The origins and development of the euphonium concerto with ...

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The origins and development of the euphoniumconcerto with brass bandJoel M. CollierJames Madison University

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The origins and development of the euphonium concerto with brass band

Joel Collier

A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of

JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY

In

Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the degree of

Doctorate of Musical Arts

The School of Music

May 2016

FACULTY COMMITTEE:

Committee Chair: Prof. Kevin Stees

Committee Members/ Readers:

Dr. Andrew Lankford

Dr. Eric Guinivan

TABLEOFCONTENTS

LISTOFTABLES iii

LISTOFFIGURES iv

ABSTRACT vii

Introduction 1

Euphoniumrepertoirepriorto1972 3

Theeuphoniumconcerto 6

JosephHorovitz 6

JohnGolland 17

MartinEllerby 25

PhilipWilby 36

Concludingremarks 50

Postscript 57

APPENDIX 58

BIBLIOGRAPHY 61

DISCOGRAPHY 62

ii

LISTOFTABLES

1. TempoindicationsalteredintheHorovitzrevised1991edition 15

2. Concertocomparisons 54

3. Newconcertocomparisons 56

4. Publicationandperformanceinformation 58

iii

LISTOFFIGURES

1. HorovitzEuphoniumConcertomvt.1mm.3-6 8

2. HorovitzEuphoniumConcertomvt.1mm46-47 9






8. HorovitzEuphoniumConcertomvt.1mm.46-47.Withbassoonossia 16

9. GollandEuphoniumConcertomm.1-3 19





14. GollandEuphoniumConcertoNo.2mvt.1mm.14-16 22




18. EllerbyEuphoniumConcertomvt.1mm.2-5 28




iv




25. EllerbyEuphoniumConcertomvt.4mm.8-12.Rhythmiccomparison 33




29. WilbyConcertoforEuphoniummvt.1mm.29-35. Manuscriptandpublished 37



32. WilbyConcertoforEuphoniummvt.1mm.2-9 42





37. WilbyConcertoforEuphoniummvt.3 Manuscriptshowingoriginalscherzopage1 46

38. WilbyConcertoforEuphoniummvt.3 Manuscriptshowingoriginalscherzopage2 47



41. WilbyConcertoforEuphoniummvt.4mm.530.Manuscriptcomparison49v

42. RobertChilds’suggestededitspage1 59

43. RobertChilds’suggestededitspage2 60

vi

ABSTRACT

Sinceshortlyafteritsinvention,theeuphoniumhasbeenutilizedasasolo

instrument,bothinchambermusicsettingswithpiano,andwithlargeensembles

suchasbrassbandsandwindbands.However,itwasnotuntilthecompositionof

JosephHorovitz’sEuphoniumConcertoin1972thattheeuphoniumwasgenuinely

regardedasaserioussoloinstrumentinthebrassband,capableofperforming

large-scale,substantialworks.

Inthefollowingtwodecades,severalcomposerswroteconcertifor

euphoniumandbrassband,eachbuildingonthetechnicaldemandsoftheir

predecessors.Theircontributionsestablishedthebasisofthegenre,andalsosetthe

parametersoftechniqueandendurance,givingfuturecomposersasolidfoundation

onwhichtoexpand.

Thisdocumentwillpresentthehistoricalandcompositionalbackgroundof

fiveconcertiforeuphoniumandbrassband:Horovitz’sEuphoniumConcerto,both

concertibyJohnGolland,EuphoniumConcertobyMartinEllerby,andPhilipWilby’s

ConcertoforEuphonium.Inadditiontotheirhistoricalcontext,thenew

compositionaldemandsineachwork,aswellasconsiderationsforcontemporary

performerswillbeconsidered.

vii

1

Introduction

Theeuphoniumisappreciatedbymanybrasscomposersandperformersas

oneofthemostdexterousandsonorousbrassinstruments,anditsprominenceasa

soloinstrumentisincreasinglyapparentwitheachpassinggeneration.Itscurrent

statureisaratherrecentdevelopment,havingonlybeenpromotedasalegitimate

soloinstrumentinthelastfewdecades.Priortothe1970s,andmostcertainly

beforethe1960s,theeuphoniumwaslargelyregardedasanovelinstrumentbest

suitedtofillinganensemblerole.Whenfeaturedasasoloinstrument,itwasmost

oftenutilizedinshortlyricalselectionsorinclassictheme-and-variationstyle

pieces.

Itcanbeunderstoodwhytheeuphoniumonlyrecentlyhasreceived

recognitionasalegitimatesoloinstrument.Theinstrumentisoneofthenewest

introductionstothebrassfamily,withthefirstknownuseoftheterm“euphonium”

originatingfromamanufacturerin1844,andthepatentingofthemodern

euphoniumbyBoosey&Co.in1878.1Whiletherehavebeenconcertifortrumpet,

trombone,andhorndatingbacktothe18thand19thcenturies,theinstruments

alreadyhadbeeninuseforcenturiespriortotheirrespectiveconcerti.Itwasa

notableachievementthattheeuphoniumwasabletoprogressfrominventionto

majorsoloinstrumentwithinthefirstcenturyofitsuse.

Theadvancementoftheeuphoniumasasoloinstrumentwarrantsan

explorationintothereasonsforitsfairlyrapidacceptanceanduseasaseriousand

viableperformanceinstrument.Itisworthunderstandingwhycomposersfirst1LloydE.BoneJr.andEricPaul,GuidetotheEuphoniumRepertoire:TheEuphoniumSourceBook(Indianapolis:IndianaUniversityPress,2007),9.

2

endeavoredtowriteaconcertoforeuphoniumandbrassband,whenitwaswidely

regardedasaninstrumentforlesssubstantialsolorepertoire.Itisalsoworth

understandinghowthecomposersoftheearlybrassbandeuphoniumconcerti

approachedtheinstrumentandconsideredthetechnicaldemandsoftheirera,such

asrange,flexibility,andendurance.Thethirdareaofdiscussionisthechallengethe

modernsoloistfaceswhenstudyingandpreparingthesebrassbandconcerti.

Thisdocumentwilladdressconcertioriginallycomposedasworksfor

euphoniumandbrassbandwrittenbetween1972and1996.Theformerdateisset

bythepremiereofthefirstconcertoforeuphoniumandbrassband,andthelatter

datebecauseofthepremiereofoneofthewatershedconcertiforthesame

instrumentation.Thislimitsthediscussiontoonlyfivecompositions:Joseph

Horovitz’sEuphoniumConcerto,bothofJohnGolland’seuphoniumconcerti,

EuphoniumConcertobyMartinEllerby,andPhilipWilby’sConcertoforEuphonium.

Thereareothernotablepiecesfromwithintheapplicabletimeframethat,while

significant,donotfitthecriteriaforthisdiscussion.TwosuchworksareDerek

Bourgeois’ConcertoforEuphonium(1990)andPhilipSparke’sEuphoniumConcerto

No.1(1995).WhilethereisapublishedversionoftheBourgeoisforbrassband

writtenbythecomposer,itwasoriginallywrittenforeuphoniumandsymphony

orchestra.2TheSparke,whileoriginallyforbrassband,wasactuallywrittenwith

frenchhornasthesoloinstrument.3

2LloydE.BoneJr.andEricPaul,GuidetotheEuphoniumRepertoire:TheEuphoniumSourceBook(Indianapolis:IndianaUniversityPress,2007),141.

3PhilipSparke,EuphoniumConcerto(Bedfordshire,England:StudioMusic,1995).

3

Euphoniumrepertoirepriorto1972

Tounderstandthesignificanceoftheeuphoniumconcerto,itisfirst

importanttoknowwhatwascommonineuphoniumrepertoirepriortothe

compositionofthefirstconcerto.Thiswillprovideagreaterinsightnotonlytothe

performanceexpectationsofaeuphoniumsoloist,butalsothecharacteristicsand

genresofmusictheywereexpectedtoplay.

Itisdifficulttoseparatetheroleoftheeuphoniumwithinaparticular

ensemblefromthesolorepertoirewrittenfortheinstrumentandthatsame

medium.Theorchestra,rarelyeverincludingeuphoniumwithinits

instrumentation,offersveryfewexamplesofrepertoirefortheeuphoniumasasolo

instrument.Whiletherearesubstantialandsignificantworks,suchasHolst’sThe

PlanetsandStrauss’EinHeldenleben,theyarefewandmorerecentintheir

composition.Thewindband,anensembleinwhichtheeuphoniumplaysamore

significantrole,providestheeuphoniumsoloistwithasignificantamountof

repertoire.Thiswastruedatingbacktotheearly20thCenturywiththe

compositionsofSimoneMantia,euphoniumsoloistwiththeSousaBand.4Hewas

oneofthefirstwell-knowneuphoniumsoloists,andhiscompositionsfor

euphoniumandwindband,includingAuldLangSyneandAllThoseEndearingYoung

Charms,establishedcharacteristicsforwhatwouldbecomethestandardfor

euphoniumsolosinthewindbandrepertoire.Thesetheme-and-variationworks

producedtechnicaldemandsonthesoloist,butwererelativelysimplemusicforthe

listener,andwerewell-suitedtothetypeofoutdoorpublicconcertstheSousaBand4LloydE.BoneJr.andEricPaul,GuidetotheEuphoniumRepertoire:TheEuphoniumSourceBook(Indianapolis:IndianaUniversityPress,2007),497.

4

oftenperformed.Inadditiontotheseworks,theeuphoniumsoloistwasoften

featuredintheperformanceofarrangementsoffolkmelodiesoroperaarias,

particularlythoseofPuccini.

Thebrassbandmedium,wherebytraditiontheeuphoniumissecondin

importanceonlytotheprincipalcornet,providedtheinstrumentasubstantially

moresignificantrolewithintheensemble.Thisplacedgreaterdemandsonthe

euphoniumplayerandconsequentlyledtomanymoreopportunitiesforthe

euphoniumtobefeaturedinasolocapacity.Whilethatledtomorerepertoirefor

euphoniumsoloandbrassband,thetypeofmusicthesoloistwouldbeexpectedto

performwassimilartothatofthewindband.Itwascommonforeuphonium

soloistsinthebrassbandtradition,suchasLyndonBaglinandJohnClough,to

performarrangementsoffolkmelodies,hymns,oroperaariasasastandardpartof

theirsolorepertoire.5Thereweremoreoriginalsoloworksforeuphoniumaswell.

