THEVAUGHANWILLIAMSTUBACONCERTO:ITSINCEPTION,ANDINFLUENCEONSELECTEDTWENTIETHCENTURYWORKSFORTHETUBABYBRITISHCOMPOSERS

By

AlexTaylor

SubmittedtothegraduatedegreeprograminSchoolofMusicandtheGraduateFacultyoftheUniversityofKansasinpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforthedegreeofDoctorofMusicalArts

__________________________________________Chairperson:PaulLaird

________________________________________________________ScottWatson

________________________________________________________PaulPopiel

________________________________________________________SteveLeisring

________________________________________________________MartinBergee

DateDefended:12/14/2017

ii

ThedissertationcommitteeforALEXTAYLORcertifiesthatthisistheapprovedversionofthefollowingdissertation:

THEVAUGHANWILLIAMSTUBACONCERTO:ITSINCEPTION,ANDINFLUENCEONSELECTEDTWENTIETHCENTURYWORKSFORTHETUBABYBRITISHCOMPOSERS

___________________________________Chairperson:PaulLaird

DateApproved:12/14/2017

iii

Abstract TheConcertoforBassTubabyRalphVaughanWilliamswasthefirst

concertowrittenforsolotuba,andremainsastapleintherepertoiretoday.The

VaughanWilliamsConcertocameaboutinthetwentiethcenturyduetotherapidly

evolvingroleofthetubawithintheorchestra,brassandmilitarybands,eventually

inspiringVaughanWilliamstowriteforthetubaasasoloinstrument.

TheVaughanWilliamsConcertoinfluencedEdwardGregson’sTuba

Concerto,asitisdirectlyquotedinthedevelopmentsectionofGregson’sfirst

movement.Therearealsomarkedsimilaritiesbetweenthetwoconcertiintermsof

form,range,andintervallicmaterial.

TheVaughanWilliamsandGregsonConcertosbothinfluencedtwoworksfor

thetubabyBritishcomposersthatwouldcomeaboutinthesubsequentdecades:

theConcertoforTubaandStringsbyRogerSteptoe,andCapricciobyRodney

Newton.Steptoe’sConcertoismostlyatonal,yettheinfluenceofVaughanWilliams

andGregsononitsform,style,andintervallicrelationshipsisstilldiscernable.

Newtonborrowsfanfare-likeelementsfromGregsonwhileutilizingmotivic

materialthatissimilartoVaughanWilliams.Thegoalofthispaperistoshowthe

influenceoftheConcertoforBassTubabyVaughanWilliamsontheBritishtuba

concertoasitevolvedthroughoutthetwentiethandtwenty-firstcenturies.

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Acknowledgements

IwouldliketothankProfessorScottWatsonforhisexcellentteachingand

steadfastmentorshipduringmytimeasagraduatestudentandteachingassistantat

theUniversityofKansas.Iwouldalsoliketothankmypreviousteachers,Dr.

DemondraeThurmanandProfessorJohnStevens,forthetremendousimpactthey

hadonmeduringthemoreformativeyearsofmymusicalcareer.

Iwouldliketothankthemembersofmygraduatecommittee:Dr.PaulLaird,

ProfessorScottWatson,Dr.PaulPopiel,ProfessorSteveLeisring,andDr.Martin

Bergee,fortheirpatienceinworkingwithmetoscheduleexamsandguidingme

throughtheprocessofwritingthisdocument.

Lastly,Iwouldliketothankmyfamily,withoutwhoseunwaveringsupportI

wouldnothavehadthesuccessIhavehadinacademiaandinmycareer.

v

TableofContents

Acceptance ii

Abstract iii

Acknowledgements iv

Introduction 1

TheVaughanWilliamsConcerto 2

TheGregsonConcerto 8

TheSteptoeConcerto 14

TheNewtonCapriccio 22

Conclusion 26

Bibliography 28

1

Introduction

Sinceitsinceptionin1835,thetubahashadaclearlydefinedandsometimes

narrowrolewithintheorchestra,windband,andotherensembleswhereitis

commonlyused.Theroleofthetubaasenvisionedbyitsearliestcomposerswas

strictlytoprovidebasslinesandfoundationalharmonieswithintheensemble.The

verynotionofatubaplayingasolo,letaloneafullconcerto,mighthaveseemed

inconceivableintheearlyyears.Withinthelastcenturythetubahasundergonea

remarkablereevaluationbyperformers,composers,andpedagogues,meaningthat

todaytheideaofthetubaplayingsolosandmelodiclineswithinalargeensemble,

aswellaschambermusicandconcertiasasoloist,isnolongeraforeignconcept.

Thistwentiethcenturyreinventionofthetuba’sroleandthediscoveryofitsgreater

potentialisdueinlargeparttoahandfulofinnovativecomposers,performers,and

teacherswhohadamuchgreatervisionofthetuba’scapabilities.Legendarytubists

suchasWilliamBell,HarveyPhillips,ArnoldJacobs,R.WinstonMorris,RogerBobo,

andJohnFletcherallmadesignificantcontributionstothetuba’sevolutionandits

emergingroles,butthereislittledoubtthatitwouldhavefailedtoprogressto

whereitistodayifnotforthegreatcomposerswhopioneeredwritingforthetuba.

