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Contrabass-list Thu, 20 Nov 1997 Volume 1 : Number 40
In this issue:
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 19:55:29 -0500 (EST)
From:
Stryder <stryder@mhv.net>
Subject: contradivsi
> Here's something I don't see every day:
> We were going through Xmas music for our upcoming holiday concert last
> night. After spending most of the rehearsal sight-transposing Eb contra
> parts (and in one case, a string bass part), we pulled out a piece that
> assumed the presence of TWO Bb contrabass clarinets. "A Russian Christmas"
> by Alfred Reed, if I remember correctly. It starts off with SB and Bb
> contra playing a sustained E for quite a while (something like 24 bars).
> My part is marked (printed) "1." at the beginning, "2." four measures
> later, with an eighth note overlapping (for a seamless sustained pedal).
> At some spots, the part is noted "1. only", and at one point an actual
> divisi, with E's in octaves.> I showed this to the bass clarinetist sitting next to me. His comment was,
> "Boy, talk about wishful thinking!"
its russian christmas music, but the name doesn't matter, when i played tuba on it (i recall its a g, however that transposes) it had a similar part, i would guess that reed either expected an extra contra player, since he's a modern composer, or the tuba has cues for the contra part, so perhaps it was one contra and the tuba playing cues that gave the 1. and 2. thing.
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 17:09:31 -0800
From: Grant
Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
Subject: Re:
contradivisi
At 07:55 PM 11/19/97 -0500, Stryder <stryder@mhv.net> wrote:
>its russian christmas music, but the name doesn't matter, when i played
>tuba on it (i recall its a g, however that transposes) it had a similar
>part, i would guess that reed either expected an extra contra player,
>since he's a modern composer, or the tuba has cues for the contra part, so
>perhaps it was one contra and the tuba playing cues that gave the 1. and
>2. thing.
This particular section would be a low D concert (written E on the BBb contra). The upper note is actually doubled by the bass clarinets (playing their lowest E). Given that the bass clarinets are already playing the "upper" note, I don't know why he wouldn't want both contras thundering along on the contras' lowest E. Maybe it would sound too much like a squadron of B52s ;-)
It is definitely written as a "1&2" contra part - this is very familiar notation, often used on bassoon parts (where two or more bassoons are standard, and are often written on one part, with 1. and 2. used to separate the parts where they aren't unison). I just want to hear the band he scored this for!
Grant
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 18:45:34 -0700 (MST)
From:
Da Shouryu-man <jnohe@nmsu.edu>
Subject: Re:
contrabass-list V1 #39
Ah, Grant! The piece you are referring to is "Russian Christmas Music" and I performed this piece LAST NIGHT on contra. It is very taxing, to say the least, as I had to play my part alone. What makes the beginning hard is that it should be played as EIGHTH note at 70 bpm, which means I had to hold those blasted E's forever! Of course, everything is in a better time when the trombones come it, so after that, it isn't so bad...until you get to the nineteen consective whole note pedal E's, which I being the instrument to reach that far down, played the bottom line there...All I can say is that I'm certainly glad that I don't have asthma! After the fortissimo ending, I can't help but get dizzy due to the massive amounts of air I have to pour into the monster.
It's definitely a blast to play, but unless you wanna suffer brain damage from lack of oxygen, I would pursuade your director to get an additional contraist.
(This doesn't work here at at NMSU, since we have only one horn, and I'm the only one with the...guts, and the will to play the thing.)
Have fun with it!
Shouryu
Coming soon! A whole new Dope-onna-rope! That's right!
Shouryu is
changing EVERYTHING!!! A new signature with
new and improved design! A
new web page
with...>gasp<...USEFUL STUFF! Stay tuned in December
when
Warm Up gets a whole new makeover!!!
http://web.nmsu.edu/~jnohe
(This does not mean,
however, that Shouryu has a girlfriend yet.)
PS The concert did go quite well, even though I almost passed out. Luckily, Russian Christmas music was our last piece, so it wouldn't have mattered if I had lost conciousness anyhow. ^_^
Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 11:16:22 -0800
From: Grant
Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
Subject: Contra for
sale (repost from Doublereed-L)
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 20:59:07 -0800 (PST)
From: Daniel Burdick <danb@speakeasy.org>
To: doublereed-l@bcc.wuacc.edu
Subject: Contra for saleI have a contrabassoon for sale. Moennig brand, serial #1245. It is in virtually new condition, recently adjusted. It is quite large; it is a low A. There is some possibility of converting to a smaller size. Comes with two bocals.
If interested, contact me.
Dan Burdick
206-706-0283
Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 14:24:34
-0600
From: "Jeffrey L. Shlosberg"
<saxlaw@tc.umn.edu>
Subject: Contra Divisi
> Here's something I don't see every day:
> We were going through Xmas music for our upcoming holiday concert last
> night. After spending most of the rehearsal sight-transposing Eb contra
> parts (and in one case, a string bass part), we pulled out a piece that
> assumed the presence of TWO Bb contrabass clarinets. {snip}> I showed this to the bass clarinetist sitting next to me. His comment was,
> "Boy, talk about wishful thinking!"> Grant
Grant:I played in a band at the University of Illinois under Mark Hindsley in the late 60s. He was a master of transcribing orchestral works and used a lot of low woodwinds to provide the tonal colors of the cellos and string basses. If I remember correctly, there were two BBb contrabasses (paperclips), two contra-altos and four Bb bass clarinets, in addition to the four bassoons (one on CBassoon as needed) and typical sax section. There were also six tubas. When he wanted LOW, it was there!
Unfortunately, although the band museum displays a contrabass sax, it is unplayable and probably nearly beyond repair....
Jeff
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Jeffrey L. Shlosberg "It's NOT cut; it's NOT dried..."
900 E. 79th Street Suite 301 -- Alan Arkin as Shel Kornpett, DDS
Bloomington, MN 55420 -- "The In-Laws" - 1979
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
End of contrabass-list V1 #40