ComposersincludingJohnHartmannwroteextensivelyfortheeuphonium,

composingsuchworksasDrinktoMeOnly,RuleBritannia,andseveralothers.6

GeorgeDoughtycomposedwhatispossiblythemostpopularbrassband

euphoniumsoloeverwritten:Grandfather’sClock.7Thesesolosutilizedthetheme-

and-variationsmodel,whichwasthemostcommongenreformajorsoloworksfor

theeuphoniumuntilthe1970s.

Throughoutthemajorityofitshistory,thebrassbandmovementwasavery

traditionally-minded,insularcommunity.Bandsconsistednearlyentirelyof5DavidThornton,interviewbyauthor,Manchester,UK,November26,20156LloydE.BoneJr.andEricPaul,GuidetotheEuphoniumRepertoire:TheEuphoniumSourceBook(Indianapolis:IndianaUniversityPress,2007),464.

7ibid.,122.

5

amateurmusicians,andtheiraudiencesweremostoftenmembersoftheirlocal

community.Bandsperformedinlocalchurches,atcommunitybandstands,orin

parades.Onlyrarelydidbrassbandsperforminlargeconcerthalls,andmostoften

itwasontheoccasionofabrassbandcontest,ratherthanaconcert.Becauseof

thesefactors,ittookuntilthe1970sforbrassbandstobegintoemergefromthe

traditionofmarches,hymnsettings,andclassicaltranscriptionscomprisingthe

majorityoftheirrepertoire.

Giventheprominentroleoftheeuphoniumwithinthebrassband,itseems

reasonablethatthefirstsignificanteuphoniumconcertowouldbewrittenforthis

combination.Theeuphoniumhadlongbeenestablishedasoneofthefeaturedsolo

instrumentswithinthebrassband,andtheregularconcertgoershadanexpectation

toheartheeuphoniumutilizedinthatrole.

6

Theeuphoniumconcerto

JosephHorovitz

TheNationalBrassBandChampionshipsofGreatBritainservedastheideal

opportunitytopremierethefirstconcertoforeuphoniumandbrassband.Asa

segmentoftheeventeveryyear,oneofthefeaturedbandsperformsagalaconcert.

Theorganizerslikelyknewtherewouldbeasignificantaudienceforthese

performances,allowingopportunityforthepremieretobeamonumentalevent.

In1971GeoffreyBrand,theorganizeroftheNationalBrassBandFestival,

selectedoneofthemostprominentcomposersinEngland,JosephHorovitz,to

composeaeuphoniumconcertotobepremieredatthefestivalthefollowingyear.8

HorovitzrecentlyhadcomposedSinfonietta,hisfirstworkforbrassband,andwas

gainingtheattentionofthebrassbandcommunity.Hereceivedhisformaleducation

attheRoyalCollegeofmusicwithGordonJacob,andtheParisConservatorywith

NadiaBoulanger.910Hewasahighlydecoratedandregularlysought-aftercomposer

who,atthattime,wastheProfessorofCompositionandAnalysisattheRoyal

CollegeofMusic,apositionhehadsinceinheritedfromJacob.

TheGUSFootwearBand,underthedirectionofStanleyBoddington,atthat

pointhadbeenoneofthemostsuccessfulcontestbandsintheprecedingyears.

TheirwinningperformanceattheWorldChampionshipin1971ledtotheir

selectionasthefeaturedbandinthegalaconcertoftheNationalChampionshipin

8DavidChilds,TheSymphonicEuphonium,CHAN10830,Chandos(CD),2014,6.9Ibid.,7.10LloydE.BoneJr.andEricPaul,GuidetotheEuphoniumRepertoire:TheEuphoniumSourceBook(Indianapolis:IndianaUniversityPress,2007),465.

7

1972.11AhighlightoftheirgalaperformancewasthepremiereoftheHorovitz

concerto.Intheprocessofselectingasoloist,itwouldnothavebeenoutofthe

questionfortheorganizerstoinsistonaguestsoloist,buttherewasnoneed.The

GUSFootwearBandhappenedtohaveoneofthemostcelebratedeuphonium

soloistsatthetime,TrevorGroom,astheirprincipaleuphonium.1213Priortothe

performance,advertisementswerepublishedthroughoutthecountrythatthis

wouldbethepremiereofthefirsteuphoniumconcertoandGroomwouldbethe

featuredsoloist.14WithGroomasthesoloist,andWorldChampionGUSFootwearas

theband,therewaslittledoubt,evenatthetime,thatthispremierewouldbea

significantevent.Thenextyear,Groomwasfeaturedonthepremiererecordingof

Horovitz’sconcertoonGUSFootwearBand’s1973album,CornetCarillon.

ThecompositionalprocessoftheHorovitzconcertowasacollaboration

betweensoloistandcomposer.Horovitzwasunfamiliarwiththeeuphoniumbefore

thiscommission,andhearrangedtovisitGroominKetteringtoheara

demonstrationoftheabilitiesandcharacteristicsoftheinstrument.15AsGroom

describes,“IhadaphonecallfromJoeHorovitzsayinghedidn’tknowwhata

euphoniumsoundedlike,buthewouldliketocomeupandseewhatitcando.”16He

recognizedtherewasimmensepotentialinthediversityoftheinstrument,and

knewhewouldberemissnottofeaturethesinginglyricalqualityofGroom’s

11StevenMead,“TrevorGroom–ABritishEuphoniumLegend,”Concertprogram,Don’tTellTrevor!,December4,2004

12ibid.13TrevorGroom,interviewbyauthor,Kettering,UK,November24,201514ibid.15ibid.16ibid.

8

euphoniumsound.17

Horovitzconstructedhisconcertoinaclassicalstyleofthreemovements:

moderato-vivace,adagio,androndoform.Hestated,“Traditionally,thisdesign

favoursthelistener,asitwere,firstinthehead,thenintheheart,andfinallyinthe

toes.”18Eachmovementhasitsownuniquechallengesforthesoloist,anddistinct

moodforthelistener.Itsdurationof16minuteswasquiteextensiveforabrass

bandsoloistatthetime,evenmoresowhentakingintoaccountthattheworkGUS

FootwearBandperformedtowinthebandcontestthepreviousyear,Energyby

RobertSimpson,wasfewerthan10minutes.

Throughoutthefirstmovement,thesoloistmustnegotiaterapidchangesof

articulationwhilemaintainingastatelystyle.Horovitzclearlymarkedthe

articulationsinthemusic,usingstaccato,tenuto,andslursallwithinthefirstfour

measuresofthesolo(fig.1).Thesearticulationsareveryspecific,andhelpthe

performertoplayinthestyleHorovitzintended.Thislevelofdetailinthemusic

alsonecessitatesthatasoloistutilizeelementsasidefromtempoorarticulationto

createapersonalinterpretation.

Figure1.HorovitzEuphoniumConcertomvt.1mm.3-6

Whiletheentiremovementisindicatedtobeincminor,Horovitzutilizeda

harmoniclanguagethatoftenshiftsthetonalcenter,sometimesquiterapidly.In

figure2,thesoloistisoutliningadifferentchordeveryeighthnoteforthefirsttwo17TrevorGroom,interviewbyauthor,Kettering,UK,November24,201518JosephHorovitz,EuphoniumConcerto(London:Novello&Company,1991).

9

beats,andbeatsthreeandfourresembleaBbnaturalminorscale,resolvingtoa

newBbtonalcenterinmeasure47.Likewiseinfigure3,thefirsttwomeasuresare

withinthecminortonalcenter,yetthelattertwomeasuresarecenteredinDb

major.Theserapidtonalshiftswererelativelynewforbrassbandeuphonium

soloistsin1972,consideringthemajorityoftheirrepertoirehadbeentheme-and-

variationsolosthattypicallyoutlinedthediatonicharmoniclanguageincludedin

theprimarytheme.Thesetonalchangesremainachallengeforperformerstoday,

requiringpreciseawarenessoftheharmonicprogressionstonegotiatewhat

Horovitzdescribesas“acute-angledleaps.”19

Figure2.HorovitzEuphoniumConcertomvt.1mm.46-47

Figure3.HorovitzEuphoniumConcertomvt.1mm54-58

Inregardstotechnicaldemands,thefirstmovementdoesnotpresentmany

uniquechallenges.ThefirsttwofastpassagesresembletheBbandcnaturalminor

scales,whichwerewellwithinthegraspoftheaveragesoloist.Theonlytrue

technicalchallengeoccursinthelastfourmeasuresofthemovement(fig.4),which

combinetherapidharmonicshiftswithfastscalarpassages,rapidarticulations,and

thehighesttessituraintheentireconcerto.Thispassagewasdifficultforsoloistsin

1972,andcontinuestobeachallengeformany.

19JosephHorovitz,EuphoniumConcerto(London:Novello&Company,1991).

10


Movementtwo,thelongestofthethree,requiressignificantcontrolled,yet

emotionalplaying.Groomconsidersitthemostdifficultofallthreemovements,

saying“Mostpeoplepickonthemiddle[movement]becausetheythinkit’seasy,but

musicallyit’snoteasy.”20Withthetempomarkedate=76,itisquiteslow,andifnot

playedwithgreatcare,veryoftenthemusicwillfeelhurried,ratherthansettledin

thereservedadagiostyleHorovitzindicated.

ThismovementiswritteninCMajor,thoughitincludesclassicallyinfluenced

secondarydominanttonicizations,whichfirstoccurwhenthesoloistenters.These

typesofharmonicprogressionsoccurthroughouttheentiremovement,andrequire

thesoloisttounderstandwheretheyareleading,inordertoassureintonation,and

theproperresolutionofphrases(fig.5).

20TrevorGroom,interviewbyauthor,Kettering,UK,November24,2015

11


Thesecondmovementwaswritteninwhatwasperhapsthemostfamiliar

lyricalmusicalstyletoabrassbandeuphoniumsoloistin1972.Therepertoire

alreadyincludedsongsandariasthatwerewritteninasimilarfashiontoHorovitz’s

lyricalwriting,thereforeasoloistatthetimewasexpectedtounderstandhowto

shapeandinterpretthismovement.Therealchallengewasendurance,sinceit

followeddirectlyafteramovementthatwasthelengthoftheaveragetheme-and-

variationsoloatthetime.Concentrationandpracticearerequiredtorefocusand

managetherespirationtonegotiatethelongphrasesthatcomprisethismovement.

