Posted by David on January 10, 2002 at 12:50:45:
In Reply to: Re: Re: writing a tuba concerto..... posted by Winton on January 10, 2002 at 12:14:15:
The previous respondent was saying that if you make something playable for yourself that you are more likely to put in places to rest. The other side of that is, if you are writing for upper level college/professional players then you might want more playing and less resting.
Another good way to tell how much playing versus how much resting is to look at other tuba concerti. There aren't too many of them, so that should be a slam dunk. Something else to consider is the pianist if you do a piano reduction. Finding a tuba player to play your music is one thing, but getting a pianist to play for you can sometimes be a real bummer. My advice? make the piano part playable. (Ask the average pianist what works, not the hot shot. There are many more good players than excellent ones that are available on a regular basis.) There is tuba literature I really like but that is almost impossible for my accompanist to play. Guess what? It doesn't get played unless I, and she, can edit the part.
While many players poo-poo the Vaughan Williams Concerto, it has stood a test that most composers want - TIME. It endures not because it was first but because its good music. It has melody, interest, technique, and is playable by a wide array of players. It challenges, bores, sings, and keeps you and the audience interested all at the same time.
Music that endures the test of time has more than just challenges to the player. Look at composers music that is "really old". This is just my opinion, but what I like is music that is tonal and has a melody more than anything else. You want audiences beyond the college crowd to hear your music. The majority of folks I know like contemporary music only if it is tonal.
Thanks for allowing me to air my opinions and good luck to you in writing the piece. By the way, how does one get your music?