Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Tuba-Euphonium Chorale Book

Before I begin, this is NOT a shameless plug-in for my own work! I recently completed a collection of fifteen chorales for tuba-euphonium ensemble. The chorales come from a Lutheran hymnal and Bach chorales. My goal was to create a book of four-part chorales that would help a tuba-euphonium ensemble with intonation, balance, and blend, to name a few. The melody is usually in the first euphonium part, just as most chorale melodies are in the soprano voice, but then the roles of the remaining three parts change. I revoiced chords and cadences to place the third of major and minor chords in different parts to ensure that each player got the chance to adjust intonation of those important chord members. At the time I began this project, I was unaware of any such book. If there are some out there, then this is just another contribution. Without studying ensemble blend and intonation, tuba-euphonium quartets and ensembles frequently begin rehearsals by tuning and then jumping into the literature. Spending a few minutes in each rehearsal on these chorales could really benefit the group's sound. The rich, sonorous timbre of the tuba-euphonium ensemble can really be explored through the careful attention to intonation, balance, and blend that the study of chorales so often gives to groups like wind bands and brass choirs. I think my collection will be available within the next few weeks from Brassworks4.

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