12

Horovitznoted“securebreathcontroliscalledfortosustainevenflowinthemain

longmelody.”21

Themostuniquechallengeinthismovementoccursintheconclusion.After

thefinalstatementofthemelody,thesoloistplaysconstantA3’s,whiletheharmony

inthebandmodulatesaroundit,utilizingseveralchordsoutsideofthekeybefore

ultimatelyconcludingonaDMajorchord(fig.6).Thisposesthecompound

challengesofsecureintonationandbreathsupport,especiallyconsideringitisthe

endofalonglyricalmovement.Withtheharmoniesshifting,oftenasoloistcanbe

influencedoutoftune,particularlyinmeasures79and81,wherethesoloist’sA

directlyconflictswiththeband’sEbminorchord.


13


Thethirdandfinalmovementisbyfarthemosttechnicallydemandingofthe

work.Thereisasignificantamountofdexterousfingerwork,aswellasrapid

articulationsandquickdynamicchanges.Often,particularlywithyounger

musicians,soloistsonlywillperformthefirsttwomovements,simplybecausethe

thirdistechnicallybeyondthelevelofmanyplayers.22Throughouttheentire

movement,therearesmallportionsofthesolomarked“optional,”asthough

Horovitzunderstoodandacknowledgedthismovementwasespeciallychallenging.


14

Horovitz’svariationstotherondothemeposesomeofthemosttechnical

demandsthroughoutthemovement,includingtriplet16th-notescalesand

arpeggios.In1972,portionssuchasfigure7wereoutofcommoneuphonium

performancepractice,andwereonlywithinthecapabilitiesofthemost

accomplishedperformers.Inthisportionofthework,itisimportantthatthe

originalthemecanbeheardthroughtheadditionalflourishes.Themovement,and

ultimatelytheentirework,endswithanaccelerationtoafinalpunctuationinEb

major.Itisimperativetheaccelerandoremainswithinthefinalmarkedtempoofq

=130tomaintainclarityinthe16thnotesandtoensurethelastnotehasasenseof

weightandfinality,sotheconclusionoftheworkisconfident,ratherthanflippant.


In1991,Horovitzcreatedaneweditionoftheconcerto,revisingmanyofthe

tempoindicationsthroughoutthework(table1).23Thesetempoalterationsreveal

hisassessmentoftheabilityofeuphoniumperformerswhenheoriginallycomposed

thework,andhisre-evaluationofwhattechniqueswereconsideredpossibleless

thantwentyyearslater.AsStevenMeadstates,“Withthetechnique‘inflation’that

hasgoneonsince[1972],notonlydothesephrasesnotneedtobesloweddown,

almosteverycollegelevelplayerisabletomasterthetechniquerequiredwithsome


15

ease,saveforaboutfourorfivephrases.”24Theonlytempoindicationthatisfaster

intheoriginaleditionoccursintheAllegrovivacesectionofthefirstmovement,

whichisabandinterlude,withnoaffectonthesoloist.

Table1.TempoindicationsalteredintheHorovitzrevised1991edition25

1972edition 1991edition

Mvt.1,mm.1 Moderatoq=72 Moderatoq=86

Mvt.1,mm.25 Piumossoq=80 Tempoprimoq=86

Mvt.1,mm.35 Piutranquilloq=69 Atempo(mainmodotranquillo)q=86

Mvt.1,mm.48 Allegrovivaceq=144 Allegrovivaceq=136

Mvt.1,mm.55 Menomossoq =116 Menomossoq =120

Mvt.1,mm.124 Moltomenoq =80 Moltomenoq =86

Mvt.2,mm.1 Lentoq =46 Lentoq =58

Mvt.3,mm.1 Conmotoq=100 Conmotoq=100-108

Mvt.3,mm.55 Pocopiupomposoq=92 Nomarking

Mvt.3,mm.69 Tempoprimoq=100 Nomarking

Mvt.3,mm.77 Pocopiupomposoq=92 Nomarking

Mvt.3,mm.107 Atempoq=92 Nomarking

Mvt.3,mm.172 Tempoprimoq=100 Nomarking

Mvt.3,mm.183 Moltopiuvivo Nomarking

Mvt.3,mm.200 Accelmolto (mm.206)accel

24StevenMead,“PreparingaMajorSoloPieceforEuphonium,”

http://www.banddirector.com/article/pg-brasseuphonium-baritone-alto-horns/preparing-solo-euphonium?productguide=318(accessedOctober13,2015).

25Thistabledoesnotincludetempoindicationsthatremainedthesameinthenewedition.

16

Performersalsoshouldconsiderthedevelopmentofeuphoniumdesignsince

thepremiereofHorovitz’sconcerto.Meadwrote“Horovitzdeliberatelywrotefora

threevalveeuphonium,awarein1972thatnotalleuphoniumshadfourvalves,and

notwishingtoprejudicewidesellingofthesheetmusic,decidedtorestrictthe

rangedemandedsothatnothinglowerthanconcertBbis[demanded],orhigher

thanhighconcertC.”26AfterHorovitzcompletedtheconcerto,hemadeanedition

forbassoonandchamberorchestra.Thebassooneditionincludesseveralpassages

thatarealteredfromtheeuphoniumversion.Thealterationsdonotresultina

highertessiturathantheeuphoniumedition,norwouldtheeuphoniumeditionbe

toodifficultforthebassoon.Instead,Horovitzlikelyrecognizedthebassoonhada

widerrangethanmanyeuphoniumsinthatera,andtooktheopportunitytorealize

themusicinthewayhehadoriginallyintended(fig.8).Theseossiasareallprinted

inthebassclefeuphoniumedition,andaperformershouldconsiderthemas

acceptablealternatives,choosingtoperformanyofthemdeemedappropriatefor

abilityandperformancesetting.

Figure8.HorovitzEuphoniumConcertomvt.1mm46-47.Withbassoonossia

26StevenMead,“PreparingaMajorSoloPieceforEuphonium,”http://www.banddirector.com/article/pg-brasseuphonium-baritone-alto-horns/preparing-solo-euphonium?productguide=318(accessedOctober13,2015).

17

JohnGolland

Itwasanothernineyearsbeforethenexteuphoniumconcertowaswritten.

Horovitz’sconcertowasgainingpopularity,andTrevorGroomwasachampionof

theeuphonium,regularlybeingaskedtoperformtheHorovitzConcertoaroundthe

world.27Ittookthenextgenerationofcomposerandperformertocreatesomething

new,andtocompletelyre-establishtheparametersofwhatstylisticandtechnical

requirementscouldbeexpectedinaeuphoniumconcerto.

JohnGolland,apianistturnedeuphoniumplayer,wrotetwoeuphonium

concertiinthe1980sbeforehisuntimelypassingin1993.28Bythe1980s,he

alreadywashighlyregardedasacomposerforbrassband,andhiscompositions

werebeingusedinconcertsandcontestswidelyintheUnitedKingdom.Hisfirst

concertoforeuphoniumwaswrittenin1981andwaspremieredthesameyearin

Perth,AustraliabyRobertChildsandtheGrimethorpeCollieryBand,conductedby

RayFarr.29Childshadjoinedthebandonlyafewyearsearlier,attheageof20,and

wasbeginningtogainnotorietyasanexcellenteuphoniumsoloist.Onthatsame

Australiantour,theworkwasperformedagainattheSydneyOperaHouse,which

wasmetwithexcellentreviews,andlikelycontributedtoChilds’recognitionby

SoundingBrassmagazinein1982as“InternationalEuphoniumPlayeroftheYear.”30

ChildsdidnotrecordGolland’sconcertountil1990,whenhegavethepremiere

27TrevorGroom,interviewbyauthor,Kettering,UK,November24,201528DavidChilds,“Review:Peace–TheMusicofJohnGolland,”http://www.davechilds.com/reviews-and-articles/article=review-peace-the-music-of-john-golland(accessedMarch1,2016).

29RobertChilds,“AboutRobertChilds,”http://www.robertchilds.co.uk/?p=about(accessedFebruary4,2016)

30Ibid.

18

recordingontheChildsBrothersalbum,EuphoniumMusic.

Musically,thefirstGollandconcertoisanimmediatedeparturefromtheneo-

classicalstylingoftheHorovitzconcerto.Ratherthantraditionalformsand

independentmovements,Golland’sworkwascomposedasonecontinuouswork,

incorporatingauto-biographicalreflectionsasthemusicalbasisforthecomposition,

beginningwiththecadenzainthefirstmeasure.31RobertChildsnotes,“theopening

elevennotesofthepiecearederivedasacipherfromthecomposer’sname.Inthis

musicalcode,thesevenlettersofthemusicalscalearerepeatedseveraltimes

startingfromA:JohnGollandisthereforemusically[intrebleclef]:CAAG

GAEEAGD.”32

ThenewchallengesGollandincludedinthiscompositionforthesoloistwere

many,beginningwiththefouropeningcadenzas.IntheHorovitz,therewasonly

onebrieflyricalcadenzainthesecondmovement.Herethesoloisthastobeginwith

aBb4,andineachofthecadenzasutilizeawiderangewhilemaintainingafull

fortissimosound(fig.9).Thatwasdistinctlydifferentfromanyofthelightstylistic

writingintheHorovitz,andwasaclearindicationfromthebeginningthatthiswasa

newkindofconcerto.

31RobertChilds,Celebration,DOYCD183,Doyen(CD),2006.32Ibid.

19

Figure9.GollandEuphoniumConcertomm1-3

Thefirstallegro,andthetrueopeningthemeofthework,isalightand

bouncymelody,influencedbyearlyjazzandthecommercialmusicoftin-panalley

(fig.10).Whilenottechnicallydemanding,theconcertorequiredanewsenseof

stylethatwasmorecontemporaryin1981,ratherthantheconservativestyle

requiredintheHorovitz.Childswasbuildinghiscareerthroughperformancesof

morepopularandcontemporarystyles,sothismusicwouldhavesuitedhimwell,

butwaslargelyforeigntomanyoftheotherfamousbrassbandeuphoniumsoloists

atthetime,mostofwhomwerestillperformingtraditionaltheme-and-variation

solosoroperaarias.


Thejazzinfluencescontinuethroughoutthefirstallegrosection,utilizing

alteredrhythmicfigurestoallowthesoloist’smusictosoundimprovisatory.In

measure130,Gollandbringsthejazzelementtotheforefrontbyhisuseofseventh

andninthchordsintheband,whilethesoloistperformsshortphrasesreminiscent

ofragtime,withchromaticchordoutlinesandsyncopatedaccents(fig.11).Through

thispointinthemusic,themajorityofthenewchallengeswerestylistic,ratherthan

20

technical,butthesedemandswerestillnewtoeuphoniumsoloists,particularlyin

thebrassband,whichtraditionallyhadbeenamoreconservativemedium.

