At 9:54 PM -0700 6/30/11, Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre wrote: Thanks so much for the comprehensive information, Klaus. I too find it fascinating, and while I've never written for brass band I appreciate learning how to do it properly because it may inform my writing for concert band.
You wrote: >The euphonium, baritone, and trombones play the original cello, >bassoon, and trombone lines. The BBb basses play the original double >bass lines. All very satisfying. ... which is a pretty good summary of band transcriptions in general, and not just for brass band. The problem is, the string choir does NOT map directly to the brass choir. The string bass was called a "double bass" for a very simple reason. During the baroque and classical periods it did, indeed, "double" the bass line an octave below, much like drawing a 16' stop on an organ to double the 8' bass line. And almost all baroque and classical orchestra music can in fact be performed quite satisfactorily without a string bass because the true bass line is in the cellos. But that puts the string basses in their "money range," playing exactly where they're designed to be played, down to contra E (E1) or contra C (C1). When BBb tubas are given those same notes in a transcription they are NOT playing in their "money range," but below it, in their pedal range, and the result is that instead of the true bass line being doubled and reinforced, the contrabass line overpowers and dominates the bass line. The clarinet choir is really the closest a band can come to equaling the string choir, assuming that the full range of the clarinet choir is actually available, but of course there are no woodwinds in a traditional brass band. No big deal, really, but something composers and arrangers (and especially transcribers) do need to be aware of. >The Eb basses cannot play any of these lines without leaving the >mainstream band range, so they have a lot of odd line breaks where >they jump from the cello line to the double bass line and vice versa. Hah!!! Welcome to the world in which violists live most of the time!! But you make the important point that instruments function best and sound best in their mainstream ranges. The extremes are fine for special effects, including virtuosic solos. But I should note that the Eb tuba part in the "Suite of Old American Dances" by Robert Russell Bennett is written so high above the "mainstream band range" that I completely chickened out of trying to play it, for fear of embarrassing the band and myself! It goes up well into euphonium range, to about an F4. I'd MUCH rather play it recursively by jumping down an octave when necessary. All the best, John -- John R. Howell, Assoc. Prof. of Music Virginia Tech Department of Music College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A. 24061-0240 Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034 (mailto:john.how...@vt.edu) http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html "We never play anything the same way once." Shelly Manne's definition of jazz musicians. _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