WhileAmericanandBritishcomposersalikehavemadesignificantcontributionsto

thetubasololiterature,thisdocumentwillfocusonBritishtubaliteraturestarting

withtheseminalworkfortuba,theConcertoforBassTubabyRalphVaughan

Williamsandwillseektodrawparallelsbetweenthisworkandtwosubsequent

tubaconcertos:TubaConcertobyEdwardGregsonandConcertoforTubaand

2

StringsbyRogerSteptoe,byexaminingsimilaritiesandcontrastsinform,tempo,

harmony,andmotivicmaterialfromthethreeworks.Thedocumentwillthen

discussVaughanWilliams’spossibleinfluenceonatwenty-firstcenturywork:

CapriccioforTubabyRodneyNewton.

TheVaughanWilliamsConcerto

VaughanWilliams(1872-1958)wrotethefirstconcertoforthesolotuba.

VaughanWilliamswasborninDownAmpney,Gloucestershire,England,andhailed

fromafamilyofprominentintellectuals,whichincludedJosiahWedgwood(1730-

1795)andCharlesDarwin(1809-1882).Afterhissomewhatobscureearlyyearsas

anunknowncomposer,VaughanWilliams’scareerfinallytookoffinthe1910’s,and

hewentontobecomeperhapsthemostinfluentialBritishcomposeroftheearly

twentiethcentury.Asidefromthetubaconcerto,whichwasoneofhisfinal

compositions,VaughanWilliamswasacomposerofsymphonies,bandmusic,choral

music,andoperas,aswellasanarrangeroffolksongs.AccordingtoJosephMachlis,

“TheEnglishrenascencewasheraldedbyanawakeningofinterestinnativesong

anddance.ThemostimportantfigureamongthemwasRalphVaughanWilliams,

whosucceededElgarastherepresentativeofEnglishmusicontheinternational

scene.”1ThetubaconcertocameaboutasaresultofVaughanWilliamsbeing

commissionedtowriteanewworkforaconcertcelebratingtheGoldenJubileeof

1JosephMachlis,IntroductiontoContemporaryMusic(NewYork:WWNortonandCompany,1979)291.

3

theLondonSymphonyOrchestra.2ThepremiereoftheVaughanWilliamsConcerto

forBassTubawasgivenbytheLondonSymphonyonJune13,1954,withthe

orchestra’sprincipaltubist,PhilipCatelinet,performingasthesoloist,andSirJohn

Barbirolliconducting.GaryBirdwrites,“Besidesnotableconcertosforviolinandfor

piano,RalphVaughanWilliamshasenrichedtheliteratureoftheconcertoforlesser-

knowninstruments–theharmonicaandthebasstuba–raisingthem,too,to

concertrank.”3Whileitwasnotthefirstworkeverwrittenforthesolotuba,the

VaughanWilliamsconcertowasthefirstfullconcertowrittenfortheinstrument.

Thefactthatthisconcertowaswrittenbyanalreadyveryprolific—asopposedto

unknown—composerdidmuchforitsfame,aswellasenhancingthevisibilityand

viabilityofthetubaasasoloinstrument.AccordingtoCliffordBevan,“JohnFletcher

pointsoutthatV[aughan]W[illiams]hadintendedforsometimetowriteatuba

concerto,andithastobesaidthatveryoftensectionsofthetubapartsinhis

orchestralworksapproachaconcertolevelofdifficulty.”4VaughanWilliams’s

reasoningforwritingaconcertoforthetubaisnotentirelyclear,butitisworth

notingthattheagingcomposerhadwrittenhisRomanceinD-flatforHarmonica

onlyafewyearsbeforein1951.PerhapsVaughanWilliamswasintentionally

experimentingwithwritingforunusualsoloinstrumentsinthelatterpartofhislife,

butitisapparentfromJohnFletcher’saccountthatthecomposerhadforyearsprior

soughttotreatthetubanotasanovelty,butasaseriousinstrumentforserious

2CliffordBevan,TheTubaFamily(Hampshire:FaberandFaberUnlimited,1978)437.3GaryBird,ProgramNotesfortheSoloTuba(Bloomington:IndianaUniversityPress,1994)107.4Bevan,437.

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musicians.TheVaughanWilliamsconcertoshowsoffthetuba’svirtuosicandlyrical

