A Survey of Selected Professional Brass Ensembles

 

Spanish Brass

American Horn Quartet

Est. 1982; 8 CDs; First Prize Philip Jones 1989; NOTAMUS, Brussels 1991,Tokyo 1992; 1994 NEA Chamber music grant;Rep: Schumann and Hindemith to Bernstein and Ewazen.

Sotto Voce (tuba euphonium quartet) 

Est. 1996; semi-finalists at Fischoff and CAG; 1998 ITEC and Colonial Tuba Quartet competitions; 2 CDs; Rep: Bach and Haydn to Stevens and Forbes.

American Brass Quintet

Est. 1960, Juilliard & Aspen, Stanton Mgmt., + 45CDs? “Serious brass chamber music”, “High Priests of Brass”, +100 commissions; Rep: Monteverdi & Bach to Etler and Ewazen

Canadian Brass Quintet

Est. 1970, over 70 CDs, 12 videos, +100 commissions, ICM Mgmt., Rep: Bach and Mozart to Jelly Roll Morton and Sousa

Dallas Brass

Brass Quintet plus percussion, Est. 1983, 5 CDs, Rhythm and Brass spinoff

Meridian Arts Ensemble
Brass quintet with drummer; 1990 Concert Artist Guild, (ASCAP/CMA); Adventurous Programming awards; 8 CDs; Rep: Gesualdo and Bach to Babbitt and Zappa.

Chestnut Brass Company

Brass Quintet; Est. 1977, Grammy Award, +12 CDs, specializes in brass music on original instruments, SMG Artists.

Empire Brass Quintet

Est.1971, CAMI, Naumberg Award 197?, 18 CDs, Boston University, Tanglewood, Telarc

Spanish Brass Luur Metalls

Est. 1989, Staumvi Trumpets, Romera Brass mouthpiece collection, 9 CDs & 1 DVD, Won Narbonne prize 1996, Academia Spanish Brass

Mnozil Brass (Brass Septet) 

Est. 1990, Austrian, 5 CDs, 100 concerts annually, very unique singing, choreographed entertainment-oriented band.

Other Notable Small Ensembles:

• Saint Louis Brass Quintet
• Proteus 7
• Boston Brass
• Center City Brass Quintet             
• Trombones de Costa Rica
• Dirty Dozen Brass Band
• Youngblood Brass Band

People and Places of Brass Ensemble Music History

I. Principal Composers and Places of Brass Ensemble History:

Links to Critical Places and Traditions:

The Venetian School (Wikipedia)
Venitian Polychoral Style (Wikipedia entry)
Music in the Renaissance (Met Museum)
Franco-Flemish Composers
Band Music from the Civil War Era - Library of Congress
Brass Music - State Library of Western Australia
Research Bibliography - American Brass Quintet
Harmoniemusik (Wikipedia)
Trombone Choirs (NPR)
Moravian Music Foundation
Irish Music for Brass - The Contemporary Music Centre of Ireland
The Waits Website
Waits' Duties
Instruments Played by Waits
Stadtpfeifers - Groves Online
Wait - Groves Online

II. Course-related Reading Online:

They're With the Band, Speaking That Global Language: Brass
by Josh Kun, New York Times, 4/9/2006
The Waits; A Short Historical Study by Lyndesay G. Langwill
A Short History of the Trombone by David Guion from the Online Trombone Journal
Town Waits and their Tunes by Joseph C. Bridge
A Golden Age of Brass by Annalyn Swan, Newsweek (from American Brass Quintet Website)
History and Heritage of the Trombone Choir by John Marcellus, Eastman School of Music
Something About Trombones (Moravian) from the Bethlehem Digital History Project
Early History of Brass Instruments Vienna Symphonic Library
Venitian Polychoral Style (Wikipedia entry)
Stadtpfeifers - Groves Online
Wait - Groves Online
Cornicen - Roman Empire.net (military trumpeter)
Saxhorns (Wikipedia)

