of time. A recital with a variety of instruments giving tonal difference is always better. If a tubists has to perform alone for that length of time, then they would do well to at least switch between bass and contrabass tubas for tonal variety and use a cimbasso as well if they possess (now are there any works for solo cimbasso?)

Jonathan "who does not think the tuba 'mono-sonorous' any more than other brass instruments"

[BVD Press]

It's not often, but I do see a senior or graduate recital with just solo and piano music. Once, I saw Gregson, Hindemith, RVW, and Broughton on one recital playbill...AND THAT WAS IT. I wondered how many of the audience actually listened and fought off the urge to start playing with their I-phones.

I think programming should be part of a student's grade as much as the performance. Good grief, program a duet, or quintet....break the monotony. Involve another studio....involve many studios. That might get butts in the seats and interest in what's going on on stage rather than those dang angry birds.

Ken F.

Congrats to whatever student made Playbill!

[Todd S. Malicoate]

This is the actual program for a "graduate" recital I did a couple of years after getting my undergraduate degree:

Concerto for Bass Tuba and Orchestra.......Ralph Vaughan Williams
Allegro moderato
Romanza - Andante sostenuto
Finale - Rondo alla tedesca

Sonate for Tuba and Piano.......Paul Hindemith
Allegro pesante
Allegro assai
Moderato, commodo

Concertino for Tuba and Orchestra......Eugéne Bozza
Allegro vivo
Andante ma non troppo
Allegro vivo

INTERMISSION

Suite No. 4 for unaccompanied 'cello........Johann Sebastian Bach (transcribed TSM)
Praeludium
Allemande
Courante
Sarabande
Bourrée I & II
Gigue

Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14........Sergey Vassilievitch Rachmaninoff (transcribed TSM)

"Versatile" from Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano........Claude Bolling (transcribed TSM)

Jazz Set No. 2 for Tuba and Bongos...........arr. TSM
St. Thomas.......Sonny Rollins
Sir Duke........Stevie Wonder
Donna Lee......Charlie Parker

Naturally, that wasn't enough so I also performed an "encore" of Arban's Carnival of Venice variations on euphonium.

Instead of the traditional pianist, I opted instead for a Macintosh computer (an SE!) running "Studio Vision" (a sequencing/playback program), a Roland Sound Canvas sound module, and a bass amp. At least I was able to get a jazz trio at the touch of a button and didn't have to worry about the pianist missing notes or not following very well. This was before the age of "Smart Music" so I had to pre-program all of the tempi and dynamic shadings.

Too much?

I mean, all twelve people who attended told me afterwards they "liked it." Maybe they were just being polite.

[BVD Press]

I mean, all twelve people who attended told me afterwards they "liked it." Maybe they were just being polite.

I always felt they were required to go to my recitals and therefore literally captives...

[Ian Stewart]

I always felt they were required to go to my recitals and therefore literally captives...

Makes me think of story I heard in the 1970s. A well known British composer (who also played trombone) was asked to dep in a military band for a concert in an English prison. At the end of the concert the band master said to the inmates, that he and the band had really enjoyed playing for them, "and hoped to see them all again next year!".

[TexTuba]

I don't think it's just tuba recitals. I believe it's music recitals in general. Most schools require X amount of recitals students must attend each semester. If these requirements weren't in place, I wonder how many would have an audience...

[Biggs]

As far as scholastic recitals go, the after-party is key. My senior recital programming was, for a tuba recital, reasonably interesting (quintet, tuba quartet, tuba and 3 trombones, tuba and mixed media piano, C tuba solo, and an obligatory English concerto). I also had a funny, four-page parody playbill (pub design skills courtesy of my journalism degree) and kept the whole shebang to about 70 minutes. I hope that these considerations were appreciated by my large audience, but it was the promise of the most bitchin' after-party in the history of tuba art music that put butts in the seats.

It was a tuba bar mitzvah: boring recitation incomprehensible to most followed by indulgence.

[Ian Stewart]

Sometime ago I was involved in a concert with a saxophone and string quartet. The saxophone played an original work for sax and quartet, and an arrangement - the rest of the recital was string quartet only. The saxophone works went down very well with the audience, and added variety to the concert, without detracting from the quality of the string quartet.

Would this idea work, a similar recital but with tuba instead of saxophone? Most tuba players probably work with orchestras and so would know string players in a quartet. There are quintets with French horn and string quartet, but as yet I have never seen a work using tuba, euphonium, trumpet, trombone, flugelhorn or cornet with string quartet.

[NDSPTuba]

Being a relative new comer to tuba, the biggest problem I have with the repertoire is, well quite honestly, its crap. Not one of the standards would I ever willing make a point to go listen too. If you think about it, how many pieces for all the other instruments have actually stood the test of time and are greats. Very few for each instrument I'd assert. Being an ex-horn player there were less than ten that I'd want to hear performed, Mozart's 4 concerti( but really only 2,3, and 4), Strauss' 1st and 2nd concertos, Beethoven Sonata, Villanelle by Dukas, maybe En Foret' by Bozza. There were other "standards" like Hindemith, Jacobs, etc. But like standards for tuba I find them unlistenable too. They have there nice sections but inevitably go off in some random meandering way that completely puts me off. I still can't for the life of me figure out why seemingly ALL the tuba concertos are high as hell and noodlely. WHY? For me as a former non-tuba player and current tuba player the range I LOVE to hear the tuba in is the bottom part of the staff and lower. But very few concerto spend anytime at all in that range. I love the beginning of the Barnes, nice little playful tune, but quickly goes off into random land and looses me. The second movement at least is in the meaty range allot, but as with seeminly all tuba concerto second movements gets uber noodlely. Even with that I like the Barnes 2nd movement best of all the 2nd movements of Tuba concerti, with the Von Williams second.

I guess what I'm getting at is that very few pieces stand the test of time for each instrument and the Tuba being so young really hasn't landed any yet. And by stand the test of time I mean having an appeal to all music aficionados and not just other tuba players. Of course modern composition seems to be so non-directional and random to me, that I doubt I'll like anything that gets written for tuba. Maybe my musical tastes are too traditional.