capabilities,andthemusicisinnowayploddingorhumorous.Notsurprisingly,

musicalpunditsandcriticswereskeptical.PhilipCatelinet,inhisarticleforthe

InternationalTuba-EuphoniumAssociationJournalentitled“TheTruthAboutthe

VaughanWilliamsTubaConcerto,”mentionsonecausticarticle:“VaughanWilliams,

now81,hascomposedaconcertoforbasstuba.Hislastconcertwasformouth

organ,anditranLarryAdlertothelastounceofhistechnique.PhilipCatelinet,first

tubaplayeroftheL.S.Ohasmanfullytakenonthesolopart.Hewillneedallhis

breath.”5Catelinethadhisdoubtsaswell,buthisplayingintheinitialrehearsals

wasencouragingtoVaughanWilliams,andalthoughCatelinethadafewmisgivings

abouthisinauguralperformance,particularlyofthefirstandthirdmovements,the

immediatepublicreceptionwasmostlypositive,despitethereactionsofafew

critics.6

TheoriginalorchestralversionoftheVaughanWilliamsisscoredforsolo

tuba,twoflutes,oboe,twoclarinets,bassoon,twohorns,twotrumpets,two

trombones,percussion,andstrings.Atranscriptionoftheorchestralpartforpiano

accompanimentisalsocommonlyheardinrecitalsettings.Theconcertoisinthree

movements,andfollowsthestandardtemposchemeoffast-slow-fast.Thefirst

movementisentitled“Prelude”andmarked“Allegromoderato”withasuggested

5PhilipCatelinet,“TheTruthAbouttheVaughanWilliamsTubaConcerto,”ITEAJournal14,no.2(1986)http://philipcatelinet.com/biography/the-truth-about-the-vaughan-williams-tuba-concerto-by-philip-catelinet-itea-journal-volume-14-number-2-november-1986(accessedDecember11,2016).6Catelinet,(1986).

5

tempoofquarternoteequals96beatsperminute,thoughmanyperformershave

takensomelibertywiththis,asmaybeheardonseveralrecordings.Forexample,

HarveyPhillipsplayedthefirstmovementatquarternoteequals106inhis

recording;DonLittletookitslightlyslowerthanthecomposersuggestedataround

quarternoteequals90-92,andArnoldJacobsplayeditsignificantlyfasteratquarter

noteequals116.7Thesecondmovement,entitled“Romanza,”ismarked“Andante

sostenuto”andquarternoteequals60,althoughlibertieshavebeentakenwiththis

movementaswell,asitisoftenplayedseveralclicksslower.Thepreferredslower

tempiofmostperformersalmostgivesthismovementthefeelingofaneighth-note

beat.Forexample,HarveyPhillips’srecordingofthesecondmovementatquarter

noteequals45isanextremeexample,butthemeantempoformostrecordings

seemstobearound54.8Thethirdmovementisentitled“Finale-RondoAlla

Tedesca,”andiswaltz-likein¾time.Thetempoismarked“Allegro”andquarter

noteequals150,ordottedhalfnoteequals50,sincethemusic,especiallyinthe

“Pocoanimato”sectionbeginningfourmeasuresbeforerehearsalnumber5,is

intendedtobefeltinoneratherthanthree.Catelinetpersonallyfeltthatthistempo

wastoofast,andthatthepremiereperformancewouldhavebeenbetterhadthe

conductornotinsistedontakingitatthattempo.9

Fromatheoreticalstandpoint,parallelscanbedrawnbetweenthetuba

concertoandsomeofVaughanWilliams’spreviousworks,atleastonasuperficial

7MichaelAFischer,“RalphVaughanWilliams:AninterpretiveanalysisofConcertoforBassTuba,”UniversityofNorthTexas(1999)7.8Fischer,(1999)7.9Catelinet,(1986).

6

level.Anexampleofthisisthemotivicmaterialintheopeningofthefirst

movement,thewaythemelodiclineresemblestherecurringmotiveinhis1921

work,TheLarkAscending.Itiscertainlynotunusualforcomposerssubconsciously

torecycletheirownmaterial,butperhapsthiswasadeliberateattemptonVaughan

Williams’sparttoprovethatthetubacouldbeeverybitasgracefulastheviolin.

CliffordBevanalsodrawsaparallelbetweentheopeningmelodiclineinthesecond

movementtothetenortubasoloin“Bydlo”fromMauriceRavel’sorchestrationof

Mussorgsky’sPicturesatanExhibition.10VaughanWilliamsstudiedcompositionin

PariswithRavel,famedorchestratorofthepianowork,forafewmonthsin1909,

butmostofhismusicseemedtoshowfewsignsofRavel’sinfluence.Bevanposesan

importantquestion,“Notewhatoccursatthepeakofeachphrase.Whileworkingon

theunfamiliartaskofdevisingasoaringmelodyforsolotuba,didVaughanWilliams

subconsciouslytreadthepathpreviouslytraveledbyhismentor?”11Fromthis,it

couldbeinferredthatperhapsMauriceRavelwithhisarrangementofPicturesatan

ExhibitioninspiredVaughanWilliamstowriteforthetuba.

10CliffordBevan,“VaughanWilliams’sTubaConcerto:CompositionandFirstPerformance,”ITEAJournal35,no.2(2008)62.11Bevan,(2008)62.

7

Example1a:RalphVaughanWilliams,ConcertoforBassTuba.Movement2,mm.9-1112

Example1b:ModestMussorgskyarr.MauriceRavel,PicturesatanExhibition“Bydlo”mm.1-4

Anothergenrethatmighthavehadsignificantinfluenceonthetubaconcerto

wastheBritishbrassbandtradition,atraditionassociatedwiththeSalvationArmy,

workingclassplayersinthevariousvillagesandcoalminesinthenineteenth

century,andwithmilitarybands.Bevannotes:“Thesolopartoftheconcertolies

beautifullyontheFtuba,butthereisalsoanotherEnglishinfluenceonthewriting.

