Liszt, Strauss and Tchaikovsky

This weekend with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra:

We will be performing Richard Strauss' Horn Concerto No. 1...featuring our fantastic principal horn, Greg Flint!

http://www.elginsymphony.org/classic_05.html#Tchaikovsky

Also on the program: Les Preludes by Franz Liszt and Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony.

The Importance of Sight Reading

I have been thinking all week about some of the things that I discussed at my master class on Monday. It’s interesting how you can be thinking about an idea and then it will present itself so clearly out in the “real world.” Working on Schumann’s First Symphony this week has given me a multitude of examples to draw on.

For many of my colleagues, our first major professional opportunity came at a moment’s notice. Someone has an emergency situation come up and a last minute substitute is needed to fill in for them. What if I got sick and someone had to come in and play the bass trombone part for the Schumann? Now, a lot of people would know the Third or Fourth Symphonies. But, this piece is not performed that much. Certainly, no one learns it for auditions. Well, the bass trombone part to the First Symphony is very active and exposed. It could be a little unsettling for someone to come in and have to read it on a concert without any rehearsals.

The most basic thing that I will tell a student when we work on sight reading is to believe what you see on the page. (Kalmus editions, not withstanding…ha, ha) You have to learn to trust yourself to be a good reader. This is such a little thing, but there are many times in the first movement when the bass trombone will have an eighth note pickup before the alto and tenor trombones enter. This can cause you to be hesitant and to think things like...did I come in too early...is that a misprint, etc.? One little moment of hesitation can be very noticeable to your colleagues. I can’t stress enough that the most important job of a substitute is to not make the people you are working with worry. If you are hesitating or playing in holes, you will make people worry.

Another important thing is to acclimate yourself to the style of the piece. A bass trombonist should approach a Schumann symphony like Schubert or Mendelssohn. Most of the time, you are playing in unison and octaves with the bassoons, cellos, and basses. The bass trombone is the leading voice at these times, but you can’t play with the same kind of sound that you would use for Mahler or Wagner. This might seem obvious…but a lot of bass trombonists will come in and be too aggressive. This is a sure-fire way of not being called back. Now, I am not telling you that you can never play loud. You just need to be aware of how the rest of the section is playing and try and match them. Getting the right color for the piece is of prime importance.

Specific examples:

In the first movement there is a nice little “solo” starting at measure 271. This is an excellent opportunity to show that you listened to the woodwinds preceding you. Match how they played it!

The second movement has a very beautiful trombone chorale near the end. Listen to the principal and don’t play too soft. You want your principal to be able to hear you and be comfortable on top.

Alto and tenor trombones are tacet in the third movement. It’s just you! You need to match the trumpet and horns, as well as the bass instruments.

There are a lot of nice parts in the last movement, but it ends with a “Brahm’s One” type arpeggio melody. Just like in Brahms, you can play this very strong…but with your most beautiful sound.

The most important thing to do is to remember to have fun. This might be kind of hard while you are freaking out over not playing in the holes, not playing too loud, etc. But if you are a good reader, any unfamiliar piece of a similar difficulty level should not be out of your grasp.

Spring Symphony

I am back home after a brief, but very fun trip to Ann Arbor. Many thanks to Kathryn Goodson and Jenny Walvoord. Thanks also, to David Jackson for setting everything up and making me welcome.

Back to work. This week I will be performing with the Lake Forest Symphony. Our program will feature Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole with David Taylor. No...not the great bass trombonist.

http://www.davetaylor.net/

This David Taylor:

http://www.cso.org/main.taf?erube_fh=cso&cso.submit.CSOPerfBio=1&cso.artistid=dtaylor

Also on the program will be Robert Schumann's First Symphony. A nice piece with an odd little bass trombone part...more on that later.

http://www.lakeforestsymphony.org/concerts/06mar.html

Recital and Masterclass Announcement

Mark Fry, Bass Trombone

&

Kathryn Goodson, Piano

In Recital

March 20, 2006

4:40 pm

University of Michigan, School of Music

Cady Room, Stearns Building

Also featuring Jennifer Walvoord, violin

Program:

Jan Koetsier - Allegro Maestoso

Georg Phillip Telemann - Fantasie in c minor

Charles Ives - Two Songs

Duke Ellington - Come Sunday

Daniel Schnyder - Concerto for Bass Trombone

Mr. Fry will be giving a masterclass immediately following the recital.

Another Busy Week!

In addition to some last minute recital preparation...this is what I am up to this week. Monday night we had our second performance of Dvorak's 6th Symphony with the Ars Viva Symphony Orchestra.

http://www.arsviva.org/

Friday, I will be performing the annual Saint Patrick's Day concert in Orchestra Hall... Siamsa na nGael.

http://www.cso.org/main.taf?erube_fh=csocom&csocom.submit.perfDetail=1&csocom.eventID=7328


Saturday, I will be performing with the Heartland Voices at Elgin Community College.

http://www.heartlandvoices.com/index.htm

This Week's Events

This is a busy weekend. Thursday I am doing Sibelius and Waxman with the Northwest Indiana Symphony.

http://www.nwisymphony.org/core/Season/classic/c3_0506.asp

Saturday night I will be going out to St. Charles to perform Morten Lauridsen's Lux Aeterna with the Heartland Voices.

http://www.norrisculturalarts.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.eventDetails&EventID=41

And finally, Sunday and Monday I will performing one of my favorites, Dvorak's Sixth Symphony, with the Ars Viva Symphony Orchestra.

