I've been asked several times by a principal to play the "missing" five notes of the fortissimo chorale at the end of Brahms I. Is this typical practice?
Brahms I fortissimo chorale
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ttf_sfboner
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ttf_Tim Dowling
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Brahms I fortissimo chorale
Quote from: sfboner on Feb 27, 2017, 11:34AMI've been asked several times by a principal to play the "missing" five notes of the fortissimo chorale at the end of Brahms I. Is this typical practice?
Interesting. I've been asked once only to do it by a conductor. I wouldn't dream of asking my section to do it. It's not a mistake.... Brahms of ALL composers knew exactly what he was doing
Interesting. I've been asked once only to do it by a conductor. I wouldn't dream of asking my section to do it. It's not a mistake.... Brahms of ALL composers knew exactly what he was doing
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ttf_sfboner
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Brahms I fortissimo chorale
Quote from: Tim Dowling on Feb 27, 2017, 12:31PMIt's not a mistake.... Brahms of ALL composers knew exactly what he was doing
I would tend to agree. I've heard some far out rationalizations for changes like this. For example, the low FFFF descending line toward the end of the 1st mvmt of Tchaik 6, where the tenors drop out and the bass continues. A retired principal of a top 5 orchestra taught one of my colleagues that the tenors should play this, "because the reason for it was that tenor players in Russia at the time weren't good enough to sound good playing that passage." I'm paraphrasing from a secondhand account of course, and something may have been lost in translation. I was rather flabbergasted that my friend was asking me to play this.
I would tend to agree. I've heard some far out rationalizations for changes like this. For example, the low FFFF descending line toward the end of the 1st mvmt of Tchaik 6, where the tenors drop out and the bass continues. A retired principal of a top 5 orchestra taught one of my colleagues that the tenors should play this, "because the reason for it was that tenor players in Russia at the time weren't good enough to sound good playing that passage." I'm paraphrasing from a secondhand account of course, and something may have been lost in translation. I was rather flabbergasted that my friend was asking me to play this.
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ttf_Rockymountaintrombone
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Brahms I fortissimo chorale
I've never been asked to fill in those notes in the Brahms 1st FF chorale by any musician/conductor.
I have been asked to have the section continue the line in the Tchaikovsky 6th down to the low F - it does help to cover any breaths. When we've done that here, we still left it to the bass and tuba to provide most of the sound, with the tenors acting like assistants.
I wouldn't re-orchestrate Brahms unless a conductor insisted - his orchestration skills were pretty much as good as you can get.
Jim Scott
I have been asked to have the section continue the line in the Tchaikovsky 6th down to the low F - it does help to cover any breaths. When we've done that here, we still left it to the bass and tuba to provide most of the sound, with the tenors acting like assistants.
I wouldn't re-orchestrate Brahms unless a conductor insisted - his orchestration skills were pretty much as good as you can get.
Jim Scott
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ttf_bonesmarsh
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Brahms I fortissimo chorale
Brahms' adult life was spent in the confines of a market square. His rooms on one side, coffee shop on the other side for him to eat at, and assorted shops to find cigars and entertainment etc.
The local wits at the coffee shop would give him the gears daily about his apparent idleness. One day they asked how his work day had gone. Brahms replied : "Not bad. I was editing one of my older scores and added an eighth note to one movement in the morning. And then this afternoon I removed it."
Here endeth the lesson.
The local wits at the coffee shop would give him the gears daily about his apparent idleness. One day they asked how his work day had gone. Brahms replied : "Not bad. I was editing one of my older scores and added an eighth note to one movement in the morning. And then this afternoon I removed it."
Here endeth the lesson.
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ttf_bonesmarsh
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Brahms I fortissimo chorale
Brahms' adult life was spent in the confines of a market square. His rooms on one side, coffee shop on the other side for him to eat at, and assorted shops to find cigars and entertainment etc.
The local wits at the coffee shop would give him the gears daily about his apparent idleness. One day they asked how his work day had gone. Brahms replied : "Not bad. I was editing one of my older scores and added an eighth note to one movement in the morning. And then this afternoon I removed it."
Here endeth the lesson.
The local wits at the coffee shop would give him the gears daily about his apparent idleness. One day they asked how his work day had gone. Brahms replied : "Not bad. I was editing one of my older scores and added an eighth note to one movement in the morning. And then this afternoon I removed it."
Here endeth the lesson.