Itwasthedexterityofeuphoniumplayersturnedorchestraltubaplayersthat

inspiredthetechnically-demandingorchestraltubapartsofElgar,andlater

12RalphVaughanWilliams,ConcertoforBassTuba(London:OxfordUniversityPress,1954).

8

VaughanWilliams,Walton,Britten,andothers.”13Indeed,PhilipCatelinethad

himselfbeenaeuphoniumplayerwiththeSalvationArmybrassband.TheBritish

stylebrassbandanditsinfluenceonBritishcomposersperhapsexplainswhythe

firsttubaconcertocameaboutintheUnitedKingdom,ratherthanthetuba’snative

Germany,theUnitedStates,oranyothercountrythatwasmakingsignificant

contributionstoWesternartmusicatthetime.TheVaughanWilliamstuba

concertoremainsastapleintherepertoiretothisday,anditsinfluenceintherealm

oftubaliteratureisfar-reaching.TheVaughanWilliamsConcertoinfluencedseveral

subsequentcomposersoftubaconcertosandsignificantworksforthetuba,

whetherdirectlythroughquotationoronasurfacelevel,throughasuperficial

comparisonofmotivicmaterial.

TheGregsonConcerto

ThefirstBritishtubaconcertothattheVaughanWilliamsConcertohada

significantinfluenceonwaswrittenin1976byEdwardGregson(b.1945).Gregson

isaBritishcomposeroforchestral,instrumental,andvocalworks,aswellasmusic

fortheatreandtelevision.GregsonwrotehisTubaConcertofortheBesseso’th’

BarnBrassBand;itisdedicatedtoJohnFletcher,whogavetheinaugural

performanceonApril24,1976,inMiddletonCivicHallnearManchester,England.

JohnFletcherwasarenownedBritishtubistandteacherwhowasprincipaltuba

withtheBBCSymphonyOrchestrafrom1964-1966andwiththeLondonSymphony

from1966untilhisuntimelydeathin1987.Fletcherhimselfgaveanotable

13Bevan,(2008)63.

9

performanceoftheVaughanWilliamsConcertoin1972withtheLondonSymphony

andAndréPrevinconducting.FletcherplayedthepieceonanE-flatratherthanthe

FtubaforwhichtheVaughanWilliamswasoriginallywritten.Thiswasanother

directconnectiontotheBritishstylebrassbands,whichtypicallyconsistoftwoE-

flatandtwoBB-flatbasses.ThattheGregsonmighthavebeenstronglyinfluenced

bytheVaughanWilliamsConcertoisnotsurprising,consideringthatin1976that

tubaliteraturewasstillsomewhatinitsinfancy,andtheVaughanWilliamsConcerto

andTubaSonatabyPaulHindemithwerestilltheonlyworkswrittenbymajor

composersforthetuba.WhenconsideringthepossibleEnglishbrassbandinfluence

ontheVaughanWilliamsConcerto,itwouldseemonlyamatteroftimebeforea

tubaconcertowithbrassbandwouldeventuallybewritten.Indeed,theGregson

Concertoisnottheonlyconcertowrittenfortubaandbrassband,astheMartin

EllerbyTubaConcerto(1988)andtheRodneyNewtonCapriccioforTuba(2002),

bothbyBritishcomposers,wouldappearinthesubsequentdecades.TheGregson

Concertohasbeentranscribedfororchestral,windband,andpiano

accompaniment;JohnFletcheralsogavethepremiereoftheconcertowith

orchestralaccompanimentin1983withtheScottishNationalOrchestraandSir

AlexanderGibsonconducting.LiketheVaughanWilliams,theGregsonConcertohas

threemovements,andfollowsthestandardfast-slow-fastprotocol.Bothconcertos

areneo-romanticinstyle,anddonotincludeexperimentationwithunusual

harmonies,onlywiththerangeandtechniqueofthetuba.Bevandescribesthe

VaughanWilliamsandGregsonasbothincluding“melodiesthatcanbeunderstood

10

bythelistener.”14DouglasJosephShabe,inhisdissertationentitled“AStylisticand

ComparativeAnalysisofEdwardGregson’sTubaConcerto,”describesthesimilarity

oftheformandstructureofthetwoconcerti:

WhencomparingtheGregsonconcertototheonebyVaughanWilliams,the

firstthingthatstandsoutisthestrikingsimilarityofform.Thefirst

movementsofbothconcertiaresonataforms,althoughVaughanWilliams

takessomelibertieswiththeform.Thesecondmovementsarebasicallyarch

forms.GregsonlaysouttheABCBAformclearly,whileVaughanWilliams

treatstheformwithalittlemorefreedom–butthearchformispresent.

Bothfinalmovementsarerondosthatcontainamaintheme,twoepisodes

andacadenza.Clearly,GregsonhasusedtheoverallstructureoftheVaughan

Williamsconcertoasamodelforhiswork.15

Asidefromthesimilaritiesofform,towhatextentmelodicallyand

motivicallydidtheVaughanWilliamsConcertoinfluencetheGregsonConcerto?

Whatisapparentrightawayisthedirectquotationfromthefirstmovementofthe

VaughanWilliamsConcertocontainedwithinthefirstmovementoftheGregson.It

appearsnotatthebeginningofthemovementasintheVaughanWilliams,but

duringthedevelopmentsection.