Figure11-GollandEuphoniumConcertomm130-133

Thethirdsectionoftheconcertoisperhapsthemostchallengingportionof

theentirework.For23measures,thesoloistpresentsaseriesofcadenzasand

quasi-cadenzas,rifewithlongphrases,triple-tonguedpassages,andarangefromF2

toEb5.TherangealonedistinguishedthisconcertofromtheHorovitz,extendinga

perfectfourthlowerandaminorthirdhigher.GollandutilizedChilds’considerable

flexibilityandcontrolinboththelowerandupperregisters,whichwasconsidered

virtuosicin1981.Evennow,theseupperregisterdemandsareconsidered

“professionalrange,”andarenoteasilyachievedwithinthecontextofamajorwork.

Golland’sconcertoalsodemonstratesthenewchallengeofirregularmeter.

Whilethiswasnotthefirsttimeabrassbandhadencountered5/8,itwasthefirst

timeitwasrequiredinaeuphoniumconcerto,andoneoftheearliestappearances

inanybrassbandeuphoniumsolorepertoire(fig.12).Thechallengewassubtle,but

itestablishedtheuseofirregularmeterinthegenre.


Thisconcertoisaconsiderabletestofendurance.Afulltwominuteslonger

thantheHorovitzconcerto,Gollandalsoutilizedagreaterrangethanhis

21

predecessor.Thetestofendurancewasmadeevenmorechallengingbyconcluding

theworkonachromaticscale,ascendingtoasustainedD5(fig.13).Childsand

othersoloistswereaccustomedtoendingtheme-and-variationssolosinasimilar

fashion,buttheendurancerequiredtoconcludean18-minuteworkinthisregister

wassubstantiallygreater.Thishighrangeremainsachallengetomanysoloists,

especiallyconsideringthatGollanddidnotprovideconsiderablerestpriortosucha

demandingconclusion.


Golland’sconcertowassuchaprogressivestepinthebrassbandeuphonium

repertoireatthetime,thatitisperhapsnotsurprisingthefirstperformanceswere

metwithpraise,andChildsreceivedrecognitionforhiscontributionstoelevating

thepublicprofileoftheeuphonium.Thiswork,thefirsteuphoniumconcertosince

theHorovitz,servedasanexampleofthecapabilitiesoftheeuphonium,andhelped

toestablishtherequisiteabilitiesoftheseriouseuphoniumperformer.

ThesecondGollandconcertowaswrittenin1988forRobertChild’sbrother

Nicholas,anexcellenteuphoniumsoloistinhisownright.33Thetwohadpreviously

33DavidChilds,“Review:Peace–TheMusicofJohnGolland,”http://www.davechilds.com/reviews-and-articles/article=review-peace-the-music-of-john-golland(accessedMarch1,2016).

22

beenperformingtogetherforseveralyearsasaduoknownastheChildsBrothers.34

Theworkisdedicatedtobothbrothers,andisevidenceoftheadmirationand

respectGollandhadforbothmusicians.ChildsneverrecordedGolland’ssecond

concerto,givinguphisperformingcareertopursueotherendeavors,whichallowed

StevenMeadtogivethepremiererecordingonhis2003release,Bravura!

ThisconcertowasnotasequeltoGolland’spreviouswork.Theentirescope

oftheworkislargerandlongerthanbefore,andpossessesamuchmoreseriousand

substantialtonethroughout.Fromtheopeningphraseofthefirstmovement,

ModeratoEroico,themoreserioussenseisclear.Thisworkrequirestheweightand

solemnityofaromantic-eracelloconcerto.

OneofthedemandsGollandincludesinhissecondeuphoniumconcertois

thewiderangethatisrequiredthroughout.Veryearlyintheconcerto,herequires

thesoloisttoplayascaledowntoBb1,whichwasthefirsttimeabrassband

euphoniumconcertorequiredthesoloisttoplaybelowF2(asidefromtwoisolated

notesinthefirstGollandconcerto),andmarksthefirsttimethefourthvalvebecame

arequirementtoperformawork(fig.14).Thisparticularpassagewasnotoverly

challenging,butitsignifiedhowthemediumwasevolvingandrequiringperformers

tousemoderninstrumentstomeetthedemandsofthemusic.

Figure14.GollandEuphoniumConcertoNo.2mvt.1mm.14-16


23

Performersalsowererequiredtoexecutewideleaps,sometimesextending

fromverylowtoveryhighintherange(fig.15).Leapssuchasthiswereuniquein

euphoniumconcerti,sincetypicallyboththeupperandlowerregisterswere

approachedeitherbyscalesorarpeggios.Thesefiguresoftenstillposeachallenge

toperformers,whooftenhavetonegotiatesignificantdifferencesinembouchureto

performthewideintervals.


Gollandalsorequiresthesoloisttoplayextendedpassagesintheupper

tessitura.Oneofthemostdifficultpassagesintheentirepieceoccursnearthe

conclusionofthesecondmovement,LargoElegaico.Thismovementiswrittenin

memoriamtoJohnChilds,thefatherofRobertandNicholas,whoalsowasa

euphoniumplayerand,mostimportantly,wasaclosepersonalfriendofJohn

Golland.35Nearlyfifteenminutesintothework,Gollandwritestwolyricalpassages

forthesoloistatpianoascendingtoDb5(fig.16).Itappearsherecognizedthat

Childswasoneoffewsoloistsatthetimewhocouldperformthispassageas

effortlesslyasthemusicrequires,soheincludedanoptional8vb.Itislikelymost

35DavidChilds,“Review:Peace–TheMusicofJohnGolland,”http://www.davechilds.com/reviews-and-articles/article=review-peace-the-music-of-john-golland(accessedMarch1,2016).

24

performersatthetimewouldhavetakenthisoption,butmodernsoloistscommonly

performthisportionintheoriginaloctave.


ThelastoftherangeconsiderationsinGolland’ssecondconcertooccursin

thefinalmovement,AllegroEnergicoeScherzando.Inseveralinstancesthroughout

themovement,hecomposedglissandithatascendtoaneighthnoteintheupper

register.Someofthesenotesarenearlyimpossiblyhigh,ascendingallthewayupto

Bb5(fig.17).Gollandwasanexpertcomposer,soitisfairtoassumeChildsmust

havespecificallyaskedforthatrangetobeutilized,sinceevenaccomplished

performerssuchasStevenMeadtypicallychoosetoplaythesenotes8vbtoensure

clarity.36Veryfewsoloistsareabletoascendtothisextremeregisterbyanysortof

consistentandpredictablemeans;perhapsthismaybethenextexpectationofthe

modernperformer.


GreaterthanthechallengeofrangeinthesecondGollandconcertoisthe

demandforendurance.SimilartoGolland’sfirsteuphoniumconcerto,thiswork

requiresthesoloisttoconcludeonasustainedEb5.Thisisdifficultenoughonits

36StevenMead,Bravura!,QPRL217D,Polyphonic(CD),2003.

25

own,butcombinedwiththealreadymentioneduseoftheextremeupperregister

throughouttheentirework,andthedurationof23minutes,thisconcertorequiresa

substantialamountofstaminatoperform.Thiswasachallengeformostsoloistsin

1988,andeventodayremainsoneofthemostdifficultendurancetestsinthebrass

bandeuphoniumrepertoire.

MartinEllerby

ThenextoriginalconcertoforeuphoniumandbrassbandafterGolland’s

secondwork,wouldnotbeforanothersevenyears.Inthatspanoftime,Derek

BourgeoisandPhilipSparkeeachcompletedbrassbandadaptationsoftheir

respectiveconcerti,butitwasMartinEllerbywhocomposedthenextsignificant

workforthemedium.Hisconcertobroughtfreshlightonthegenre,andhecreated

aworkthatwasasexcitingasitwasdemanding.

MartinEllerbystudiedcompositionattheRoyalCollegeofMusicinLondon,

wherehewasastudentofJosephHorovitz,makinghimthethirdinadirectlineage

ofcomposerstowritemajorworksfortheeuphoniumatatimewhenitwasstillnot

generallyregardedasaserioussoloinstrument.3738Ellerbyismostknownasa

composerforbrassbandandwindband,andhiscompositionsareperformed

regularlyaroundtheworld.Inadditiontohiseuphoniumconcerto,hehaswritten

concertiforotherbrassbandprincipals,includingcornet,tenorhorn,baritone,


38MartinEllerby,interviewbyauthor,Cheshire,UK,November26,2015

26

trombone,euphonium,tuba,andpercussion.39

In1995,Ellerby’sreputationcapturedtheattentionofarisingeuphonium

virtuoso,StevenMead.Atthetime,MeadwasSeniorTutorineuphoniumatthe

BirminghamConservatoire,theRoyalAcademyofMusic,andtheRoyalScottish

AcademyinGlasgow.40Healsohadgreatsuccessastheprincipaleuphoniumwith

severalcontestbandsincludingtheGUSBand,wherehesucceededhisformer

teacher,TrevorGroom.

WithEllerbyhavingstudiedwithJosephHorovitz,andMeadhavingstudied

withTrevorGroom,itwasserendipitousthatthepartnershipwouldleadtoa

successfulnewconcerto.Originally,thiscommissionwasfromtheBrassBandof

BattleCreek,whereMeadwastheprincipaleuphonium,butthecommissionwas

cancelled.41Instead,Ellerbyagreedtofinishthepieceinexchangeforhavingit

typeset,sinceatthetimehecomposedeverythingbyhand.Thepremierewasgiven

toastanding-room-onlyaudienceonOctober21,1995byMeadandtheBrassBand

BernerOberlandinBerne,Switzerland,withJamesGourlayconducting.42Twoyears

later,MeadagainpartneredwithGourlaytoprovidethepremiererecordingof

Ellerby’sconcertoontheRoyalNMCBrassBand’s1997album,Vistas–TheMusicof

MartinEllerby.

MeadrelinquishedallcontroloverthemusicaldirectiontoEllerby.Ellerby

said,“Themainthing[Mead]saidtomewas,‘I’lldoanythinginthispiece,butImust

39MartinEllerby,interviewbyauthor,Cheshire,UK,November26,201540LloydE.BoneJr.andEricPaul,GuidetotheEuphoniumRepertoire:TheEuphoniumSourceBook(Indianapolis:IndianaUniversityPress,2007),499.

