Playing the Wagner Tuba

HNE 003 © Copyright 2007 Horn Notes Edition 674 East Maria Lane Tempe, AZ 85284 USAInternational Copyright Secured ISBN 978-0-9801030-2-1

A Handbook for Hornists

John Ericson

�Horn Notes Edition

CONTENTS

Preface iii

ABriefIntroductiontotheWagnerTuba 1 Instruments 2

Holding the Instrument 2 Mouthpieces 3 Special Keys to Intonation 5 Notations 5 Mutes and Doubling 6

RichardWagner 7

Götterdämmerung,TrauermusikbeimTodeSiegfrieds Tuba tenor I and II in Eb 8 Tuba tenor I and II in F (transposed part) 10 Tuba bassa I and II in Bb basso 12 Tuba bassa I and II in F (transposed part) 14

AntonBruckner 16

CompletepartsforSymphonyNo.7 Tenor tuba I in Bb alto 17 Tenor tuba I in F (transposed) 21 Tenor tuba II in Bb alto 25 Tenor tuba II in F (transposed) 29 Bass tuba I in F 33 Bass tuba II in F 37

RichardStrauss 41

�� Playing the Wagner Tuba

ExcerptfromEineAlpensymphonie Tenortuba I in Bb basso 42 Tenortuba I in F (transposed) 44 Tenortuba II in Bb basso 46 Tenortuba II in F (transposed) 48 Tenortuba III in F (basso) 50 Tenortuba III in F (transposed) 52 Tenortuba IV in F (basso) 54 Tenortuba IV in F (transposed) 56

OtherComposers 57

ConcludingThoughts 58

FingeringChart 59

RecentResources 61

Index 62

���Horn Notes Edition

Preface

TheWagnertubahaslongfasc�natedme.Asaprofess�onal,Ihaveenjoyedopportun�t�estoperformontheWagnertubaw�thgroups�nclud�ngtheRochesterPh�lharmon�c,theInd�anapol�sSymphony,andthePhoen�xSymphony,andIpersonallylookforwardtoeachnewopportun�tytoperformontheWagnertuba.

Th�s�snottheusualreact�onofmanyotherhornplayers,however.TheWagnertubacanbean�nstrumentofmystery;�t�srumoredtobed�ff�culttomaster,andespec�allytoplaywell(thepartsareoddlynotated,the�ntonat�on�sverychalleng�ng,etc.).

Wh�le�t�strad�t�onthatWagnertubapartsareass�gnedtotalented,smarthornplayerswhommanagementbel�evesw�llf�gureouthowtoplaythe�nstrument,there�sabetterwaythanwordofmouthandtr�albyf�re.Th�spubl�cat�onattemptstobr�dgeth�sgapand�sanexpans�onuponthemater�alsIhaveregularlypresentedtoadvancedhornperformancestudentsatthecollegelevel.

Onegeneralgrammat�calnoteshouldbemadeattheoutset.It�scommon�nEngl�shtocalloneormoreWagnertubas“tuben”oreventorefertoseveral�nstrumentsas“tubens.”However,“tuben”�sthepluralformoftheword“tuba”�nGerman,andforthatreasontheword“tuben”shouldbeavo�ded�nEngl�shwhenreferr�ngtoas�ngle�nstrument,and“tubens”shouldalwaysbeavo�ded.

It�smyhopethatthroughth�svolume,morehornplayersw�lllearntoplaytheWagnertubawell,perhapsent�c�ngmorecomposerstowr�teforth�sbeaut�ful�nstrument.

JohnEr�cson

1Horn Notes Edition

ABriefIntroductiontotheWagnerTuba

TheWagnertuba�sad�st�nctmemberofthebrassfam�lyand�sperformedbyhornplayers.TheboreoftheWagnertuba�sm�dwaybetweenthatofthehornandthetubaandthe�nstrumentut�l�zesahornmouthp�ece.Th�stuba�sconstructed�nanovalshapedtrad�t�onalGermaneuphon�umpattern�ntwop�tchlengths(tenor�nBbandbass�nF);thebellemergesatasl�ghtangletother�ght,andfourvalvesareoperatedbythef�ngersofthelefthand.Becauseof�tsrelat�onsh�ptothehorn,theWagnertuba�ssomet�mesreferredtoasa“horntuba.”