http://www.arsviva.org/

Bass Trombone Materials

Etude and Method Books:

Aharoni - New Method for Bass Trombone

-The Non-Classic Bass Trombone

Arban’s – Complete Method for Trombone

Bitsch – 14 Etudes de Rhythm

Blazevich – Clef Studies

-70 Studies for Tuba

-Sequences

Blume – 36 Studies for Trombone w/F attachment

Bordogni/Rochut-Melodious Etudes

Boutry- 12 Etudes de Perfection

Clarke, H.L. - Technical Studies

Concone/Korak – The Complete Solfeggi

Faulise – F&D Double Valve Bass Trombone

Fink – Introducing the Alto Clef

-Introducing the Tenor Clef

Gillis – 20 Etudes

-70 Progressive Studies

Gregoriev – 24 Studies

-78 Studies for Tuba

Johnson, J.J. – Solos (transcribed by Leisenring & Butler)

Knaub – Technical Studies

Kopprasch – 60 Selected Studies (both Trbn. & Tuba versions)

LaFosse – School of Sight Reading

Mantia – Trombone Virtuoso

Charlie Parker Omnibook

Pederson - Advanced Etudes

The “Real” Book (or any good fake book)

Remington – Warm Ups

Slama – 66 Studies in All Keys

Schlossberg – Daily Drills

Teele – Advanced Embrouchre Studies for Bass Trombone

Toulon – Basique IV – Style et nuances

Tyrell – 40 Advanced Studies for B-Flat Bass

Uber – Concert Etudes

-Studies (30)

Vernon – A Singing Approach to the Trombone (and other Brass)

Wilson/Viola – Chord Studies for Trombone

Solos:

Adler – Canto II

Bach – Six Suites for Cello Solo

Casterede – Fantasie Concertante

-Sonatine

Bolter – Of Mountains

Bozza – New Orleans

Brahms – Cello Sonatas

Broughton – Sonata for Tuba

Brubeck, C. – Concerto

Damase - Prelude, Elegie & Finale

David - Concertino (transposed to B-flat for Bass Trombone)

Dedrick – Inspiration

Dossett – Trilogy

Ewazen – Ballade

-Concertino ( w/ Trombone Choir)

-Concerto

-Dagon II

Fetter – Bass Lines

-Variations on Palestrina's Dona Nobis Pacem

Frank – Variations on Barnacle Bill the Sailor

Frescobaldi – Canzoni per Basso Solo

Friedman – OS

Galliard – Sonatas

George – Concerto

Gillingham - Sonata

Gordon - Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra

Grantham - Sonata in One Movement

Hovahaness – Sym. #34 (Bass Trombone Concerto)

Jacob – Cameos

Kotsier – Allegro Maestoso

-Falstaffiade (w/ trbn. trio)

Lebedev – Concerto #1 & 2

Liptak – Flaming Angel (w/Harpsichord)

Lieb – Concertino Basso

Liszt – Hosanna (w/Organ)

McCarty – Sonata

Mueller – Praeludium, Chorale, & Variations

Nelhybel – Concerto

Pilss – Concerto

Premru – Concerto for Tuba

Sachse – Concertino in F

Schnyder – subZERO – Concerto for Bass Trombone

-Sonata

-Kislev

-Tammuz

Semler-Collery – Barcarolle et Chanson Bachique

Siekmann – Concerto

Spillman – Concerto

-Two Songs

Strauss – Horn Concerto #1 (trans. for Tuba)

Sulek – Sonata (Tenor Solo…works well for Bass)

Telemann – 12 Fantasies

Tomasi – Etre Ou Ne Pas Etre (w/Trbn. Trio)

Vaughn-Williams – Tuba Concerto

White – Tetra Ergon

Wilder – Sonata

Williams, J. – Concerto for Tuba

Woud - Serenade (w/trbn. quartet)

Zwillich – Concerto

Chamber Music

Albam – Escapade (w/WW 5-tet)

Dedrick – Inspiration (w/trpts, hns, cl, and cello)

Ellington (arr. Abene) – Come Sunday (w/violin & piano)

Everett – Duos (w/clarinet)

Glass – Diversions (w/ 2 flutes)

Hartley – Sonata da camera (w/ oboe, 2 cls, & bsn)

Hibbard – Bass Trombone, Bass Clarinet, Harp

Liebman – Remembrance (w/WW 4-tet)

Liptak – Chamber Concerto #2 (w/fl, vln, cello, vibes, & piano)

Lund – Plane Dancing (w/fl, trpt, bass cl, & perc)

McCarty – Sonata (w/ String 4-tet)

Poulenc – Sonata (w/trpt & horn)

Premru – Concertino (w/ WW 4-tet)

Rzewski – Moonrise with Memories (w/ 6 soprano range instruments)

Schmidt – Concertino (w/ WW 5-tet)

Stravinsky – Concertino

-In Memorium Dylan Thomas (Tenor, String 4-tet, Trbn. 4-tet)

-Octet for Winds

-L’histoire du Soldat

Szollosy – 100 bars for Tom Everett (w/ Bongos)

Tucker – Four Cantigas (w/ Fl/piccolo & 2 Percussionists)

Villa-Lobos – Choros #4 (w/ 3 horns)

Wourinen – Archangel (w/ String 4-tet)

Archaeopteryx (w/ chamber orchestra)

Trio for Bass Instruments (w/ Tuba & String Bass)

This is a list of important works for my bass trombone students to have studied, or at least be familiar with.