At 8:52 AM -0400 6/24/05, dhbailey wrote:
John Howell wrote:
[snip]
I think I've seen a picture of it, but there may well only be one
(or a handfull) in the entire world. The bass sax, on the other
hand, should be considered and used as a legitimate member of the
sax section. (I may be prejudiced because one of the members of
our community band owns and plays one!)
On the other hand, given the huge expense of owning a bass sax,
composers/arrangers should think twice about giving a bass sax it's
own, important part if they want the music performed by a wide
number of groups.
Well of course that's a given, and it's forced on us by the lack of a
standard instrumentation for concert bands. When I compose or
arrange for our community band, I do write a bass sax part, but it's
always treated as sweetening: something that won't be missed if it
isn't there, but will add if it is there. We are forced to treat low
clarinets--meaning from alto on down to BBb contrabass--in the same
tentative way. Our band currently has 2 (or 3) alto clarinets, 1 (or
2) bass clarinets, but nothing lower. Our university wind ensemble
does have the contra clarinets and uses them when a score calls for
them.
For the record, the bass sax player in our community band found his
instrument on top of a trash pile, put some money into having it
overhauled and buying a good bag for it, and had it in playing
condition for only a few hundred dollars. How lucky can ya get?!!!
John
--
John & Susie Howell
Virginia Tech Department of Music
Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A 24061-0240
Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034
(mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])
http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html
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