Bb Tenor and F Bass Wagner Tubas (Mirafone)

Accord�ngto“Bayreuthtrad�t�on,”Wagnerconce�vedthesoundofth�stubaasbe�ngsolemn,d�gn�f�ed,andhero�c.Mostothercomposerswhohaveut�l�zedtheWagnertubahaveadoptedth�stonal�dealaswell,wr�t�ngmostoftenforaquartetof�nstrumentsgenerallyut�l�z�ngthelowerrange,often�nfour-partharmony.

Ifass�gnedtoplayWagnertuba,thef�rststep�stoacqu�rethe�nstrumentandmus�casearlyasposs�ble.Problemsyoumayface�ncluderead�nganoddnotat�on�nabadkeys�gnature,oddf�nger�ngs,strange�ntonat�on,mutes,anddoubl�ng.Inprofess�onals�tuat�ons,managementw�llfrequentlypayforanextrasect�onalrehearsal.

�Horn Notes Edition

RichardWagner

Althoughscholarsh�phasshownthatthe�deaforan�nstrumentofth�sgeneraltype�snotor�g�naltoWagner,Wagnerassuredcont�nueduseandlongev�tythroughh�scompos�t�ons.Wagner’sdes�rewasforanewtonalcolord�st�nctfromthatofthehorn,trombone,andtuba.Wagnerusedaquartetofthesesmalltubasextens�vely�ntheRingcycleofoperas(Das Rheingold, Siegfried, Die Walküre, andGötterdämmerung, prem�ered�n18�9,18�0,18��,and18��,respect�vely),w�ththef�fthandseventhhornsdoubl�ngonthetenor�nBbandthes�xthande�ghthhornsdoubl�ngonthebass�nF.

Wagnerusedthreed�fferentnotat�onalsystemsfortheWagnertuba.In Das Rheingold,completed�n185�,henotatesthetenorandbasstubasthesameasforhorns�nBbaltoand�nF,us�ngoldnotat�onforbassclefasonthehorn.InthepreludetoGötterdämmerung, completed�n18��,henotatesthetubas�nthesamemannerbutoneoctavetooh�gh,that�s,�nBbbassoand�nFbasso.Intherema�nderofGötterdämmerung, Die Walküre (completed�n185�)andSiegfried(completed�n18�1),henotatesthetenortubas�nEbandthebasstubas�nBbbasso.H�snote�nthescoreasksforthepartstobewr�ttenoutasforDas Rheingoldbutth�swasnot�mplemented.

Fromtheangleofperformance,�t�seas�esttoreadthepartsastranspos�t�onstoF.

Therearemanypassagesthatcouldbeh�ghl�ghtedamongtheworksofWagnerfortheWagnertuba.Herefollowsapopularorchestralselect�onfromactthreeofGötterdämmerung,wh�chexh�b�tsWagner’ssecondnotat�onsystem,presented�ntheor�g�nalnotat�onandtransposedtoF.

10 Playing the Wagner Tuba

1� Playing the Wagner Tuba

AntonBruckner

OthercomposersfollowedWagner’sleadbyut�l�z�ngtheWagnertuba�nthe�rworks.Thef�rsts�gn�f�cantandmostperformedworksemploy�ngextendedquartetpassagesarebyBruckner;hecalledforaquartetofWagnertubas�nh�sSymphon�esNo.�,8,and9(188�,1890,and189�).Hewrotefortenors�nBbandbasses�nF�nthesamesystemofnotat�onusedbyWagner�nDas RheingoldorthepreludetoGötterdämmerung,depend�ngontheed�t�on.AlsonotethatBrucknerrequestedthef�rstandsecondtoplaytenortubaandtheth�rdandfourthtoplaybass.Th�sarrangement�scommon�ncomposersotherthanWagner.

Bruckner’sSeventhSymphony�san�dealmodelforpartwr�t�ngforWagnertuba.Therange�svery�d�omat�c;thechallengesarepr�mar�lyonesofbe�ngaccustomedtothe�nstrumentandread�ngthenotatedparts.

Thefollow�ngsect�onpresentsthecompleteWagnertubapartsforBruckner’sSymphonyNo.�,alongw�thalternatetransposedpartstoFfortheBbtenors.TrytousetheBbparts�fyoucan;theyarementalchallengesthatcanbewonw�thpract�ce,muchl�keread�nghorn�nH�ntheworksofBrahms.

21Horn Notes Edition