III. Significant Composers Throughout Brass Ensemble History:

A. Renaissance & Baroque

Andrea Gabrieli (1533-1585) Ricercari
Giovanni Gabrieli (c. 1557-1612) Sacrae Symphoniae; Canzoni
Giovanni Pierluigi de Palestrina (1525-1594)
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) L'Orfeo (five trombones)
Gioseffo Guami (c. 1540-1611) Canzoni
Anthony Holborne (1584-1602) Consort Music, Pavans...
Matthew Locke (1622-1677) Consort Music
William Brade (1560-1630) Dance Suites
Tielman Susato (c. 1500- c.1562)
Samuel Scheidt (1587-1653)
Johann Schein (1586-1630)
Johann Pezel (1639-1694)
George Friederich Handel (1685-1759) Water Music, Royal Fireworks

B. Classic and Romantic

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Drei Equali
Alexander Alyabiev [Aliabev] (1787-1851) Quintet in E-flat for Brass
Ludwig Maurer (1789-1878)
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) Messe Solenelle (1824), Grande Messe des Morts (Requiem) [orch. + 4 antiphonal brass choirs]
Viktor Ewald (1860-1935) Brass Quintets Nos. 1-4
Wallingford Riegger (1885-1961) Music for Brass Choir, op. 45

C. Twentieth Century

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) Fanfare on motifs of Die Gurre-Lieder for Brass and Percussion (1945)
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963 ) Brass Septet, Morgenmusik from "Ploner Musiktag"
Virgil Thompson (1896-1989) Family Portrait
Henri Tomasi (1901-1971) Fanfares Liturgiques
William Walton (1902-1983) Belshazzar's Feast (orchesrtra with two brass bands); Queen's Fanfare; Anniversary Fanfare; Numerous works for brass band and arrangements for brass.
Ingolf Dahl (1912-1970) Music for Brass Instruments (1944)
Alvin Etler (1913-1973)
Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994) Mini Overture
Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987)
Vaclav Nehlybel (1919-1996)
Alfred Reed (b. 1921-2005)
Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006)
Iannis Xanakis (1922-2001) Eonta, Akrata, A la Mémoire de Witold Lutoslawski
Fisher Tull (1934-1994)

D. Significant Living Composers

Milton Babbitt (b. 1916)
Alexander Arutiunian (b. 1920)

Gunther Schuller (b. 1925)
Verne Reynolds (b. 1926)
Walter Hartley (b. 1927)
La Monte Young (b. 1935)
Jan Bach (b. 1937)

Joan Tower (b. 1938)
John Cheetham (b. 1939)
Tania Leon (b. 1943)
Edward Gregson (b. 1945)
Anthony Plog (b. 1947)
David Sampson (b. 1951)

David Felder (b. 1953)
Eric Ewazen (b. 1954)
James Grant (b. 1954)
Richard Danielpour (b. 1956)
Ira Taxin (b. 1957)
Marti Epstein (b. 1959)
David Dzubay (b. 1964)

Eras and Traditions; An Interactive Outline

This is an online interactive edition of Monday's lecture. Use it as a starting point for your research for your historical perspectives papers. Brass instruments, and brass ensembles have been around for thousands of years. Your paper topic should illuminate one aspect of this rich heritage. You will find more specialized resources in journals, and books than on the internet in most cases. Focus on a topic or subject before the 20th century. To understand brass ensembles as a genre, it is necessary to examine our past.

Part I: ERAS & TRADITIONS:

A. Prehistoric - brass functioned as signals (shells, animal horns)
B. Antiquity

1. Ancient Egypt - ceremonial, trumpet in Tutankhamun’s tomb
2. Ancient Greece - Apollonian & Dyonesian dichotomy, salpinx (salphinx)
3. Ancient Rome - Martial, Roman Tuba, Buccini (spiral infantry bugles), Cornu
4. Ancient Hebrews - sacred/ceremonial, shofar
5. Russia - lur; horn bands (Mares[ch] in Bohemia, Czar Alexander); Rozhok (wooden Russian cornet); composers Cannobio & Glinka

6. Other - Nefer (Morroccan trumpet); Irish Bronze Age horns; Asia? Africa?

C. Middle Ages

1. Sacred vs. secular
2. Early Brass: Serpant, Sackbut, Cornetti, etc.
3. Minstrels, troubadours/trouveres?, Brass associated with royalty & battle

D. Rennaissance

1. Civic Brass Musicians: Waits (UK); Stadtpfeiffers (Gr); Pifferi (It.) Alto Capella

E. Baroque

1. Polychoral/antiphonal brass ensembles;
2. Use of natural horns, trumpets;
3. Birth of opera, chamber music
4. Brass players “let indoors” (Monteverdi L’Orfeo - 1607)

