Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Is it me?


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Posted by Rick Denney on June 20, 2003 at 19:52:10:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Is it me? posted by Can't agree... on June 20, 2003 at 19:29:58:

I said I'm no connoisseur of euphonium sound--I'm just responding to someone else's suggestion that American euphoniumists were trying to sound bigger and deeper. I have a couple of recordings of the Black Dyke Band, but I have no recordings of American BBB groups to compare them against.

That the tone has gotten deeper over the years in America seems to me the necessary result of moving from small American-style baritones to large British-style euphoniums and large mouthpieces. Let me try it this way and see if you can agree: American tonal concept has moved deeper because of the available gap in the instrumentation, while the tonal concept of British euphoniumists has remained stable in response to the other instrumental colors remaining stable. I don't know if the latter is true, but I know that Americans have gotten deeper.

I have heard Nick Childs in person, as well as Steven Mead, and they both sounded wonderful. I've also heard Demondrae Thurmond, who can rearrange whole buildings with his commanding sound and musical presence. Since I haven't heard them side by side, I can't say who is brighter and darker in their sound, and they weren't different enough so that I'd notice without them being side by side. I also can't say who is more typical of their respective national traditions.

To be fair, though, I've heard lots of American performers of all skill levels, and only the very best of British performers, so I'd be afraid to make a general comparison. Many euphonium players in the U.S. do have a spare sound, but not because they want to. It's just the best they can do. When I played in the TubaMeisters, our lead euphoniumist used a large rotary euphonium with a large, straight bell from Miraphone. He had a lovely sound with it that was different but no brighter than the sound of our second player, who used a British-style compensator. In fact, his sound was noticeably darker. He thought it darker sounding than his Boosey that he'd lost to a divorce settlement, if I'm remembering correctly. His tone had a lot more bottom in it than other euphonium players I knew at the time, who were also quite good (one, a former Army Field Band soloist, and another then in the USAF Band of the West as it was then called). But I don't know how they compared with British euphoniumists.

None of them seemed like they were trying to sound like tuba players, heh, heh. And if they were, they didn't succeed.

Rick "offering possible explanations for the perceptions of others only" Denney


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