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Playing each other's parts...

To: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Playing each other's parts...
From: Tim Morgan <tim@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 29 Oct 1995 15:21:48 GMT
Reply-to: tim@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At Championship Section level, the important thing in winning a contest is not 
being the only band to be able to play all the notes in the right place, the 
emphasis is very much on interpretation of the music.  If your conductor's 
interpretaion requires a fatter bass sound here, or a more 'tromboney' sound 
there, then other appropriate instruments should be drafted in as and when they 
are necessary.

Next weekend, my band are travelling to Prestatyn to take part in the famous 
Pontin's contest.  The test-piece is Salute To Youth by Gilbert Vinter.  There 
is a particular moment in the second movement, 'Romance', where the trombones 
and basses have a nice running semiquaver motif (around bar 40, for those who 
know the piece...)  Tenor trombones and basses play this on the last 3 beats of 
the bar, with the bass trombone coming in on the last 2 beats, an octave lower 
than the tenors...however, our conductor decided that this balance was not quite 
right, so he told me (bass trombone) to play an extra beat and start with the 
tenors and basses...there is another similar spot in the first movement, 
'Resilience'...   Incidentally, the score and parts are full of errors and 
omissions, so if anyone else on the list is also preparing this piece and would 
like a second opinion on ambiguous bars, i'd be more than happy to help...

Last month, our band won the Burtonwood Brewery Championship playing Harmony 
Music by Philip Sparke.  The piece starts with a d-flat on the fourth line 
played by 2nd Horn at ppp, totally alone.   Our 2nd horn player simply couldn't 
do it, so our 1st horn player did.   This gradually crescendos until the whole 
top end of the band have it, and then basses, bass trombone and euphs. come in 
with a devillish little fanfare phrase.   I kept splitting the high note, so our 
2nd trombone player popped it in each time...and we won!

Basically, my point is if you really feel your interpretation of the piece would 
benefit from any of this swapping around then do it...BUT DON'T GO OVERBOARD!! 
Of course, at the end of the day, your interpretation has to be closest to that 
of the adjudicators if you want to win.  In the 1950's, Eric Ball conducted a 
band to 2nd place in a top contest.  The adjudicator's remarks stated that they 
hadn't won because of poor interpretation.  It was Eric Ball who had written the 
test-piece...

Best wishes, and if anyone is going to be at Pontin's next week, let me know, 
and we'll meet up for a pint...
-- 
Tim Morgan, Bass Trombone, Woolley Pritchard Sovereign Brass.
French Open Champions 1995, Burtonwood Brewery Champions 1995.

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