14CliffordBevan,TheTubaFamily(Hampshire:FaberandFaberUnlimited,1978).15DouglasJosephShabe,“AStylisticandComparativeAnalysisofEdwardGregson’sTubaConcerto,”LongBeach:CaliforniaStateUniversity(1999)31.

11

Example2a:RalphVaughanWilliams,ConcertoforBassTuba,Movement1,mm.1-5

Example2b:EdwardGregson,TubaConcerto,Movement1,mm.82-8316

16EdwardGregson,TubaConcerto(London:NovellaPublishingLimited,1976).

12

Thequoteisbrief,butimmediatelyrecognizable,asitisalmostidenticalinboththe

melodyandtheaccompaniment,onlytransposedupastepinthemelody.This

directreferenceseemstobetongue-in-cheek,andahumoroushomagetoVaughan

Williamsabouthalfwaythroughthemovementbeforeintroducingnewmaterial.

Thefirstmovementismarked“Allegrodeciso”andquarternoteequals104,only

slightlyfasterthanthequarternoteequals96foundinthefirstmovementofthe

VaughanWilliams,andcertainlywithintherangeofthetempiatwhichtubiststend

toplaythefirstmovementoftheVaughanWilliams.Theintroductorymotiveofthe

firstmovementoftheGregsonisalsosomewhatsimilartothatofthebeginningof

VaughanWilliams.Therhythmicstructureofthesemotivesisquitesimilar,both

featuringtwosixteenthnotesmovingtoalongnotethatlaststhreebeats.Theonly

differencebetweenthemrhythmicallyisthattheGregsonbeginswithaneighth

notefollowedbytwosixteenths,whereastheVaughanWilliamsopenswithfour

sixteenths.Harmonically,bothmotivesstronglyemphasizeaperfectfourthleap

fromCtoF,althoughGregsonapproachesthisleapdirectly,unlikeVaughan

Williams,whoaddedE-flatasapassingtonebetweenthem.TheGregsonmotiveis

alsodownoneoctavefromtheVaughanWilliams.Anotherparallelbetweenthetwo

concertoscanbedrawninthealternativecadenzasinthefirstmovementofthe

VaughanWilliamsandinthefinalmovementoftheGregson,bothofwhichare

optional.InthecadenzasectionoftheVaughanWilliamsfirstmovement,aftera

sequencegoingfromC2toF4,thenF1toF4,theplayermaytakeanotherleapofa

minorthirdtoA-flat4.TheGregsoncadenzaconsistsprimarilyoftripletsand

quarternotes,anddoesnotappeartobearanyresemblancetotheVaughan

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Williams,asidefromperhapsthepacing.ThealternativecadenzaintheGregson

Concerto,however,featuresthreeminorthirdleapsfromD4toF4,andthoughitis

transposeddownaminorthird,aminorthirdleapinthatregisterisundeniably

reminiscentofVaughanWilliams.ThefamiliarA-flat4isalsopresentintheGregson

cadenza,followedbythesamegradualdescent,onlydowntoA-flat1ratherthanC2

intheVaughanWilliams.Thus,fromamotivicstandpoint,apartofthiscadenzais

similartotheVaughanWilliamscadenza,onlytransposeddownaminorthird.

Example3a:RalphVaughanWilliams,ConcertoforBassTuba,Movement1,cadenza

Example3b:EdwardGregson,TubaConcerto,Movement3,alternativecadenza

14

TheGregsonis,ofcourse,quitedifferentfromtheVaughanWilliamsinstyle,

character,andintheharmoniesthatituses,butthesimilaritybetweenthemis

enoughthatonefamiliarwiththeVaughanWilliamsConcertocouldreadilydetect

itsinfluence.

TheSteptoeConcerto

AthirdBritishtubaconcertothatshouldbediscussedinthiscomparisonis

ConcertoforTubaandStringsbyRogerSteptoe(b.1953).Theconcertobeganas

threeseparatepiecesfortubaandpianobeforethecomposerdecidedtoconsolidate

themintoaconcerto.SteptoeisanEnglishcomposerofchambermusic,songcycles,

concerti,andotherinstrumentalworks.Steptoewrotethetubaconcertoin1983for

JamesGourlay,arenownedplayerandconductorwhoiscurrentlythemusic

directoroftheRiverCityBrassBand,havingpreviouslybeenanactiveteacherand

performerinseveralofthemostprestigiousuniversitiesandorchestrasthroughout

theUnitedKingdom.TheRiverCityBrassBandisinfactaBritish-stylebrassband

basedinPittsburgh,Pennsylvaniathatiscurrentlytheworld’sonlyfull-time

professionalbandofitskind.TheSteptoeConcertoisoneoffourconcertosrecorded

byGourlay,withtheRoyalBalletSinfoniaandGavinSutherlandconducting,onhis

albumBritishTubaConcertos;theVaughanWilliamsandGregsonconcertosaretwo

oftheothers,andthefourthpieceisJohnGolland’sTubaConcertoOp.46.Thestring

orchestraaccompanimentintheSteptoeisscoredforthreefirstviolins,three

secondviolins,twoviolas,twocellos,andonebass,andaswiththeotherconcertos,

thereisapianotranscriptionoftheaccompaniment.

