Etudes Appropriate for college auditions.

[Richardrichard9]

I am about to audition in a couple of years (2) for college. Major:Tuba performance. What pieces and Etudes are the best for auditions? Right now I am preparing Carnival of Venice which I plan on using for college audition but need some etudes. Would the Concert Etude by Goedicke work?

[suetuba]

Etudes Appropriate for college auditions.

It might be different where I am, but I would expect a student to play more 'tubistic' etudes. Maybe a Bordogni; something by Uber perhaps. Something that shows tonal development.

[GregEuphonium]

Etudes Appropriate for college auditions.

Indeed, I might something a bit more along the lines of a Bordogni etude, or even one of the Blazhevich studies. Both the Bordogni and Blazhevitch will show your ability to show a warm and consistent tone throughout the range of the instrument (as suetuba mentioned), they will also show your ability to develop a very musical phrase through use of dynamics, articulations, etc... Both the Bordogni and Blazhevitch etudes are great for showcasing your musicality, but some of the Blazhevitch etudes are a bit more interesting, and are open to a bit more creative freedom. just my humble opinion.

[uieuph]

Etudes Appropriate for college auditions.

The Kopprasch etudes were commonly played by tubas in my studio.

[ScottM]

Etudes Appropriate for college auditions.

Bordogni/Kopprasch/Tyrell all shosuld work and are work to do well

[Richardrichard9]

Etudes Appropriate for college auditions.

I was actually considering Tyrell, I have actually recently switched from the carnival of venice (such as what Suetuba was saying) I wanted a more "tubistic" piece. The Carnival was originally written for violin (by paganinni) then trumpet. But it sounds very un-natural on the tuba.. I haven't yet decided between Vivaldi's Concerto in A minor and Vaughan-Williams Tuba Concerto..

[suetuba]

Etudes Appropriate for college auditions.

completely agree on the Blahzhevich and Kopprasch. All my students own those, plus Bordogni.
I don't think there is much comparison between the Vivaldi ( not actually written for tuba........) and the VW. One is somewhat more demanding, more musica, and oddly enough, more suited to the tuba. The first movement is particularly good for university-level auditions, although the high Ab is not usually expected.
Choice of solo or concerto would be affected by what pitch of horn you plan on auditioning on. The VW can be a bit of a stretch on C, but easy peasy on Eb of F. It has been done on Bb, but not much fun for either side, usually.
Sue

[Richardrichard9]

Etudes Appropriate for college auditions.

well I have picked up a new concerto I am considering. The walter Ross tuba concerto. I actually think the vivaldi is harder than the VW, and I (being a violinist too) have a "thing" for baroque music...

[suetuba]

Etudes Appropriate for college auditions.

I'm gonna have to disagree with you on this one. IMO there's no comparison either technically or musically between the RVW concerto and a Vivaldi Am.

I am presuming you mean the Winston Morris transcription of the Vivaldi. It is a pleasant piece, scalar in style, with opportunity for decoration on repeats, but the range is very limited; probably deliberately so, to enable performance by students with only 3v Bb tubas. The technical aspects are simple, being almost entirely scale-based, with the restricted modulations of the baroque era. Having said that, it's a fun piece to play, and offers the educated player a chance to display his/her understanding of baroque stylistics. It's also very enjoyable for the audience!

The RVW concerto is a different animal, in a completely different musical zoo! It's the first concerto ever written for tuba; it explores several different aspects of the tuba's personality, and is surprisingly insightful, particularly in the second movement. As a work of late old age, it clearly reflects and illustrates periods in VW compositional evolution, from folksong and modal tonalities in the first movement, to the delicate 'floatiness' (sorry, can't think of any better way to say it!) of The Lark Ascending in the second movement, to the black dog of depression and anger in the final movement, similar in mood to the Fourth Symphony.
The range is much wider from Eb way below the bass stave to Ab well above the stave. The work is full of 'awkward to pitch' intervals, with a huge emphasis on augmented fourths in the last movement particularly. The tempo of the last movement is demanding.

