I've got the Baritone Blues and I've got the Tuba Blues
Any new sheet music for lower brass is worth consideration as the repertoire lists for tuba and baritone are much shorter than those for other brass instruments.These two pieces by Mike Forbes are identical, with the tuba piece being set one octave lower than the baritone part. This American publication references the baritone horn as the set instrument, but the euphonium would also be a perfect fit. Both publications come with bass and treble clef parts for tuba and baritone, which means that the pieces could be easily accessed by both orchestral and brass band players.
The A-B-A structure of the piece uses the traditional blues form, including a 12-bar blues head which is then repeated. In the B section the piano is more dominant to begin with, followed by baritone/tuba in the second half. A repeat takes us back to the head and a final coda to finish. The tempo has a slow-ish ‘Monday morning’ blues feel to it, but with more than a hint of speak-easy jazz style thrown in. The time signature is set in 6/8 which sidesteps any confusion in interpreting jazz swing quavers in 4/4. The 6/8 time seems to suit the slow tempo, and the look of the notation feels about right. The blues phrases sound traditional in style and there are jazz influences indicated in parts such as note bending and ghosting, with an option of singing while playing the last note, creating multiphonics – this technique alone would take some detailed practice in order to achieve the desired effect.
While the note range is appropriate for a Grade 4 or 5 player, due to its long length and there being no whole-bar rests, I would place it more towards Grade 5. The notes mostly follow a C blues scale, and the rhythms, once mastered, are accessible and repetitive, which leaves the player time to concentrate on interpretation. The accent markings and expression signifiers give a clear indication for the direction and meaning of the piece. The notation is professionally presented and spacings are clearly readable over a generous layout of two pages.
The book suggests that the player perform the piece again, but this time improvising, including a final repeat of the head using ad lib ornamentation found in jazz practice. However, there is a danger here that the piece could become repetitive, relying on riffs found within its main phrases.
Overall, these pieces are welcome new repertoire that euphonium and tuba players will certainly enjoy playing.
Kristin Thielemann's Easy Concert Pieces Vol 3
I have already given a strong recommendation for Kristin Thielemann's Easy Concert Pieces Vols 1 and 2 in a previous review article, so I am delighted that she has produced Vol 3 with more pieces to further extend the development of trumpet players. In the new volume she has followed the same format as her previous books by starting the pieces in chronological order. We first have renaissance pieces, then baroque, classical and romantic with a couple of more contemporary pieces towards the end. There are 22 pieces in total which is great value for the cost.
Vol 3 extends the range in the trumpet part gradually. Starting with Grade 3 and slowly progressing to Grade 4, there are a couple of pieces towards the end that touch on Grade 5 standard, using top G. The book is beautifully crafted in both the trumpet and piano parts and all aspects of notation are clearly presented.
The book starts in the late renaissance/early baroque period with simply presented pieces that feature an appropriate absence of expression – the polyphony in Tallis's ‘If Ye Love Me’ will provide Grade 3 players with a good imitation test in playing the serene sustained phrases. The third piece in the book, ‘Allegro’ by Franz Biber, adapts well for trumpet and piano and is a superb example of imitation in miniature, with the main phrase providing a great test for early trumpet players in pitching arpeggio fanfare-like figures.
The busier ‘Air de Trompette’ by Telemann has been transposed down and made accessible by placing it in F major. This piece contains some useful trumpet tonguing technique on the semiquaver phrases and repeat tonguing passages. For some pupils this may be their first encounter with trills, which are introduced sparingly and conveniently in the lower register.
There are pieces that trumpet teachers will be familiar with, such as the ‘Maurice Greene Trumpet Tune’, which used to be on the Grade 5 ABRSM syllabus. This classic trumpet voluntary with its jaunty, bright tune is an excellent test for a player attempting to play dotted quaver-semiquaver rhythms and has now been transposed down into the easier key of C major.
The James Hook ‘Andantino’ is another familiar piece that used to appear on Grade 4 syllabuses. I remember it as the James Hook Sonata, and it is comfortably set for trumpet in the key of ▸ major. It has a singable melody in rondo form and is a perfectly proportioned classical piece in miniature. It gives the promising Grade 4 player an exercise in playing repeated refrain with contrasting episodes. The piece finishes with a coda section which extends it to a realistic stamina challenge, preparing the player for longer pieces in the future.
The wide range of styles within the book are illustrated, on the one hand by classics such as ‘The Merry Peasant’ by Robert Schumann and Verdi's triumphant ‘March from Aida’, and on the other hand by the jazzy ‘Down by the Riverside’ and the bossa nova setting of ‘Afternoon in Rio’ by Hellbach.
Thielemann signs off the book with three of her own compositions which are practical and fun to play, although her historical adaptions of pieces earlier in the book feel stronger and provide more musical challenges to the developing player.
The highly professional CD provided in addition to the sheet music is sensitively played and enhances the publication. I will definitely be buying this book – it is sure to provide many best pieces for my current crop of pupils.