15

ThisconcertorepresentsamarkeddeparturefromtheVaughanWilliams

andGregsoninthatinmanyplacesSteptoeeschewstraditionalharmoniesinfavor

oftwelve-tonetechniques.Themusicismostlychromaticandatonal,althoughthere

isapervasivesenseofcantabilethroughoutallthreemovements.Ratherthan

followingthestandardfast-slow-fastarrangementofmovements,thesecond

movementisalively“giocoso”markedquarternoteequals116,andmovesattacca

throughalongsolotubacadenzaintoafinalslowmovementthatismarked“Molto

calmo”anddottedquarternoteequals58-60.Theendingofthepieceinthisquiet

slowmovementseemsanticlimacticcomparedtotheloudandpunctuatedendings

oftheVaughanWilliamsandGregson,andthelackoftonalcentercompoundsthat

fact.Thefirstmovementbeginswithamoderatelyslowlyricalsectionthatis

marked“Conpocomoto”andquarternoteequalscirca72,whichsoonprogresses

intoaslightlyfasterdevelopmentsectionmarked“pocopiúmosso,”quarternote

equalscirca80atrehearsal3,andalively“Allegro,”quarternoteequalscirca126-

132atrehearsal7.Followingthefasterdevelopmentsection,themusicreturnstoa

slower,lyricalsectioninrehearsal11thatissimilarinstyletothebeginningofthe

piece,andismarked“Pocopiúcalmo.”Despitehavingnokey,theconcertoincludes

numerousaccidentalsthroughout,andananalysisofpitchclasssetsfromthe

beginningofthepiecetorehearsal2inthefirstmovementalonerevealsthatthis

movementisserialandusesalltwelvetonesofthechromaticscaleinvarious

arrangementsofaprescribedorder.Thefirstrowpresentsthetwelvetonesofthe

chromaticscaleinthefollowingorder:F,G,B-flat,A,F-sharp,B,C-sharp,D-sharp,E,

D,C,andG-sharp,andthepiececontinuesonwithdifferentpermutationsofthe

16

row.Animageoftheopeningtorehearsal2ofthesolotubaparttotheSteptoe

Concertoisprovidedinexample4below.

Example4:RogerSteptoe,ConcertoforTubaandStrings,Movement.1,mm.1-1917

17RogerSteptoe,ConcertoforTubaandStrings(London:StainerandBellLimited,1983).

17

ThesimilarityandconnectionfromtheSteptoeConcertotoVaughan

WilliamsandGregsonfromatonalstandpointis,becauseofSteptoe’satonal

writing,notasreadilyapparentastheconnectionbetweentheGregsonand

VaughanWilliams,butparallelscanstillbedrawn.Inthebeginningofthesecond

movement,onecandetectrightawaytheinfluenceofVaughanWilliamswiththe

prominentuseofquartalharmonies,thistimetransposedupafourthwithF3toB-

flat3,andF-sharp3toB3.TheF-sharptoBisapproacheddirectly,whereastheFtoB-

flatisinterruptedbyamajorsecondtoG3andaminorthirdtoB-flat3,anindirect

approachusingaminorthirdisalsofrequentlyutilizedinthefirstmovementofthe

VaughanWilliams.Thisevolvesintolongsequencesofsixteenthnoterunswhere

theperfectfourthleapsremainprevalentthroughoutthemovement.

Example5:RogerSteptoe,ConcertoforTubaandStrings,Movement.2,mm.1-3

Thetempoofthismovementatquarternoteequals116istwentyclicks

fasterthanVaughanWilliams’quarternoteequals96,butitisnotsomuchfaster

thattherecanbenoresemblanceincharacter.ArnoldJacobsalsoplayedthefirst

movementoftheVaughanWilliamsat116inhisrecording,whichputsthatlivelier

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tempointherangeofacceptabletempiforVaughanWilliams,evenifitispushing

theboundaryofacceptability.ThesecondmovementoftheSteptoeConcertoends

withacadenzahavingabasicshapethatisreminiscentofthecadenzainthefirst

movementofVaughanWilliams,onlyabitmoreexpansive.Botharearchshaped,

beginninginthelowregisterwithalongnotefollowedbysixteenthnoterunsthat

peakataboutthreeoctavesabovethat:theVaughanWilliamsspanningfromF1to

F4withanoptionalA-flat4aboveit,andtheSteptoefromA1brieflytoA3,butending

withtheG-flat3anaugmentedsecondbelowA3.Aftergoingfromlowtohighin

sequencesofsixteenths,bothcadenzasreturnfromhightolowinsequencesof

tripletswhileincreasingintensitywithtempoandvolume.TheSteptoesequence

includessmallerintervals,utilizingmanyminorseconds,majorseconds,andminor

thirds,whereasVaughanWilliams’ssequencemakesuseofwiderintervalssuchas

fourths.ThealternativecadenzainthethirdmovementoftheGregsonalsotakesa

similarapproachtothatoftheVaughanWilliamsandSteptoeintermsofpacingand

movinginanarchshapefromalowtohighregisterandreturningtothelow

register.Ontheotherhand,whileVaughanWilliamsutilizesasequencethatrepeats

theopeningmotiveofthepieceandascendsdirectlyinintervalsoffourthsand

fifths,GregsonandSteptoearenotasdirectintheirapproach,andutilizeregister

jumpsthatmeanderaroundinthemiddleandlowregisterbeforeapproachingthe

highregistermoreabruptly.ThisisespeciallytrueoftheGregsoncadenza,which

includesamorethantwo-octaveskipfromB1heldbyafermatatoD4toF4aminor

thirdhigher.SuchawideleapisnotfoundinSteptoe’scadenza,butexample6

19

picturedbelowrevealsthatSteptoe’soverallapproachissomewhatsimilarto

Gregson’s.

