On Jan 21, 2009, at 8:26 PM, David W. Fenton wrote:
On 20 Jan 2009 at 23:53, Christopher Smith wrote:
Here's an article
http://www.britishtrombonesociety.org/resources/shifrin/chapter-1-
from-beethoven-to-schumann.html
He deals with the post-Beethoven symphonic writing for trombone. The
gist is: even though the score may be written in a certain clef and
the tessitura may suit one instrument or another, there is no firm
rule determining what instrument was written for, preferred, or
actually used (the three are completely independent of each other.)
I'm sorry, Christopher, but I don't see anything in that article that
supports your interpretation of it. Can you elucidate?
Sorry, the site seems to have restructured itself since I posted the
link! 8-)
In Chapter 1:1:3 he discusses the problems assembling a full trombone
section in cities other than Vienna, saying, "...the ideal number of
trombonists that made up a Beethoven trombone section may have been
any number that was available."
Chap 1:3:1, Schubert puts all trombones on one staff in his scores in
one clef (tenor) though he probably intended it for ATB trio. Though
the range suits tenor trombone on the first part (AND the third, says
me, except for a rare low note!), a modern tenor is probably too
heavy. Because the parts were copied in tenor clef in an early
edition, it was often played on tenor trombone, against the probable
intent of the composer.
Footnote 118, "as to the clefs used to notate these instruments,
great confusion reigns"
1:4:2, Mendelssohn wrote for a particular virtuoso bass trombonist
who most likely played the part on a large-bore tenor (much like
today's instrument, though without the modern valve.)
Chap 2:1, Berlioz prefers the tenor trombone on the first part for
theatre orchestras, but laments the loss of the alto at times in
symphonies (he may have been talking about historical works by other
composers). His parts are often played on three tenors; whether he
liked that or just wrote for what was available is not clear, but he
said that's what he wrote for.
2:3:1 Rossini, though he called his three trombone alto, tenor and
bass, wrote for them as if they were three tenors, and the parts were
almost certainly played on those instruments in his lifetime as a
matter of course.
Anyway, it goes on and on like this. Jumping ahead to Part II, he
discusses Brahm, Dvorak and Bruckner, where it is not clear what was
written for. The use of the term "alto trombone" doesn't seem to mean
much in these scores, as most German orchestras were using three
tenor trombones of varying bores at the time.
It is a great resource for orchestral trombonists who are trying to
understand the role of their instrument in certain repertoire, and
shows how caution has to be applied when you rely too much on the
appearance in the score. Of course, if you are trying to play the way
it was back then, or what the composer really was aiming for, or what
he would have written if he had the players, well, then that opens a
huge can of worms.
Christopher
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