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In defence of the repiano:

On Fri, 24 Apr 1998, Adrian Drover wrote:

> On 23 Apr, <brassman@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> > The Sop and Rep are there for range, strength, support and colour.
> 
> The Sop is certainly useful in a solo capacity, or to support the top
> cornets, or extend the range a further octave.
> 
> I have however never understood the need for a Repiano. It has no more
> range than the other 8 players. It has no different colour to the other 8.
> As a solo instrument, it can only do what one of the other 8 might do just
> as well. It's only useful function is to double up the melody, which the
> soprano does anyway, or counterpoint line.

I find this sentence very bizare, Adrian, particularly as you say you have
arranged for bands, by the sound of things at a very high level.  I'll try
and take your points in order:

1) Range
  In all but the best bands, players aren't up to the same standard.  The
rep will be as good as many on the front row, perhaps better - the rep is
a soloist, men down are supporters.  Rangewise, the rep will have a better
compass than at least the 2nds and 3rds, Cs and Ds are written with
impunity these days (a the top level) at alower level, the contrast in
range is more marked.

2) Tone 
  As a soloist, the rep should cultivate a soloistic tone.  We're very
lucky with Tom in that respect at Oxford (Tom also played in Fundamental
Brass, with better tone than James, our leader)  I believe it is common
for when a principal leaves for the rep p[layer to move forward.

3) Ability
  Already covered:  the rep is better than (at least) 2nds and 3rds.

4) Function
  You sound like you're well rooted in the past - not even the Denis
Wright 'Scoring for Brass Band' is this limited in scope.  Examine the
scores of big modern works, and you'll find many instances.  I'll give you
examples if you give me time to think, this is all off the top of my head.

The reps main tasks are to

* Aid the solos, 2nds, flugel, sop, at pitch
* provide harmony notes betwwen solo and sop octaves

so far, so traditional

* Work with the sop as a team - dovetailed runs, high trumpet fanfares,
contrast with the front row.  This will be at the unison, octave, 3rd
mainly.
* alternate solos with the front row, especially is one is muted - echo
effects work well.
* lead the back row, contrasting them to the front - especially when they
are also spatially seperated. 
* offstage solos - something I have used recently in an arrangment, which
needed full front row and back row on their parts.

All this seems common sense?  Now, admittedly, you could use one player
from somewhere else in the cornet section to do some of these things, but
the spacial position would be wrong - the rep really is the lynchpin of
the cornet section, holding everything together.  Because there is a
player in the middle of the section who can work with anyone else arround
him as need, he is utilised - unless you want to junk all published music,
and restrict your writting, we need a rep part.

> This position could easily be sacrificed for a 2nd flugelhorn. This would
> create another quartet of matched instruments in the band (2 flugels and 2
> euphs).     

This has been tried and discarded - bands up till the 1910s or so played 3
flugels, with one flugel and one cornet on each of the back row parts,
some sections being marked for one player.  I believe this was found to
dull the tutti sound of the band too much, and two players discarded.
Continental Harmonies and Fanfares still use sections of Flugels,
alongside cornets and trumpets, though these are balanced by more
available colours from the woodwinds.

This is not intened as flames....

-- 
  Alastair Wheeler
  Euphonium & Trombone			    Fundamental Brass
  Bass Trombone			   City of Oxford Brass Band
  Alastair@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx   http://users.ox.ac.uk/~newc0349
  "I am following my fish"


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