*:~flute music~:*

[Allen]

Flute music is a lot of fun to play on the tuba. I play mostly baroque works -- Telemann and Handel are not too difficult technically. I read directly in treble clef (two octaves down, of course).

I find that the tessitura of some pieces goes too high to be comfortable on my CC tuba. The top of the range for the Baroque flute is the second A above the (treble) staff. However, most pieces do not go above the first D above the staff. I think an F tuba would be ideal for this literature. One of these days...

One difficulty I find in some of this music is that some of it was originally written for violin. The violin has no trouble with leaping intervals all over the place, and never needs to take a breath! Another difficulty for brass musicians is rapid slurred intervals: easy for woodwinds and hard for brass.

In summary, it's great exercise, and some of it works well on the tuba as music. Once I get past any technical difficulties, it's a great challenge to give an impression of lightness and agility. Further, the slow passages can really sing on the tuba.

Allen,
who remembers his flute-playing years

[hbcrandy]

For years, I have played on recitals, a Baroque recorder Sonata in Bb by John Baptiste Lolliet (not Lully). I transcribed it from a transcription for piccolo trumpet by Jean Thilde. It works well for Eb tuba and would also work on F. The last time I looked, the trumpet version is still available in the Robert King catalog under Trumpet and Piano.

[tubeast]

That´s funny,

I did some Loeillet pieces for flute and organ two years ago. It was nice, and offered the right kind of length for use in church (Communion in a catholic ceremony, for example).
It was a suite of several parts, two of which we chose.
G.F. Händel´s Sonate für Flöte und Orgel in C major as transcribed by Walter Hilgers is fun to do as well.

[windshieldbug]

If you're a treble eupher, makes a lot of sense, as long as you can as high as the part goes. I'd steal ANYTHING shamelessly for a good workout. It's music, and there was an awful lot written before our axes came about, and even more since. Some good flute quartets would make great fodder for some like-minded friends!

[SplatterTone]

A while back, sibeliusmusic site had some Telemann flute/recorder/violin/etc. sonatas that had been transposed to bass cleff, tuba/euph range. And they could be printed for free. Unfortunately, when I looked for them about two weeks ago, I couldn't find them. Either they are gone now, or I can't search so good.

[phoenix]

the Flute Partita in A minor by Bach lays very nicely on F tuba

[Kevin Hendrick]

the only thing bad about playing both oboe and tuba is the embrochure difference- it really messes with my playing when i jump from one instrument to the other, because they use completely different muscles.

Don't they, though! Completely opposite muscle set. I found that out when I took oboe class in college, some mumbledy-bump years ago -- had to drop it after a month (still wasn't getting a good sound on the oboe, and had lost the bottom octave off my tuba range!).

[tubatooter1940]

Cassie is spot on. A lot of flute music is very playable on tuba. For something light, I have played 'Swinging Shepherd Blues" since my teens.