41MartinEllerby,interviewbyauthor,Cheshire,UK,November26,201542MartinEllerby,EuphoniumConcerto(Bedfordshire,England:StudioMusic,1997).

27

beheard.Soifyouexpectmetoplayalloftheseweird,wonderful,odd,crazythings,

I’lltrytodoitforyou,butifIcan’tbeheardbecauseyouoverscoredit,ortheband’s

gettingtooheavy,thenit’snotgoingtowork.”43Thisopen-endedrequestallowed

Ellerbycompletefreedomtowritethepieceashewished,notbeingboundby

restrictionsofstyleorform,especiallyconsideringthebrassbandmovementbythe

mid-1990swasbeginningtoacceptmorecontemporarywritingofcomposerssuch

asDerekBourgeoisandEdwardGregson.Thatmusicalautonomyresultedinawork

thatwas,atthetime,themostmusicallyadventurousanduniqueeuphonium

concertotobewritten.

Ellerby’sconcertowasoriginallyconceivedinthreemovements,andwas

expandedtofourbeforethefirstperformance.44Itsdurationof22minutesis

comparableinlengthtoGolland’ssecondeuphoniumconcerto,anditpossesses

someofthegreatestdemandsonthesoloist,especiallyinregardstostamina.Each

movementhasavastlydifferentcharacter,whichservestokeeptheworkvaried

andexcitingthroughtheentireperformance.

Thefirstmovement,Fantasy,isaggressivefromtheoutset,signifyingan

immediatedeparturefromthehighlymelodicconcertithatprecededit.Thesolois

writteninshortcells,ratherthaninalong,singablemelody.Becauseofthis,the

soloistrarelyplaysforlongerthanafewmeasuresatatime.Instead,Ellerby

intendedthesoloisttobeacounterpartwiththeband,stating“Itisnotan

instrumentwithaccompaniment.It’sadialogue,it’saunion,aconversation.”45The

43MartinEllerby,interviewbyauthor,Cheshire,UK,November26,201544ibid.45ibid.

28

workalsorequiresarepeatedfeelingofaggressionandgrowth,withmanyofthe

musicalcellsincreasingindynamicfrommftof,orevenptof,inveryshortperiods

oftime(fig.18).

Figure18.EllerbyEuphoniumConcertomvt.1mm.2-5

Thefirstmovementincludesarapidtempo,minimaluseofslurs,especially

on16thnotes,quickdynamiccontrasts,andanon-diatonicsenseofharmony.Each

oftheseelementsontheirownhadbeenaregularpartofeuphoniumsolo

repertoire,butcombinedtheyrepresentedanewlevelofchallenge.Theseelements

allappearinfigure19,inwhichthesoloistmustnegotiateawideregister,an

expansivedynamicrange,andarticulationmarkingsforeverynote.Techniques

suchasthesewereemergingwithintherealmofmostbrassbandeuphonium

soloistsin1995.EvenmusicianssuchastheChildsbrotherswerenotaccustomedto

performingsuchangularsolomusic,andpassagessuchasthispresenteda

perceptivelydifficultobstacleatthetime.


29

Capriccio,thesecondmovement,wasthesegmentEllerbylateraddedto

createafourmovementwork.Hestates“Itwouldn’tgoinmymindfromthefirst

movementtotheslowmovement.ItneededthatCapricciointhemiddle.”46The

varyingtempiofthefirstmovementdidnotallowforaneasytransitionintothe

lyricalmovement,soEllerbychosetoaddlightandfastmaterialtobridgethe

transition.Withatempomarkingofq=152,whichisfasterthanthatofthefirst

movement,hefurtherextendedtheboundariesofwhatsoloistswererequiredtodo

inthiswork.Thetripletfigurethatbeginsthemovementrequireseitherafast

singletongue,orthecapabilitytotripletonguetheever-evolvingarpeggios(fig.20).


Thedemandsforthesoloistinthismovementareextensivethroughout.

Similartothefirstmovement,fastarticulations,rapidharmonicshifts,andan

expansiverangearefeatured.Inthemiddleofthemovement,thesoloistmust

negotiateaveryfastmutechange.Thiswasthefirsttimeamutewasusedina

euphoniumconcerto,whichisoneoftheclearestexamplesofEllerby’sintentional

departurefromthepreviouslyestablishedtechnicallimitations.Attheendofan

alreadydifficultpassage,herequiresthesoloisttodescendtoG1(fig.21).Notonly

wasthisthefirsttimeaeuphoniumconcertorequiredasoloisttoplaybelowBb1,

46MartinEllerby,interviewbyauthor,Cheshire,UK,November26,2015

30

butEllerbyalsoplacesthesoloistinthisextremeregisterwhilestillmuted.In

additiontothatchallenge,thislowregisterdemandwasattheendofacrescendo

fromforte.Inpreviousconcerti,ifmaterialaslowinrangeasthissegmenthadbeen

written,ittypicallywasincludedasanossia.Instead,Ellerbymadeitanessential

partofthecomposition.


Thethirdmovement,Rhapsody(forLuis),isdedicatedtoLuisMaldonado,

whotypesettheoriginalbrassbandversionoftheworkasthepaymentforthe

commission.47Afterhehadcompletedtypesettingthepiece,hecommittedsuicide

beforethefirstperformance,andinhishonor,Ellerbyhassincededicatedthe

movementtoMaldonado’smemoryineachsuccessiveeditionoftheconcerto.48

Thismovementrequiressensitivityfromboththesoloistandtheband,with

soloandduetpassagesthroughoutthebandtosupportthesoloeuphonium.Ellerby

states“Itallhastodowithconversationswithwhat’sgoingonintheorchestration,

becauseyouneedtoknowwhereyousitandwhenyou’renotnecessarilythefirst

voice.Youmightbetakenovergraduallybysomethingelse,anditweavesinand47MartinEllerby,interviewbyauthor,Cheshire,UK,November26,201548ibid.

31

out.”49Understandingthatthesoloistdoesnotalwaysprovidetheprimarymelodic

material,andlisteningtocreatemeaningfuldialogue,canbethegreatestchallenge

inthismovement.Everyfewmeasures,thereisnewmemberorsectionoftheband

addingtothetexturebyechoingavariationofthethemefirstpresentedbythe

soloist(fig.22).


Themovementconcludeswithabriefandverysubtlehomagetothesecond

movementoftheHorovitzeuphoniumconcerto,withthesoloistprovidinga

constantarticulatedpitch,whilethebandresolvesfromDmajortoGmajor(fig.

23).50EllerbyintendedthismomenttobereminiscentoftheHorovitz,ratherthana

directorovertreference,saying“It’svery,verysubtle.IfIhadn’ttoldyou,you

wouldn’tprobablyhavenoticed.”51

49MartinEllerby,interviewbyauthor,Cheshire,UK,November26,201550MartinEllerby,EuphoniumConcerto(Bedfordshire,England:StudioMusic,1997).51MartinEllerby,interviewbyauthor,Cheshire,UK,November26,2015

32


Diversions,thefinalmovement,includesthequalitiesofadancemovement.It

isveryrhythmic,withashortthematicmotivepresentedattheoutsetthatrecurs

throughouttheentiremovement(fig.24).Therearereferencesreminiscentof

ragtimeandtheearlydaysofjazz,buttheharmoniesaremoreexpansive.While

Ellerbywrotein3/4,itishighlysyncopated,andattimessomefigureslooklike6/8,

withtwogroupingsofthree8thnotes,ratherthanthreegroupingsoftwo(figure

25).


33


TheextremedifficultyofthismovementisevidentinthetentimesEllerby

eitherhasprovidedanossia,ormarkedapassageasoptional8vaor8vb.He

recognizedwhathewasrequiringthesoloisttodowasonlypossiblebyveryfewat

thetime,andwithoutprovidingperformancealternatives,therewasapossibility

veryfewperformerswouldconsiderprogramminghiswork.Thefirstossiaprovides

34

a16th-notealternativetoa16th-notequintupletmeasure,recognizingthat

quintupletscanbeverydifficult,especiallyatthemarkedtempoofq=132(fig.26).


Thesecondofthesignificantoptionalmarkingsinthismovementisthe

indicationtoomitthemulti-phonicmaterial(fig.27).Whilemulti-phonicswasan

extendedtechniquethatwasbecomingpopularinthebrassbandmovementatthat

time,itmostoftenwasutilizedinanoveltyfashion,typicallyduringthecadenzaofa

theme-and-variation.Includingmulti-phonicmaterialinafastandarticulated

sectionwasquiteunusual,especiallyarequirementtochangepitches,asinthis

movement.Thistechniqueremainsachallenge,andevenmajorperformingartists,

suchasTormodFlaten,choosetoomittheuppernotesintheirperformances.52


Thefinalossiamarkedinthismovementoccursinthelastthreemeasuresof

thework(fig.28).Almostanexact8vbofmaterialfromtheoriginalsolopart,this

52TormodFlaten,NorwegianEuphonium,DOYCD190(CD),2005.

35

ossiaaccountsfortheimmenseamountofendurancerequiredtoplayEb5atthe

conclusionofa22-minuteconcerto.


EvenifasoloistchosetoplayeveryossiaorsimplifiedoptionEllerby

provided,thismovementwouldremainverychallenging.Someofthehighestand

lowestsegmentsofthemovementareinextremeregisters,andmanyofthe

articulatedfiguresremaindifficulteveninmorecomfortableranges.Allofthese

technicaldemandscontributedtoEllerby’sbeliefthat,“WhenIwroteit,onlySteve

Meadcouldplayit,”consideringtheimmensechallengesofthismovement,letalone

thedemandsoftheentirework.53Ellerbystates,“Wellthehardpartaboutplayingit

intheearlytimeswasnotthattheycouldn’tplaythefourmovements,butplaying

themaftereachother,becauseofthestamina.Stevenhadthisgreatstamina.”54

53MartinEllerby,interviewbyauthor,Cheshire,UK,November26,201554ibid.

36

PhilipWilby

PhilipWilbyalsocomposedaeuphoniumconcertothesameyearasEllerby,

thoughWilbywasnotawareofEllerby’sworkuntilafewyearslater.55Wilby’swork

wascompletedonNewYear’sEve1995andwaspremieredinthespringof1996.56

Sincethen,ithasbecomeoneofthemostfrequentlyperformedeuphonium

concerti,appearingonnumerousstudiorecordings,manymajorperformances,and

studentrecitalsworldwide.