I can't see any way in which the Vivaldi could be considered 'harder' than the RVW.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the Vivaldi is a 'bad' piece, just very lightweight in comparison. It's like comparing fairy floss to a decent porterhouse steak!
And I'm not saying that the RVW is the be-all and end-all of tuba music either. There's a ton of good original compositions for tuba now!
Good luck with your auditioning, whatever you choose to play, and let us know how you go!
Sue

[Richardrichard9]

Etudes Appropriate for college auditions.

No I am talking about the Allen orstrander transcription. umm... having your description I think that this one might be a little more difficult than the morris. The range isn't the thing that makes it hard for me. The RVW being in Bb I believe is personally easier to me than the Vivaldi.

But I guess I really won't know which one I think is personally harder until I get to know them both better.

But then again the difficulty of a piece is an opinion of the player. Scales are harder for me and the key isn't my favorite. Though I am great in a every high range.

[suetuba]

Etudes Appropriate for college auditions.

The RVW tuba concerto isn't in Bb major;it is in predominantly Fm, initial key signature four flats with strong modal influences. The second movement is in two sharps.
If you have a version in Bb, then that isn't the VW. It's something else, an arrangement or simplification; AFAIK the only arrangement approved by the copyright owners OUP is that done of the accompaniment by Denis Wick, in arranging the orchestral parts for wind band. The solo part was not changed.

I'm also going to have to disagree with you on 'difficulty being an opinon of the player'. Opinions need time and experience, and there are what might be called industry standards, that are created by a wealth of experience of a lot of performers. In this way one can meaningfully say that the Effie Suite is harder than Bill Bell's 'The Spartan'.
What a young player considers 'difficult' is not necessarily a reflection of actual difficulty, technical challenge, or whatever one wishes to call it. Experience will usually show that 'difficulty' is not a useful criterion. One of the 'hardest' pieces for a solo tubist is 'O Isis und Osiris', from Mozart's Magic Flute,in any arrangement, any key, yet it has nothing more than minims and crotchets! And that's not just my opinion, but that of many players. It's easy to be seduced by a gazillion semiquavers, and to hide behind demisemiquaver triplets, but to convincingly play a simple aria is another thing.....
I'm not saying difficulty doesn't exist, and there's another thread on this forum discussing difficult parts, but that it is a concept to be considered thoroughly and in depth.

Thanks for clarifying the arrangement of the Vivaldi: I do not know the Ostrander arrangement and will look out for it. I have a book of rhythm studies by him, great fun.
Sue

[davewerden]

Etudes Appropriate for college auditions.

Originally posted by: Richardrichard9
But then again the difficulty of a piece is an opinion of the player.

I can't totally agree with that. Obviously it is partly a matter of opinion, but (as SueTuba says) there are accepted standards, ones that have been reached by professionals and teachers over many years. The RVW is considered harder in general because the notes are somewhat more difficult to play musically and because overall it requires more depth of interpretation.

But that is not to say it's the best piece for you. For a college audition, I would rather hear a student play Vivaldi really well than hear him/her sound awkward in the RVW. You need to find a solo that is a good fit for your level of accomplishment.

[Richardrichard9]

Etudes Appropriate for college auditions.

Sue tuba- I have no clue what I was thinking when I said Bb... sry lol.... I would check out the Ostrander arrangement. It is really nice.

[suetuba]

Etudes Appropriate for college auditions.

I think you had an advance attack of something that usually only happens to 'vintage' tuba players like myself - a 'senior moment'- i.e. complete brain fade!

Anyways, I am keen to hear of your auditioning and successes. Keep us posted!
Sue

[Richardrichard9]

Etudes Appropriate for college auditions.

K thanks.. Yah, I went through my solos and I have no clue what I was thinking of. I don't have any solo music in Bb...