Example6a:RalphVaughanWilliams,ConcertoforBassTuba,Movement.1,cadenza

Example6b:EdwardGregson,TubaConcerto,Movement3,alternativecadenza

20

Example6c:RogerSteptoe,ConcertoforTubaandStrings,Movement2,cadenza

Asidefromthesimilarityinthegeneralcontourofthelines,theSteptoe

cadenzaisalsomotivicallysimilartotheVaughanWilliamsandGregsoncadenzasin

itsprominentuseofminorthirds.TheSteptoecadenzafeaturesdescendingminor

thirdsmuchmoreprominently,asthelinesstartontheuppernotesratherthan

lower,butalsoalternatesdescendingandascendingminorthirdsinsixteenthnote

tripletsduringthemiddleofthecadenza,andineighthnotetripletsattheend.As

thecadenzahasgreatlypickeduppaceandessentiallyreacheditspeakinitsmiddle

sections,minorthirdsixteenthnotetripletsbeginalternatingbetweenE-flat4and

C4,thenmovingupahalfsteptoE4andC-sharp4,thendownaperfectfourthtoB3

andG-sharp3,beforethepatternisbrokeninthenexttripletfigurewithan

ascendingA3toC4.Theintervalsgraduallybecomesmallerthanminorthirdsasthe

linewindsitswaydown,becomingprogressivelymoreintense.Afterthecadenza

21

hasdescendeddowntothelowregisterfollowingitsclimax,twominorthird

sixteenthnotefiguresactasabriefecho,contrastingadiscreet,quietmotiveinthe

upperregisterwiththemainthemeinthelowregister.Thefirstfigureisa

descendingminorthirdgoingfromF4toD4,thesametwonotesthatappearinthe

Gregsoncadenza,onlyinreverse.Thesecondfigureistransposeddownahalfstep,

E4goingtoC-sharp4,andthethirdfiguredownanaugmentedfourthfromthattoB-

flat3andG3.Thecadenzaeventuallyendswithacalm,somewhatlyricalminorthird

motivethatisreminiscentofanechoofthepreviousminorthirdpatterns,andthis

motiveseguesattaccaintotheserenethirdmovement.

Example7a:RogerSteptoe,ConcertoforTubaandStrings,Movement2,cadenza

22

Example7b:RogerSteptoe,ConcertoforTubaandStrings,Movement2,cadenza

TheSteptoeConcertorequiresagreatdealoftechnicalfacility,andis

arguablymoredifficultthantheVaughanWilliamsandGregsonConcertosinterms

ofrhythm,fast-movingarticulations,andintervallicrelationships,giventhatthereis

oftennotonalcenter.Intermsofoveralldifficultyandinitsuseofserialtechnique,

theSteptoeConcertocanthereforebeseenassomethingofanextdevelopmentin

theBritishtubaconcerto.

TheNewtonCapriccio

TheVaughanWilliamsandGregsonConcertoshaveprobablyalsoinfluenced

newermusicwrittenforthetuba,includingashorterwork,RodneyNewton’s2002

piece,CapriccioforTuba.Newton(b.1945)isaBritishcomposerandconductor.

LiketheSteptoeConcerto,theNewtonCapricciowasalsowrittenforJamesGourlay,

whowasatthetimeHeadofWindandPercussionattheRoyalNorthernCollegeof

MusicinManchester,England.LiketheGregson,theNewtonCapricciowas

originallywrittenforsolotubawithbrassbandaccompaniment,andwaslater

transcribedforband,piano,andothermediums.TheCapriccioisdifferentfromthe

otherthreeinthatitisnotaconcertointhreemovements,butratherinone

movement,andisabitshorterinduration,approximatelynineminutes.The

23

Capriccioincludesthreelarge-scalepresentationsofavirtuosicmaintheme

interspersedwithbriefcantabilelyricalthemes.Thefirstthemeisprecededbya

briefintroductionfromthebandfollowedbycadenza-liketubasolothatismarked

Senzamisura,meaningthatitistobeplayedfreelyandoutoftime.Lyricalsections

followthefirsttwooccurrencesofthemaintheme,thesecondoccurrenceofthe

lyricalsectionbeingonlyabriefreturntothematerialpresentedinthefirst.Inthe

finalsection,wheretheprimarymaterialreturnsonceagain,themainthemeis

elaborateduponuntilthemusicisbroughttoarousingconclusion.