PhilipWilbyisaprolificcomposer,andisbestknownforhisbrassband

compositions,despitethefactheisnotabrassplayer.Asateenagerandyoung

adult,hemadehislivingasaprofessionalviolinist,andnowperformsasapianist

andorganist.57Hisperformancebackgroundpermeateshiscompositions,bringinga

rangeoftechnicaldemandsnotoftenrequiredforbrassmusicians.Since1972,he

hasbeenProfessorofCompositionattheUniversityofLeeds,andhasestablished

himselfasoneoftheforemostcomposersforbrassband.58

AlongwiththefirstGolland,Wilby’sconcertoalsowasacommissionfrom

RobertChilds,originallytobeusedasanexampieceforhisgraduatestudiesatthe

UniversityofLeeds.59ChildsspecificallyaskedWilbytowritesomedifficultmaterial

intheconcerto,suchasahighnoteplayedsoftlywithadiminuendo,theuseofboth

theextremeupperandlowerregisters,andasubstantialamountoftripletonguing.

SomeofChilds’revisionsincludedextendingfastpassagesbyseveralmeasures,and55PhilipWilby,interviewbyauthor,Leeds,UK,November24,201556PhilipWilby,ConcertoforEuphonium(Bucks,England:RosehillMusic,1996).57LloydE.BoneJr.andEricPaul,GuidetotheEuphoniumRepertoire:TheEuphoniumSourceBook(Indianapolis:IndianaUniversityPress,2007),482.

58Ibid.,482.59PhilipWilby,interviewbyauthor,Leeds,UK,November24,2015

37

changingoneofthe16th-noterunstoanascendingglissandototheextremeupper

register.60Childswantedthispiecetodemonstratethefullcapabilitiesofthe

instrument.

ThefirstoftherevisionsChildssuggestedrevealedhisdesireforthis

concertotobeincreasinglydemanding.Inmeasures29-35Childssuggestedmanyof

thedescending16th-notetripletpassagesbealtered(fig.29).Hisalterationsdonot

simplifythemusicinanyway,butinsteadtransformlineardescendingchromatic

scalesintooscillatingscalarfigures,asdemonstratedinmeasures31-32.These

minorchangesamendedsmallpassagesfromcommonscalefigurestounique

phrases,whichrequiredmoreattentiontoclaritytoensurethecorrectoscillations

couldbeheard.

Figure29.WilbyConcertoforEuphoniummvt.1mm.29-35.Manuscriptandpublished

60PhilipWilby,“ConcertoforEuphonium,”score,1996,WilbyCollection,RoyalWelshCollegeLibrary,RoyalWelshCollegeofMusicandDrama.

38

ManyoftheseminoreditswereadoptedbyWilbyandappearinthe

publishededitionsoftheconcerto61.Withover20revisions,mostdidnot

significantlyalterthework,butinsteadpresentedseveralpassagesthatchallenged

theperformerbeyondtypicalscalefiguresthatthesoloistwasexpectedtoalready

know.Inafewinstances,WilbychosetoincludeChilds’edits,butonlyasoptional

ossiapassages,suchasmeasures148,288,and621.Theseareportionsofthework

inwhichChilds’requestswerebeyondthescopeofwhatwasexpectedinbrass

bandeuphoniumrepertoireatthetime,andWilby’sinclusionofossiaoptions

allowedperformerstoremainwithintheboundsoftheirownability.

TherearetwosignificantalterationsChildsmadetoWilby’smanuscript.The

firstoccursinmeasures146-169,inwhichhesuggestedsomeoftheslurredtriplets

insteadbearticulated,andscalarfiguresbealtered(fig.30).Thesechangesreveal

Childs’desiretoutilizealargerrangeoftheinstrument,aswellashisintentionfor

moredifficultarticulatedpassages,requiringawidervarietyoftechnical

capabilitiestoaccuratelyperformthemusic.

61Afacsimileof“Bob’ssuggestedchanges”availableintheappendix

39


TheothersignificantChildsalterationtotheWilbyconcertooccursinthe

finalsevenmeasures(fig.31).Hereanextendedscalewastruncatedandalteredto

40

extendtherange,requiringmorebreathcontroltoprojectatbothendsofthescale.

Alsotheadditionofatwo-measure,fortissimo-pianotrillallowsthesoloisttojoin

theprevailingtextureintheband,yetisinthecorrectregistertobeeasilyheard.

Thelastmeasurealsowasamendedforrange,butChilds,notwantingtheconcerto

toconcludewithmaterialinthemiddleregister,addedtheossiaglissandotoEb5.

Childswasamongthefeweuphoniumsoloistsin1996capableofplayingthe

glissando,especiallyattheendofa20-minuteconcerto.Theossiamaterialisnow

consideredthestandardendofthework,withveryfewsoloistschoosingtoplaythe

originaleighthnoteending.


AtthetimeWilbycompletedhisconcerto,hewasthecomposerinresidence

withtheBlackDykeBand,andChildswastheeuphoniumsoloist.Thisguaranteed

thattheworkwouldbeperformedwiththeband,andforseveralyearsitwasa

regularconcertfeature.62Thepremiereperformance,however,waswithThe


41

NationalYouthBrassBandofWales,conductedbyHowardSnell,inAugust1996.63

ThefirstactualperformancewasheardonlybyChilds’examiningcommittee,and

occurredattheendofhisexamprogramattheuniversityinJune1996,withthe

composerhimselfplayingthepiano.64In1997,Childscreatedthepremiere

recordingofWilby’sworkonhisPremierealbum.

Wilby’sConcertoforEuphoniumisuniqueinitsconstruction,consistingof

fourmovementsintwoparts.WhileEllerby’sconcertoalsowasconstructedinfour

movements,boththefirstandthirdmovementsoftheWilbyseguedirectlyintothe

followingmovements,withtheonlypausebetweenmovementstwoandthree,so

thelistenerwouldperceivethetwolargerparts,ratherthanfourcompletely

isolatedmovements.Eachmovementpresentsadifferentmoodandfacetofthe

instrument.Theoutertwomovementsarecomposedincontemporarystyles,

utilizingbothquartalharmonyandchromaticpassagestoallowversatilityinthe

harmoniclanguage.Theinnermovements,whilelargelytonal,representtwovastly

differentperformancequalitiesoftheeuphonium.

Thefirstmovement,Nontroppoallegro,isasonataformbuiltonatechnical

firstthemeandalyricalsecondtheme.65Wilbystates,“Iwasgoingtocall[thefirst

movement]SarajevoSong,aftertheYugoslavianWar.Butthenthatturnedsosour

thatIdidn’tperceivethat.”66Thefirstthemeisafast-pacedtechnicalchallengefor

bothsoloistandband,withveryaggressiverhythmicfigurespunctuatedbythe

ensemble(fig.32).Thechallengeforthesoloistthroughoutthisfirstthemeisto63RobertChilds,Celebration,DOYCD183,Doyen(CD),2006.64PhilipWilby,interviewbyauthor,Leeds,UK,November24,201565ibid.66ibid.

42

projectthroughthethicklyscoredtextureoftheband.Muchofthematerialutilizes

softerdynamics,thereforethesolopartmaynotbepresentifplayedtooquietly.

Wilbydescribes,“Balanceisanissue.Thebandparts,evenifplayedwithenergy,

needtobelessprojection[sic].”67

Figure32.WilbyConcertoforEuphoniummvt.1mm.2-9

ThesecondthemeistheoriginalSarajevotheme,andisacontrastinglyrical

melodysupportedbyrichharmoniesandfullscorings(fig.33).Thesecond

occurrenceofthisthemeappearsintherecapitulation,andismarkedataslightly

slowertempo,whichthesoloistmayconsiderutilizingthefirsttimetocreatea

greatercontrasttothefirsttheme.Thefullscoringinthisportionpresentsasimilar

balanceconcerntothatofthefirsttheme,sincethesolopartisoftenwrittenat

pianoorpianissimo,withthesoloistinthemiddleregisteroftheorchestration.The

soloisthasthechallengeofaproducingagentlequalityatalevelthatwillbeclearly

heardthroughthetextureoftheband.


Perhapsthegreatestchallengesinthefirstmovementarethe16th-noteand

triplet16th-notepassages.Theseportionscompriseapproximatelyathirdofthe

solomaterialinthismovement,andrarelyappearasrecognizablescalefigures.

67PhilipWilby,interviewbyauthor,Leeds,UK,November24,2015

43

Coupledwithlongsegmentsoftripletonguing,andawidevarietyofdynamic

ranges,thismaterialwasverydifficultin1996,andremainschallengingfor

euphoniumsoloists.Thematerialisreminiscentofthethirdmovementofthe

Horovitzconcerto,withsimilaralternating16th-notescalesandtriple-tongued

passages.TheWilbycontainsnon-diatonicscalepassages,andismarkedupto10

BPMfasterthanthe1991Horovitzedition,andapproximately20BPMfasterthan

theoriginal1972edition.

ThesecondmovementisaZeibekikos,whichisafast-pacedGreekdance

featuringrapidpassages,longglissandi,andseeminglyimprovisatorysegments.The

useofGreekmusicoriginallywasintendedtounifythethemeofpartone,with

SarajevoandGreeceasneighboringculturalcenters.Itismarkedatq=148+,butis

commonlyperformedtodayattempiapproachingq=172toemphasizetheferocious

qualityofthemusic.Thisfastpacewasanemergingtrendinthebrassband

movementwhenoriginallywritten,andChildsrecordedthemovementatthefaster

tempo,whichestablishedanewinterpretativestandard.

Themiddlesectionincludesbriefinterjectionsfromthesoloistintendedto

resembleimprovisedsololines,presentingthechallengetoplaythecomplex

rhythmicfiguresaccurately,andyetsoundfree(fig.34).Thewiderange

requirements,inboththeupperandlowertessituras,arewhatChildswishedto

demonstrateinthiswork,sincetheyaresomeoftheshowmanshipskillsforwhich

hewasknownatthetime,asamemberofTheChildsBrothers.OnlytheEllerby

concertohadutilizedthiswideofarange,particularlyinthelowregister,revealing

44

theincreasingperformancestandardoftheeuphoniumbythemid-1990s.68


ParttwobeginswithapresentationofthelyricalSarajevothemefromthe

firstmovement,followedbyseverallyricalcadenzas.Here,theeuphoniumismuted,

establishingadistinctdifferenceintimbrefromthefirsthalfoftheconcerto.69The

firstcadenzainmeasures424-430iscomprisedofsomeofthewidestrange

requirementsintheentirecomposition,andisnotatedpianoorsofter.The

combinationofwiderangeandsoftdynamicsistreacherousinamute,andposed

significantpotentialintonationissueswiththefibermutesthatwereavailablein

1996.Despitethecurrentavailabilityandwiderangeofmutes,manywithimproved

intonationtendencies,thisoftenpresentsachallengetothemodernsoloist.

