Ragtime the Musical

[cctubaneeds]

I have not seen any specific info on here about this musical, I tried searching.

The orchestra contact for a local company contacted me about this musical. I am her first call for tuba but she never gets the music before hand. I do all tuba stuff if I am available and I am a bass doubler. So...

What is the book like? I read from wiki that there is a Bass and Tuba part, is it a double? How are the parts written. I think I saw bloke say that it is a Euph/Tuba double. I only play contrabass, I play euph proficiently but do not have one.

Any info is good. Thanks,

Ray

[joshwirt]

I have the exact same recollection as Bloke...especially that high G# --> really fast instrument swap --> low D on the tuba moment. The euph part was fairly exposed in places from what I remember and the tuba part is...as Bloke put it...'ragtime'.

Josh

[tclements]

It's a tuba/euph double. More tuba, but the euph playing is exposed and crucial. Better get your euph chops in shape. A couple FAST instrument changes so make sure you have plenty of room in the pit. A tuba stand will help. Seems like BOTH instruments are muted as well.<--a vague memory on that.

Fun part. Have a GREAT time!

[cctubaneeds]

Well there goes all the money from the gig. I can hope the musical director isn't picky about the muting the Euph...

Just to be clear third line g# above to below two lines d below the bass clef? Or the octive below for tuba?

Thanks for the info, if I waited to get the music I would be screwed.

Ray

[Ted Cox]

I played this musical, Ragtime, last summer. The contractor let me know a few days in front of the first rehearsal about it being a tuba/euph double. I took my F and nobody said a thing and still got paid for the double. I also took my C. Having the F came in very handy with some of the quicker changes as I could just hang out playing my F until I had a better opportunity to switch over to C tuba.
Ted

[Mojo workin']

It's a tuba/euph double. More tuba, but the euph playing is exposed and crucial. Better get your euph chops in shape. A couple FAST instrument changes so make sure you have plenty of room in the pit. A tuba stand will help. Seems like BOTH instruments are muted as well.<--a vague memory on that.

Fun part. Have a GREAT time!

What Tony said. Euph playing WILL be heard by all in a solo/soli context on a few occasions.

[cctubaneeds]

Bloke- thanks for the confirmation on that. I never know what people mean by low when talking tuba. I now see why it could be less than easy.
Around here there aren't a lot of players. There is only one guy to borrow from and he would much rather take the gig from me.

Ted- I can see how an F would work... If only...

Mojo/tony - thanks for the fore warning, I best be getting back to my Euph playing it seems.

I hope to not be tired of ragtime by the end... 11 shows isn't that many is it?...

Ray

[jeopardymaster]

It's a great book - you'll love it. Watch out for one note in particular - at the end of "Our Shtetl is Amerika" or something like that, with an ascending passage on tuba, ends on a g or a maybe. The 2-disc cast recording must have been done with limited budget, because the tubist (who otherwise sounds very good) really clams the note big time. I've only played the 2nd trombone part myself.

[Uncle Markie]

I subbed the show on Broadway (once) and did it in a summer production in NJ.
I agree with others posting here that your euphonium playing had better be competent - solos are exposed and right off the bat at the beginning of the show.
Listen to original cast album and scope out how you're going to make the instrument switches without breaking anything. It's one of those books that's a pain in butt for all the wrong reasons - some of the indicated switches to the euph might as well be played on tuba - within range, and you'll get the horn up in time. Some of the horn changeups are expected within very few measures of rest. Work it out for yourself.
Some of the scoring is suspect - like the underplay for a riot scene on stage where the euph is used as a third french horn, with a lot of sharps and odd meter. Sounds awful even when you get it right...
Don't bother bringing a crossword puzzle book, either. The tuba is tacet for maybe two numbers in the whole show, and everything (including most of the dialog) seems to have underplay music (like an old MGM movie - too much music!).
We made cuts in the NJ production - let's hope they do the same with your show - if not it runs three hours.
For the record, Earl McIntyre did it on Broadway with an ancient King e-flat tuba and a an old Besson euphonium. I did it on a King 2341 and a 3-valve Yamaha 231 - and left the mutes home in NJ. Too much juggling junk and not enough time to do it.

Mark Heter