Solo tuba versions of Meditation from Thaïs

[imperialbari]

Meditation
from the opera Thaïs
Composed 1894 by Jules Massenet (1842 - 1912)
Arranged for violin and piano by Martin Pierre Marsick (1848 - 1924)
Solo part edited by Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre 2014

This popular piece was discussed on TubeNet a few times, which inspired me to take a closer look at the versions available on IMSLP. None really fitted the modes of reading usually found among brass players. Re-engraving and eventually transposing the piano score by Marsick could be done, but would be time consuming. At least for now I decided on a hybrid project making use of the said Marsick piano score, which may be found for free from IMSLP:

http://tinyurl.com/lhhtp3q

So far I have uploaded editions of the solo part for these 9 instruments:

Flute – this part calls for an instrument with a B-foot. 2 low A’s have been substituted by C#’s. C# is a passing dissonant in this context, yet it has been seen as a better compromise than a repeat of the preceding D alone for reasons of melodic motion.
Bb Clarinet
Bass Clarinet
Bassoon - written in tenor clef
Tenor Saxophone
Euphonium – written in Bb treble clef
Tuba – written in bass clef concert
Eb Tuba – written in treble clef, brass band style
BBb Tuba – written in treble clef, brass band style

The high A concert in bars ## 64 & 65 will pose a problem for some players on some instruments, whereas others will be in command of the necessary range. An obvious, maybe even too obvious, solution would be about taking that note down an octave. As the underlying chord is D major for all of the 6 beats, an F# concert or even a D concert might be a better compromise.

High resolution .pdf-files available for free from my Yahoo-based project:

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Yor ... editation/

[imperialbari]

Meditation Thais Bb Euphonium.png

[imperialbari]

A professional ophicleide player contacted me, so now there are versions uploaded for ophicleides in C and in Bb.

Klaus

[Donn]

For anyone who'd like to hear it played for what it's worth, I would like to suggest an early recording of Fritz Kreisler, in his '30s, that can be found on youtube. He plays violin, naturally.

[imperialbari]

Now also versions for tenor and bass trombones. So far 23 versions for woodwinds and brasses of diverse reading modes.