F. Classical

1. More brasses incorporated into orchestra
2. Harmoniemusik, Tafelmusik, Serenades
3. Eggert & Beethoven use trombone section in orchestra

G. Romantic

1. Major developments:

a. 1815 - valves patented
b. 1835 - tuba patented, brass choir (SATB) complete
c. 1865 - Civil War, regimental bands, saxhorns

2. Composers write for full brass section (Wagner, Berlioz, Tchaik., Strauss)

3. British Brass Band tradition

H. Modern (end of 19th C., beginning of 20th)

1. First brass quintets, sextets (Aliabev, Ewald, Bohme)
2. Modern brass bands, brass choirs, trios, quartet, quintets, etc.
3. Modernists, extended range, extended techniques

Online Resources:

• A Bibliography of Writings about Historic Brass Instruments (Indiana University Library
• The Brass Players Museum (Springfield, MA)
• Historic Brass Society (free registration required)
• Edinburgh University Collection of Historic Musical Instruments
• A Brief History of Horn Evolution (Thomas Bacon)
• The Tuba; Its Historical Developement and Use
• The Wallace Collection - link includes a brief overview of brass quintet history

Related Grove Online Articles:

• Brass band history before 1600
• Military music 1600-1800
• Civic and church bands 1600-1800
• Calvary bands
• British brass band movement
• American brass bands

Journal Articles (Ewald & Russian Traditions):

1. Smith, André. “Brass in Early Russia: From the Beginnings to the Birth of Victor Ewald, 1860.” International Trumpet Guild Journal. December, 1993, pp. 5-20.
2. _______ “Victor Vladimirovich Ewald (1860-1935) Civil Engineer & Musician”. International Trumpet Guild Journal. February, 1994, pp. 5-23.
3. _______ “The History of the Four Quintets for Brass by Victor Ewald. International Trumpet Guild Journal. May, 1994, pp. 5-33.

Listening Session No. 1

Today we had our first listening session. I foccused on brass quintets and larger ensembles, and alternated between the two. We heard:

• Giovanni Gabrieli Canzona Per Sonare No. 27 and Canzon quarti toni from the CD "The Antiphonal Music of Gabriel", featuring the brass sections of the Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Chicago Symphonies of 1968. [Sony Classical MHK 62353]

• Alexander Aliabev Quintet from the CD "Russian Music for Brass" by the Montanus Quintett [Fermate FER 20022]

• George Lloyd Symphony No. 10 'November Journeys'. We heard the fourth movement, entitled "Energico". This recording is of the London Collegiate Brass, conducted by James Stobart [Trax Classique TRXCD 114]

• David Sampson Distant Voices, movement IV "Ben and Mark; My Sons". This recording is called "Premier!", by the American Brass Quintet [Summit Records DCD 187]

• Rusasca de la Buzdug by the Balkan Brass Band "Fanfare Ciocarlia". The CD is called "Radio Pascani" [Piranha CD PIR 1254]

Spring 2010

Photo: Old Merry Tale Jazzband from Hamburg, Germany

Welcome students of Advanced Brass Ensemble Literature to the Spring 2010 semester. This blog will serve as the class blog, which I will maintain, and as central hub for all of your student blogs.

Here you can view posts regarding our recent and/or upcoming classes, view links to brass ensembles and student blogs from past semesters, as well as your own. All past posts are archived, so you can review what past classes have covered and get ideas from other blogs. One of your assignments will be to create and maintain your own course-related blog, with a theme you choose, so peruse what others have done to get ideas.

Check out the following ABEL Central posts for blogging help:

• Blogging Resources
• On Blogging Well

Other helpful links:

• Starting a Blog
• Seven Blogging Tools Reviewed from Tech Soup
• How to Blog; A Beginner's Blog Publishing Guide

Final Class

Today, for our final class meeting of the semester, we enjoyed student presentations on professional brass ensembles. The three groups featured were the Giannini Brass (Chris); Sotto Voce (Blaine); and the TransAtlantic Horn Quartet (Jessica).

Things we learned:

• If your ensemble spends the time and money to create a promotional DVD, be sure it is compatible with all operating systems.
• Be sure to proof-read and edit all promotional materials!
• Some of the most significant and meaningful contributions these ensembles have made were due to being creative and interdisciplinary.
• Keep publicity materials as up to date as possible
  
• Don't expect to make a lot of money as a professional musician - so do it for the love of music.
  

