How come it seems like most of Philip Sparke's pieces have very present Euphonium parts/melodies? Is he a Euphonium player himself? I absolutely love playing his pieces, I had the opportunity to play Orient Express some time ago.
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Philip Sparke Euphonium pieces
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Sparke comes from the British tradition. In their writing the euphonium is still a very important voice. In American music by contemporary composers, the euphonium is often not well-understood. If a college composition major takes an orchestration course, euphonium is mostly/totally ignored.Dave Werden (ASCAP)
Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
Adams Artist (Adams E3)
Alliance Mouthpiece DC3, Wick 4AL, Wick 4ABL
YouTube: dwerden
Facebook: davewerden
Twitter: davewerden
Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium
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Originally posted by davewerden View PostSparke comes from the British tradition. In their writing the euphonium is still a very important voice. In American music by contemporary composers, the euphonium is often not well-understood. If a college composition major takes an orchestration course, euphonium is mostly/totally ignored.John Morgan
The U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own) 1971-1976
Adams E3 Custom Series Euphonium, 1956 B&H Imperial Euphonium,1973 F. E. Olds & Son Studio Model T-31 BaritoneAdams TB1 Tenor Trombone, Yamaha YBL-822G Bass Trombone
Year Round Except Summer:Kingdom of the Sun (KOS) Concert Band, Ocala, FL (Euphonium)Summer Only:
KOS Brass Quintet (Trombone, Euphonium)Rapid City Municipal Band, Rapid City, SD (Euphonium)
Rapid City New Horizons Band (Euphonium)
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He also just might love euphonium more than any other composer alive today. 3 euphonium concertos plus at least a dozen other solos for it.University of Miami - BM Euphonium Performance '21
Indiana University - MM Bass Trombone and Euphonium Performance '24
Besson Prestige 2052S
Courtois 551BHRA
Conn 88HCLSGX
Various Greg Black mouthpieces
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Originally posted by davewerden View PostIn American music by contemporary composers, the euphonium is often not well-understood. If a college composition major takes an orchestration course, euphonium is mostly/totally ignored.
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Sparke is a master at writing melodies and understands the role of the euphonium in those melodies. In the early 90's I heard Steve Mead play Pantomime and was hooked on Sparke's music.
I suggest listening to two brass band pieces with great euph parts. 1) Mountain Song and 2) Jubilee Overture. As far as solo music, beyond Pantomime, Song for Ina and Party Piece are terrific among others. Song for Ina has been played to death but is still one of the great slow melody pieces for euph written in the last 20 years.
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Slightly off topic: In 1998 I was the soloist on a wind ensemble tour of the British Isles. The last concert was in a tiny medieval church about 40 miles outside of London. Solo went off well, afterwards I Snedecor ck across the narrow street to the local pub with one of the tour guides for a beer. 10 minutes later who walks in but Philip Sparke. Turns out he was in the front tow. I’m glad I didn’t know at the time or I might have bombed!Martin Cochran
Adams Performing Artist
mceuph75@gmail.com
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Originally posted by JTJ View PostTrue in contemporary wind band writing, where the euphonium is too often seen as merely a "tenor tuba." Gracious! I so dislike that label. We got better parts from American composers when the euphonium was called a baritone; now we're too often consigned to doubling the bass tubas on the octave.
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Originally posted by euphlight View PostMore often then not unfortunately, The euphonium part also ends up doubling something (especially the 2nd or 3rd trombone part) or the tenor saxophone in particular doubles the euphonium . It might just do the 'elastic' scoring with the composer not knowing if a wind band will have a decent euphonium player or section.Dave Werden (ASCAP)
Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
Adams Artist (Adams E3)
Alliance Mouthpiece DC3, Wick 4AL, Wick 4ABL
YouTube: dwerden
Facebook: davewerden
Twitter: davewerden
Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium
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Originally posted by davewerden View PostThat reminds me! You mention one of my pet peeves. I even talk about it specifically in my Scoring for Euphonium booklet. If the euphonium section doubles any of the trombone voices it will throw the chord balance way off. Two or more euphoniums make a very large sound. I encourage composers to split the parts (which Sparke often does).Jonah Zimmerman
Adams E1 Euphonium- SM4UX
Yamaha Xeno 8820- Greg Black New York 5.5RW
Florida State University
Graduate Teaching Assistant of Euphonium
Bachelor's of Music Education 2018
Columbus State University
jonahzmusic@gmail.com
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Originally posted by davewerden View PostSparke comes from the British tradition. In their writing the euphonium is still a very important voice. In American music by contemporary composers, the euphonium is often not well-understood. If a college composition major takes an orchestration course, euphonium is mostly/totally ignored.
To my mind only Edward Gregson, Peter Graham and Philip Wilby write better euphonium parts for serious large works, or competition pieces.
Of Sparke's solos, my preference is Pantomime, and his Concertos I don't really get, preferring as I do the two John Golland Concerti.1983 Boosey & Hawkes Sovereign
Denis Wick SM4 (original series)
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