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Tenor horn mutes/Gabrielli/Ponchielli

To: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Tenor horn mutes/Gabrielli/Ponchielli
From: MJENKINS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Fri, 14 Jul 1995 09:01:41 -0500 (EST)

For Henry Howey and others interested:

  Muting of tenor horns (American altos) has become quite common at least
in some of the more advanced repertoire. I know they are called for in
Bulla's "Firestorm" and Wilby's "Partita for Band," which was written for
youth level competition (but it ain't easy!). So by all means, mute everybody!
I'll be very interested to hear the results, since to my ears muting low
brasses (except trombones) never seems to really have the same effect as
it does in the cornets. In fact, I think tuba mutes are most useful for
directing traffic around construction zones!

  The Gabrielli arrangement sounds like a great project. There is tons of
wonderful renaissance music that would sound great in brassband transcription.
And please, never feel any need to justify brass band arrangements in terms
of whether or not it might be "appropriate." Those of us in brass bands
want to play great music, and if some of it happens to have been written
for other combinations, we should not hesitate to write it up for our
instrumentation and give it a try. If it happens to not come out well,
then we can bury it, but if it sounds good, I'm not going to worry about
it not being "authentic." Besides, it is really only in our century that
some musicians and musicologists (not mutually exclusive, but not synonymous
either) have become dogmatic about instrumentation.

None of the above is meant in any way as a flame. Simply observations and
encouragement to arrange everything in sight for the fabulous sound of
the British brass band (or whatever other medium floats your boat)!

Henry, we very much enjoyed your arrangement of the Ponchielli piece,
and of course Paul Droste was glad to have a hand in bringing back this
important bit of the history of his beloved Euphonium. Thanks for the
good work. 

OK, I've rambled enough. Cheers,

******************************************************************
Martin D. Jenkins			mjenkins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Music Library Coordinator/		
  Humanities Team LeaderVoice: (513) 873-4983
Wright State University			FAX: (513) 873-2356
			
	  "Timing is everything in doing a rain dance."
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