Holst Second Suite in F - March

[RickF]

As part of our last concert we played one of my favorite pieces - Holst Second Suite in 'F' for Military Band - Gustav Holst. It's been seven years since I played it last but I think I did okay. I tried to observe articulations as written with 8 measure phrases and not slurring but using legato tonguing as Fredrick Fennell suggested. This is just an excerpt:

Holst (March) Euph solo:

[highpitch]

Again Rick, wonderful.

Dennis

[davewerden]

Good job, Rick! The balance was very good, which is not always easy. For me it depended a lot on where I sat in the band and where my bell was pointed. How we you situated during this performance?

We were sometimes a little to the conductor's right-of-center in the CG Band, which had our bells pointing back a bit. So for solos like this one (if I had the solo memorized) I would turn my body so the bell was pointing forward a bit, and that seemed to help me get out to the audience. Of course I could not watch the conductor that way, but for short solos that was not a problem.

You played with more separation that I use on that solo. I like the smoothness of the slurs I use, but in the original song this is based on, there was a word or syllable on each note, so separation makes sense, now that I think about it. Food for thought!

[RickF]

Thanks Dennis and Dave.

The 3 euphs are in the third row right of Director's center and to the right of the horns. I sit to the left of the other two euphs so next to the 4th horn (there are actually 6 horns). I have this solo memorized but when played from memory I sometimes forget to use 3rd valve for concert 'G'... which I need to use for the M5050 for proper pitch.

I always thought that when I memorized music that I pictured the notes on the staff. Evidentally it's muscle memory in my case.

[davewerden]

I always thought that when I memorized music that I pictured the notes on the staff. Evidentally it's muscle memory in my case.

Interesting. I THINK in my case it is a combination of the two, plus some mentally-noted interval relationships mixed in (i.e. "the next two notes are part of a major arpeggio" or "the next note is down a 5th" etc.).

[Euph Loosh]

Bravo!!

[John Morgan]

Very nice job, Rick. It seems that piece comes around about every 4 or 5 years for me. Sure is a nice one. I think this is the piece where I learned to be able to consistently hit the G note on my horn. In fact, when I play a G on other pieces, I frequently think about what that note feels like and sounds like on the Holst solo. I tend to play this solo more like Dave describes as well, with a more flowing and slurred rendition, but your presentation is equally nice and interesting. Too bad Holst didn't write way more pieces for euphonium solos.

[RickF]

Thanks John. Yes I really like Holst's writing too.

You, know I've played this solo for 3 or 4 different directors and all of them said they liked it with less sluring. Playing with Fred Dart's band was my first experience with Holst 2. One Dir said, 'after all it is a march'.

[davewerden]

You, know I've played this solo for 3 or 4 different directors and all of them said they liked it with less sluring. Playing with Fred Dart's band was my first experience with Holst 2. One Dir said, 'after all it is a march'.

I like it both ways, now that I have heard your alternative. This gets back to the age-old discussion of notation limitations. Suppose Holst wanted it slurred, as I usually play it - he would have written it just as he did. And suppose he wanted it more separated but with a sense of overall line as Rick played it - he still might have written it just as he did! I've seen plenty of examples where a longer slur is obviously not intended as a true slur, but rather as a phrasing mark. In some cases you'll see "sub-slurs" underneath, where a couple of 1/8 notes might be slurred even though they already sit beneath a two-measure slur. That implies (strongly) that the overall slur is not a slur-slur but is a phrase-slur.

Of course if your directors say they like the separated version better, that is a good reason to go that way! One could envision a problem if you had a euphonium player with a strong ego who wanted it one way and a conductor who wanted it another way. Then we get into a different philosophical discussion: does a 32-bar solo within a piece give the player editorial rights over and above conductor, vs. a player who is standing out front playing an entire solo who may have ideas different from the conductor. But that is a topic for a different thread - we don't want to hijack this one.

[jkircoff]

Beautiful Rick! Very well done!

[ChristianeSparkle]

Revisiting this thread as we are doing this piece this year. And I realised I've been treating the line as a slur all these while! Very good tips here and on Mr. Werden's video

[RickF]

Carlyle Weber of the US Army Field Band many years ago demonstrated how one might play this popular solo three different ways. One with just an okay sound, one with projection and vibrato, and the third using legato tonguing. This video was uploaded in 2012 but pretty sure it’s at least 25 yrs old. Carlyle played with the Field Band for 23 years and has been retired at least 20 yrs I think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RR-DUJv6cs&t=40m35s

[Renbo]

Good stuff!

Carlyle Weber of the US Army Field Band many years ago demonstrated how one might play this popular solo three different ways. One with just an okay sound, one with projection and vibrato, and the third using legato tonguing. This video was uploaded in 2012 but pretty sure it’s at least 25 yrs old. Carlyle played with the Field Band for 23 years and has been retired at least 20 yrs I think.

Amazing how different techniques lead to such different sounds.