TheinfluenceofboththeVaughanWilliamsandGregsonConcertoscanbe

readilydetectedinNewton’swriting.Theintroductionwiththebandfollowedby

theSenzamisuratubasoloiscertainlyreminiscentoftheintroductiontothe

GregsonConcerto.BothGregson’sandNewton’sinstrumentalintroductionssetthe

toneofthepieceswell.TheGregsonintroductionisslightlylongerthantheNewton,

andthequasi-cadenzatubasoloisbrieflyinterruptedintheaccompanimentbytwo

sixteenthnotesontheupbeatfollowedbyaneighthonthedownbeat,presumably

tohighlightitsfanfare-likecharacter.TheNewtonSenzamisurasectionisslightly

shorterthanthatoftheGregson,andisnotinterruptedbyaccompaniment,butthe

twoquasi-cadenzasaresimilarintheirfanfare-likecharacter,shape,andlikelyin

pacingaswell,dependingontheperformer’sinterpretation.

24

Example8a:RodneyNewton,CapriccioforTuba,mm.618

Example8b:EdwardGregson,TubaConcerto,Movement1,mm.18

ThemotivicmaterialinthemainthemeoftheNewtonCapriccioalsobearsa

strikingsimilaritytothatoftheVaughanWilliams.TheintroductionoftheNewton

includesamotivethatisfoundinterspersedthroughoutthemainthemewhere

groupsoffoursixteenthnotestravelviaamajorsecondB-flat2toC3andaminor

thirdC3toE-flat3toaperfectfourthC3toF3.Example9revealsthatthenotes,

intervals,andrhythmintroducingthemainthemeatrehearsalAintheNewtonare

remarkablysimilartoVaughanWilliams’sopeningfigureinthefirstmovementof

hisConcerto(seeExample2a),andthismotivereturnsseveraltimesthroughoutthe

piece,wheneverthemainthemeispresented.Certainly,thetwofiguresarenot

exactlythesame.Newton’smotivebeginswithB-flat2onthedownbeatofrehearsal

18RodneyNewton,CapriccioforTuba(Bicester:RosehillMusicPublishingCompanyLimited,2002).

25

AandmovesaperfectfifthtoF3onbeattwo,whileVaughanWilliamsmovesonlya

fourthfromConthedownbeatofbeattwoinmeasure4.Thisistheresultofthe

intervallicrelationshipsintheNewtonfigurebeingtheoppositeofVaughan

Williams:anascendingmajorsecondfollowedbyadescendingminorthirdas

opposedtoVaughanWilliams’sascendingminorthirdfollowedbyadescending

majorsecond.NotonlyaretheintervallicrelationshipsintheNewtonfigure

oppositetothatofVaughanWilliams,thearticulationpatternisoppositeaswell:a

slur-two,tongue-twopatternratherthantongue-two,slur-two.Thetempoof

quarternoteequals108atrehearsalAisalsofasterthanVaughanWilliams’s

quarternoteequals96,butonlyslightlyfaster,andcertainlywithintherangeof

acceptabletempiatwhichtheVaughanWilliamscouldbeperformed.Theminute

differencesinarticulationandintervallicrelationshipsbetweenthetwofiguresare

enoughtodistinguishthemandmakeaninterestingcontrast,yetalistenerfamiliar

withtheVaughanWilliamsConcertowouldalmostcertainlybeabletodetecthis

influenceonNewton’swriting.TheNewtonfigureispicturedinexample9below.

26

Example9:RodneyNewton,CapriccioforTuba,mm.7-8

ItseemsunlikelythatNewton,inwritinghisCapriccio,wouldbepaying

directhomageeithertoVaughanWilliamsorGregson,buttheirinfluenceis

certainlyfelt,asthisintroductorysectionandmainthemeseemstobesomewhatof

anamalgamationofsomeofthebest-knownmusicalcharacteristicsoftheVaughan

WilliamsandGregson.Theresemblanceofapiecethatwaswrittenseveraldecades

latertotheVaughanWilliamsandGregsonConcertosisfurtherevidencethatthe

influenceoftheseseminalworksisstillfelt,eveninthetwenty-firstcentury.

Conclusion

ThetraditionandevolutionofBritishtubaliteraturehaditsrootsinthe

orchestralworld,andintheBritish-stylebrassbandtradition.RalphVaughan

WilliamswaslikelyinspiredbytheBritishbrassbandtradition,andperhapseven

theorchestralmusicofhisformerteacher,MauriceRavel,towritetheworld’sfirst

tubaconcerto,andfromthisagreatnewtraditionwasforged.TheVaughan

WilliamsConcertoclearlyhadsomeinfluenceonEdwardGregson’sdecisionto

27

writeatubaconcertoforJohnFletcherandbrassband,andbothpiecesinfluenced

moremodernworksbyBritishcomposerssuchasRogerSteptoeandRodney

Newton.Whiletherearemanyconcertosandsoloworksforthetubatodaywritten

bycomposersfromanumberofcountries,theBritishtraditiontypifiedbythe

VaughanWilliamsandGregsonConcertosrepresentastrongnationalidentitythat

wasseminalintheworldoftubasolorepertoireandremainsanintegralpartofthe

literaturetothisday.

28

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29

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