Listening Session 4/28/09; "Old and New"

Wednesday's listening presentation was based on the theme of "Old and New." Naturally, we started by listening to the classic recording of some of the earliest music know for brass ensembles, the Gabrieli recording made by the combined brass sections of the Philadelphia Cleveland Chicago Symphony Orchestras. If you own one brass ensemble recording, this is a must. The title of this Sony CD "The Antiphonal Music of Gabrieli", and the composition we heard was Canzon septimi toni No. 2.

We then heard a different Telarc recording, made by the Empire Brass in 1985 along with some other Boston brass musicians. Despite being recorded in 1968, the digital remastered CD sounds remarkably clear. One thing we noticed between the two groups, was the the Empire Brass observed different tempo relationships at the meter changes, and had a deeper sound due to the tubas playing in the lower octaves. The Empire Brass has also released a second Gabrieli recording (re-issue?) , "The Glory of Gabrieli" with the New York Philharmonic and Boston Symphony brass sections.

We then heard both old and new music from the American Brass Quintet. Battle Suite, by Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654) is from the Delos recording "American Brass Quintet plays Renaissance, Elizabethan, and Baroque Music." Everything on that CD was composed prior to 1750.
In contrast, the works on their recording "American Premiers" featured works written between 1989 and 1993, and includes works by Shculler, Sampson, Welcher, and Jan Bach. We heard the Gunther Schuller Brass Quintet No. 2 and David Sampson's Distant Voices. Desite the chronological gap between the compositinal eras and styles of both of these recordings, it is noteable that there are some similarities, such as the use of alternating textures, dynamics through orchestration, and the exploitation of both the ability for brasses to sound loud and majestic, as well as delicate and mysterious or solemn.


[Image above from the new website for the Los Angeles Brass Ensemble. Give them a listen]

Non-Traditional Brass Ensembles

On Monday, we listened to several groups that fall under the category of "non-traditional" or "crossover" brass ensembles. Among them was Metalofonico, which is comprised of members of the Atlantic Brass Quintet, the Meridian Arts Ensemble, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Mexico City Symphony, and percussion from the University of Buffalo. The piece we heard is an original composition by Jon Nelson, professor of trumpet at the University of Buffalo, and founding member of the MAE, called Insomnio. In it, you may have heard influences of Ives, Tomasi, and Frank Zappa. You can hear Metalofonico on their myspace page here.

From the CD "Brassil plays Brazil", we heard track six, Gonzagueando, by José Ursicino da Silva ("Duda"). Duda combines typical Brasilian folk/pop music, but in a well crafted way, and the Quinteto Brassil plays brilliantly. You can order this CD here.

Ryhthm and Brass, from their recording Sitting in An English Garden." We heard track fifteen, Money/Lollipop Guild/Eclipse, which combines elements of the Pink Floyd and the Wizard of Oz. Rhythm and brass are best known for the fine playing, but also presenting the brass quintet in a new light, with the addition of percussion, keyboards, synthesizers, and elements of jazz and rock. You can read about and listen to Rhythm and Brass at their myspace page here.

One of my favorite Balkan Brass Bands is the Kocani Orkestar, from Macedonia. We heard Solo Tapan from their recording "Kocani Orkestar; Gypsy Brass Band." Kocani Orkestar is non only a Balkan Brass band, but they combine elements of "Western" popular music. I recommend listening to Romani Kaj on their myspace page here.

Finally, representing both "non-traditional" and "crossover", we heard the Bollywood Brass Band. They have combined the Indian Raga style of music used in films from "Bollywood", with elements of funk, jazz, and perhaps a bit of the British Brass Band tradition. We heard Mere Yaara Dildara from their recording "Rahmania; the music of A.R. Rahman" What, or where is "Bollywood"? It is the nickname for the film industry in Mumbai India (the Hollywood of India). The nickname combines the "B" (from Bombay, the former name of Mumbai) with the term "Hollywood".

The most exciting when you combine disparate elements, especially in music, is that you end up with a very interesting and appealing new genre. We have talked a lot about our history and traditions in brass ensemble literature, but never forget that there is a future - one that we all may potentially be part of creating.