68Attheconclusionofthemovementthescorenotatesthesmashingofplatescoordinatedwiththelastnoteofthepercussion.Thistechniquecanbedifficultandquitedangerous,soWilbysuggeststhrowingaplateintoaboxofalreadybrokenplates,whichensuresthebrokensoundbutalsohelpstocontainalloftheshardswithinthebox.

69PerformerswillbeinterestedtonotethatWilbypreferstheuseofametalstraightmute.

45

Followingthecadenzasisabeautifulandsimpleadagiomelodyalso

comprisedoffirstmovementmaterial(fig.35).Thesinglelargestrevisiontothe

workduringthecompositionalprocessoccurshere.OriginallyWilbycomposeda

briefscherzo,markedDoppioPiuPresto,intheplaceofwhatisnowtheadagio(fig.

37-38).ChildsneverperformedthisversionandaskedthatWilbyinsteadcompose

aslowsegmenttodemonstratehislyricalcapabilities.Whilethetempointhe

revisedversionwasslower,differentchallengeswerepresented,includingan

extensionofthedurationofthemovement,andlyricalplayingintheupperregister

atverysoftdynamics,creatingasignificanttestofendurancetoappearthislatein

theconcerto.Wilbymaintainsoneofhistraditionsofquotingfamousorchestra

composersbyinsertingtheopeningofWagner’sTristanandIsoldeattheconclusion

oftheadagio,beforereturningtothecadenzamaterial(fig.36).



46

Figure37.WilbyConcertoforEuphoniummvt.3.Manuscriptshowingoriginalscherzopage1

47

Figure38.WilbyConcertoforEuphoniummvt.3.Manuscriptshowingoriginalscherzopage2

Movementfourbeginswithafugaldialoguebetweensoloistandband(fig.

39).Oftenthesubjectsareasshortasasinglemeasureoronlyafewbeats,which

48

providesanopportunitytofeaturethebandwithouthavingtoomitthesoloist.


Inadditiontothefugaldialoguematerial,thesoloistplayssimplechromatic

figures,whilethebandsustainsopenseventhsthatcoincidewitheachofthesolo

articulations(fig.40).Theaccentsinthissectioncoordinatewiththearticulationsin

theband,andshouldbeexaggeratedtoprovidevitalityandinterest.


Measure530includesasignificantdiscrepancybetweenthesolopartof

Wilby’soriginalmanuscriptandthepublishededitions.Thepublishedversions

showtheaccentsontheoffbeatofoneandonthree,whilethebandisaccentingon

oneandtheoffbeatofthree,whichistheonlytimetheaccentsdonotcoincide

betweensoloistandband.Inthemanuscript,however,theaccentsinthesolopart

lineupwiththeband,whichistheversionthatmakesthemostmusicalsense,since

itisconsistentwiththeaccentschemeWilbyestablishesatthebeginningofthis

material(fig.41).Performersshouldconsiderthemanuscriptversionforthis

49

measuretoensurecontinuitythroughoutthisportionofthemovement.

Figure41.WilbyConcertoforEuphoniummvt.4mm.530.Manuscriptcomparison

Towardtheendofthemovement,Wilbyutilizesacrescendotoatuttiband

segment,beforethesoloist“movesinexorablytowardsaclimacticreturnofthe

musicandtonalityoftheopeningbarsofthework.”70Atthispointstaminaisa

concern,takingintoaccountthatfrommeasure588totheendthesolopartis

markedfortissimo.Thesoloistmaydetermineitisbeneficialtoreducethedynamic

inmeasures598-604toensureadequatestaminatofinishthepieceintheupper

rangeatfortissimo.

70PhilipWilby,ConcertoforEuphonium(Bucks,England:RosehillMusic,1996).

50

ConcludingRemarks

Eachoftheseworkswasreceivedtogreatcriticalandpopularacclaimwhen

theywereinitiallyperformed.FromtheHorovitzanditsconservativerangetothe

styleandromanceoftheGollandconcertos,totheaggressiveandcontemporary

demandsoftheEllerby,andtotheepicjourneyoftheWilby,therehasbeenan

increaseinthetechnicalrequirementsoftheperformerswitheachnewconcerto

andcomposer.Thesefivecompositionsserveasbenchmarksofthegenre,withthe

Horovitzreveredasthepioneer,andtheWilbyrespectedasthestandardof

durationandtechnicalrequirements.

Allfiveworkshavebeenreducedforpianoaccompaniment,asiscommon

practiceforconcerti,butmanyofthemalsoexistinotherensembleeditions.The

Horovitzhasbeenre-orchestratedbythecomposerforbothchamberwindsand

chamberorchestra.71MartinEllerbyhasrescoredhisconcertoforwindensemble

andsymphonyorchestra.72Themostwell-knownneweditionisthere-

orchestrationoftheWilbyconcertoforsymphonyorchestra.Wilbycreatedthenew

scoringin2000foreuphoniumsoloistDavidChilds,forhisperformanceinthefinal

roundoftheBBCYoungArtistcompetition.7374Childs’performanceandWilby’s

orchestrationsecuredhissuccessatthecompetition,andincreasedthepopularity

oftheinstrument,andthegenreoftheeuphoniumconcerto.75


72MartinEllerby,interviewbyauthor,Cheshire,UK,November26,201573DavidChilds,TheSymphonicEuphonium,CHAN10830,Chandos(CD),2014,8.74PhilipWilby,interviewbyauthor,Leeds,UK,November24,201575DavidChildsalreadyhadahistorywiththeWilbyconcerto,sinceRobertChildshadbursthiseardrumandwasunabletogivethefirstreading.Instead,he

51

Theseworksarerecognizedastheessentialconcertifortheinstrument.

MostseriousstudentsoftheeuphoniumhaveplayedtheHorovitzconcerto,oftenas

anexaminationpiece.Itisconsideredabarrierpiece,beingregardedbymanyasa

requirementtoperformbeforeastudentcancompletetheirformalmusicalstudy.

TheEllerbyandtheWilbyareviewedmuchinthesameway,thoughtheyrequirea

moreadvancedlevelofmusiciantosuccessfullyperform.Bothworksaretypical

inclusionsforgraduaterecitals,advancedauditions,andsolocompetitions.The

Gollandconcerti,whilenotaswell-knownoraswidelyperformed,remaininuseas

typicalrequiredworksforeuphoniumcompetitions,andhavecementedtheirplace

amongthemoreseriousworksfortheinstrument.Thispopularityispersistent

evenwiththerecentincreaseinthenumberofconcertiforeuphonium.With

approximatelyhalfadozenneweuphoniumconcertibeingwritteneveryyear,these

compositionsremainamongtheessentialrepertoirefortheinstrument.Their

popularityhasbeenestablishedbytheirplaceinhistory,technicaldemands,and

mostimportantly,thequalityofmusic.Theseworksareclearexamplesofhowthe

euphoniumconcertodevelopedintoasignificantgenre.

Theeuphoniumhasauniquehistory,particularlyinthebrassband,whereit

oftenwasfeaturedinshort,lesssubstantialrepertoire.Whilelightmusicisstill

oftenprogrammed,concertihavebeguntoappearonmoreconcertprogramsin

recentyears.DavidThornton,currentlyoneofthehighestprofileeuphonium

soloistsintheworld,performsmultipleconcertieveryyearwithavarietyof

broughtDavid,whowas12atthetime,alongtogiveitthefirstreading,andDavid’sreadingofthework,eventhen,revealedhewouldbeaformidableforceasaeuphoniumsoloist.

52

ensembles,whichwasnotanoptionforaeuphoniumsoloistasrecentlyasthe

1990s.Theeuphoniumconcerto,especiallywithbrassband,isnowagenrethatis

widelyacceptedandevenexpectedfromasoloist,justasitiswithviolinandpiano

concertiwiththesymphonyorchestra.Thatexpectationhasdevelopedademand

foragreaternumberofconcerti,andcomposersareincreasinglywillingtomeet

thatneed.

Horovitzwroteforwhatwasthevirtuosostandardin1972,yetnowhis

concertoisconsideredwellwithinthegraspofmostcollegiateeuphoniumstudents.

Thorntonstates,“Thesubstantialnatureofaconcerto,atthetimeasasolopiece

wasunusualandextremeandsubstantial.Nowyouputthatwiththekindof

languageit’swrittenin,andactuallyit’sfairlylightmusic.”76Thesameprogression

occurredforthesubstantialconcertiinthemid-1990s.MartinEllerbydescribes,

“Nowyoufindthatyourpieceispartoftheroutine.Itstartedoffas,‘that’stheone

togofor,’nowit’snotinthatplace.That’sgood,becauseit’sbeenconquered,and

that’sthewayitshouldbe.”77Thisisnottosaythattheseconcertiareeasyor

simple,onlythattheirdemandsarewithinthegraspofanyaccomplished

euphoniumsoloist.ThorntonsaysoftheHorovitz,“It’sbrilliantmusic.It’sareally

wellconceivedpiece,andsoI’mstillusingitasgreatstudyrepertoire,mainlyfor

interpretationalideas.Theamountofdetailthat’sonthepage,justbecauseit’snot

technicallythatdifficult,actuallymusicallygettingintotheconceptsthatHorovitzis

writingforisreallygoodforuniversitystudentstostudyandtoperform.”78When

76DavidThornton,interviewbyauthor,Manchester,UK,November26,201577MartinEllerby,interviewbyauthor,Cheshire,UK,November26,201578DavidThornton,interviewbyauthor,Manchester,UK,November26,2015

53

talkingabouttheconcertithatfollowedtheHorovitz,Groomsaid“TheWilbyand

theJohnGollandsareverydifficult.”79ThorntonalsosaidoftheWilbyandEllerby

concerti,“They’renoteasy,there’snodoubtaboutthat.Theywerehardin1995,

andthey’restilldamnhardnow.”80

Table2revealsthedirectprogressionofdifficultybetweenthefiveconcerti.

