Posted by Jay Bertolet on March 17, 1999 at 09:37:40:
In Reply to: Re: Finding Torchinsky orchestral books posted by Marc on March 16, 1999 at 18:26:55:
If you have the desire to become an orchestral tubist then you would be well advised to acquire all of the Torchinsky books. First of all, they don't contain just excerpts, they contain complete tuba parts. This eliminates the shock of practicing a line or two from a piece in an excerpt book only to find out that the really hard parts were not included in the excerpt book. Also, it gives the tubist the chance to study the part and follow a recording while listening to a great orchestra (and hopefully a great tubist) so as to get an idea of how the tuba part actually fits in the piece. In addition, Mr. Torchinsky provides a series of comments at the beginning of the book where he discusses the various aspects of each piece in the book. He brings to bear his 25 years of experience in the Philadelphia Orchestra and provides numerous tips that often prove invaluable. He also discusses the various mistakes that occur in parts and gives tips on which versions to look for and what to expect from the various printed versions of the parts.
All in all, I consider the Torchinsky books "required reading" for the aspiring orchestral tubist. I studied 5 years with Abe and he is one hell of a teacher. His expertise of orchestral repertoire is extensive to say the very least. His books impart at least a small part of that knowledge.