FromtheHorovitzthrougheachoftheGollandconcerti,toEllerby’sconcerto,the

rangehasexpandedwitheachcomposition,asidefromtheextremeregisterinthe

secondGollandconcertodiscussedpreviously.TheWilbydoesnotincreasethe

rangedemandsfromtheEllerby,butitcertainlyexpandedfromtheHorovitzand

Gollandconcerti,andduetoWilby’sunawarenessoftheEllerbyconcertoatthe

time,thisisstilladirectsignofexpansionoftherange.Anothertellingdevelopment

ishowoftencomposersutilizetheupperandlowertessituras.Horovitz’suseofthe

higherregisterissparse,andheintentionallyavoidswritinginthelowerregister.

Gollandestablishedwhatwouldbecomethestandarduseofrangebetweenhistwo

concerti,althoughhissecondconcertoisinthehigh,andsometimesextremelyhigh,

registerforasubstantiallengthoftime.EllerbyandWilbycontinuedthetrends

establishedbyGolland,utilizingboththehighandlowtessiturastogreateffect.

Athirdchallengethesecomposersutilizedwasrapidarticulatedpassages.

FromHorovitz’sconcertothroughtheEllerby,thereisaconstantincreaseinthe

amountofmultipletonguingrequiredthroughouttheconcerti,andWilby,although

notanincreaseovertheEllerby,stillmakesgreatuseofthistechnique.Notonlydid

thedemandformultipletonguingincrease,butalsotherequiredtempiinmultiple-79TrevorGroom,interviewbyauthor,Kettering,UK,November24,201580DavidThornton,interviewbyauthor,Manchester,UK,November26,2015

54

tonguedpassagesincreasedfromq=108intheHorovitz,toq=152intheEllerby,

andacommonlyperformedq=172inWilby’sconcerto.

Table2.Concertocomparisons

Horovitz Golland#1 Golland#2 Ellerby WilbyFullrange

Uppertessitura81

12bars 85bars 117bars 89bars 80bars

Lowertessitura82

n/a 2notes 4bars 8bars 6bars

Doubletonguing

5bars 1bar 4bars 60bars 16bars

Tripletonguing

7bars 10bars 39bars (23barstempo-based)

8bars

Theseconcertialsorevealstylisticchangesinthebrassbandmovement

throughtherepresenteddecades.In1972,bandswereplayinglesssubstantial

music,eveninmajorcompetitions.Wilbynoted,“theywouldhavejustcomeoutof

sharppitch,andtheywouldhaveplayedwithamuchlighterstyle.”83Horovitz’s

concerto,writteninaneo-classicalstyle,fitneatlyintothelightstyleoftheday.

Gollandadvancedthatstyle,writingbothconcertiinaneo-romanticidiom.While

hisfirstconcertoutilizessomejazzinfluences,theentireworkpossessestheweight

andseveritythatemergedintheromanticera.Golland’ssecondconcertois

composedinthestyleofRichardStrauss,utilizingthetypeofheroicthemesand

long,sweepingmelodiesStrausswasknownfor.

81F4andabove82BelowF283PhilipWilby,interviewbyauthor,Leeds,UK,November24,2015

55

Thebrassbandmovementwitnessedadeparturefromitstraditional

sensibilitiesinthe1980sand1990s.Newcomposersbegantoexpandthe

boundariesofthemedium,andcompositionssuchasDerekBourgeois’Blitz(1980),

andTheNewJerusalembyPhilipWilby(1989)weregainingpopularityand

redefiningwhatwasacceptableinthebrassband.EllerbyandWilbybothfollowed

thistrendinthecompositionoftheireuphoniumconcerti,emergingfromthe

traditionallyricallimitationsthebrassbandidiomutilizedfordecades,andinstead

including20thcenturycompositionaltechniquesthatchallengedandinspiredthe

performersandaudiencesinanewway.

Since1996,thestandardforeuphoniumsolorepertoirehasonlyincreased.

Thefourbrassbandconcertiofthe1980sand1990snowrepresenttheexpected

standardofasoloist,ratherthanthevirtuosostandardofonlytheeliteperformers.

Currently,thevirtuosoperformersarecommissioningworkswithevengreater

demandsofrange,fingerdexterity,flexibility,andendurance(table3).Many

modernworksincludeextendedtechniquessuchasmulti-phonics,windsounds,

andothereffects.Groomstates,“Theywritethemdifficultnow.Theyjustliketosee

whocangetmorenotesonthepage.”84Thornton,whentalkingaboutarecent

euphoniumconcertobyTorsteinAagard-Nilsen,said“WhenIfirstopenedthe

Aagard-Nilsenscore,Ilookedatsomeofthewritingandthetechniquesinvolved

andjustsaid,‘woah,wheredoyoustartwiththis?’”85

84TrevorGroom,interviewbyauthor,Kettering,UK,November24,201585DavidThornton,interviewbyauthor,Manchester,UK,November26,2015

56

Table3.Newconcertocomparisons

Theseincreasingtechnicalchallengesarethewaythegenreshouldevolve.

Aseachgenerationpassesdowntherepertoireandskillstheypossess,each

successivegenerationshouldbedevelopingandaddingtoboththetechnicalskills

andtherepertoire.Thisincreaseisevidentthroughtheearlydevelopmentofthe

brassbandeuphoniumconcerto,andisstillapparentthroughthenewrepertoire

today.

Aagard-Nilsen(2009) AndyScott(2012)Fullrange

Uppertessitura 62bars 94barsLowertessitura 1note 4barsDoubletonguing 72bars 20barsTripletonguing n/a 29bars

57

Postscript

Itisimpossibletowriteaboutthesepieceswithoutrecognizingthe

contributionsofboththecomposersandtheperformers.Withouttheir

partnerships,thesequalitycompositionswouldnotexistformusicianstoplayand

listenerstoenjoy.Thesemen,thechampionsoftheinstrument,haveendeavoredto

establishtheeuphoniumasaninstrumenttobetakenseriously,andhelpedpave

thewayforalloftheperformerswhohavefollowed.Theyhaveencouragedallofus

toseekoutourownvoiceontheeuphonium,andtocreatenewmusicthatalsocan

inspirefuturegenerationsofmusicianstostriveforexcellence.

58

APPENDIX

Table4-PublicationandPerformanceInformation

Range

Bb2-C5

D2-Eb5

Bb1-Bb5

G1-Eb5

Ab1-Eb5

Duration

16:00

18:00

23:00

22:00

18:00

Scorings

86

BB,W

B,OR,PN

BB,W

B,PN

BB,W

B,PN

BB,W

B,OR,PN

BB,W

B,OR,PN

Publisher

Novello

Chester/Novello

Studio

Studio

Rosehill/Winwood

Date

1972

1981

1988

1995

1996

Work

Euphonium

Concerto

Euphonium

Concerto

Euphonium

ConcertoNo.2

Euphonium

Concerto

Concertofor

Euphonium

Composer

JosephHorovitz

JohnGolland

JohnGolland

MartinEllerby

PhilipWilby

86BB–BrassBand|WB–WindBand|OR–Orchestra|PN–Piano

59

Figure42.RobertChilds'suggestededitspage1

60

Figure43.RobertChilds'suggestededitspage2

61

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http://www.davechilds.com/reviews-and-articles/article=review-peace-the-music-of-john-golland(accessedMarch1,2016).

Childs,David.TheSymphonicEuphonium(ProgramnotesbyPaulHindmarsh).CHAN

10830,Chandos(CD).2014.Childs,Robert.“AboutRobertChilds.”http://www.robertchilds.co.uk/?p=about

(accessedFebruary4,2016).Childs,Robert.Celebration.DOYCD183,Doyen(CD).2006.Ellerby,Martin.EuphoniumConcerto.Bedfordshire,England:StudioMusic,1997.Golland,John.EuphoniumConcerto.London:ChesterMusic,1983. Golland,John.EuphoniumConcertoNo.2.Bedfordshire,England:StudioMusic,1992.Horovitz,Joseph.EuphoniumConcerto.London:Novello&Company,1991.Mead,Steven.“PreparingaMajorSoloPieceforEuphonium.”

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Mead,Steven.“TrevorGroom–ABritishEuphoniumLegend.”Concertprogram.

Don’tTellTrevor!.December4,2004.TheMcKinlayTheatre,KetteringUK.Sparke,Philip.EuphoniumConcertoNo.1.Bedforshire,England:StudioMusic,1995.Wilby,Philip.ConcertoforEuphonium.Bucks,England:RosehillMusic,1996.Wilby,Philip.“ConcertoforEuphonium.”score.1996.WilbyCollection.RoyalWelsh

CollegeLibrary,RoyalWelshCollegeofMusicandDrama,Cardiff,Wales.

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DISCOGRAPHY

ChildsBrothers.EuphoniumMusic.DOYCD002,Doyen(CD).1990. JohnGollandEuphoniumConcerto(premiererecording)Childs,David.Peace–TheMusicofJohnGolland.DOYCD186,Doyen(CD).2005. JohnGollandEuphoniumConcerto(conductedbyRobertChilds) JohnGollandEuphoniumConcertoNo.2(conductedbyNicholasChilds)Childs,David.TheSymphonicEuphonium.CHAN10830,Chandos(CD).2014. JosephHorovitzEuphoniumConcerto PhilipWilbyConcertoforEuphoniumChilds,Robert.Celebration.DOYCD183,Doyen(CD).2006. JosephHorovitzEuphoniumConcerto JohnGollandEuphoniumConcerto PhilipWilbyConcertoforEuphoniumChilds,Robert.Premiere.DOYCD061,Doyen(CD).1997. PhilipWilbyConcertoforEuphonium(premiererecording)Flaten,Tormod,NorwegianEuphonium.DOYCD190,Doyen(CD).2005. MartinEllerbyEuphoniumConcertoG.U.S.(Footwear)Band.CornetCarillon.TWO418,Columbia(LP).1973. JosephHorovitzEuphoniumConcerto(TrevorGroom,soloist)(premiere

recording)Mead,Steven.Bravura!.QPRL217D,Polyphonic(CD).2003. JohnGollandEuphoniumConcertoNo.2(premiererecording)Mead,Steven.JosephHorovitz,MusicforBrass.SERCD1900,Serendipity(CD).1994. JosephHorovitzEuphoniumConcertoRoyalNMCBrassBand.Vistas–TheMusicofMartinEllerby.QPRL085D,Polyphonic

(CD).1997. MartinEllerbyEuphoniumConcerto(StevenMead,soloist)(premiere

recording)Thornton,David.Devil’sDuel.DOYCD229,Doyen(CD).2007. PhilipWilbyConcertoforEuphonium

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