Re: polka books


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Posted by Klaus on November 02, 2001 at 11:37:49:

In Reply to: polka books posted by Rob Bass on November 02, 2001 at 04:26:35:

The German instrumentation seems to be a bit different:

The minimum 5-tet has 2 flugelhorns, 1 tenorhorn (baritone), 1 trombone or 1 horn, and 1 tuba (drums optional). Cue notes for missing solos by trumpet or trombone.

The slightly more show minded version of the same scores has 1 trumpet, 1 alto sax, 1 tenor sax, accordion/keyboard, and bass guitar. Again cue notes for missing solos.

The full German "German" band has:

Flute, Eb clarinet, 3 Bb clarinets, 2 alto saxes, 2 tenor saxes, and (sometimes) baritone sax.

2 Flugelhorns with the 1st being the lead voice.

3 trumpets. Often playing along with the flugels, often playing fanfare type counter voices.

4 horns

3 tenorhorns. The first often playing in three part harmony with flugels. The 2nd and 3rd parts very similar to, if not identical with, the 2nd and 4th horn parts.

3 trombones. The 3rd sometimes being a bass part, sometimes honking afterbeats with the tenors.

Bariton (euph). Sometimes doubling the 1st flugel in the octave, sometimes playing in soloistic thirds with the 1st tenorhorn. Sometimes its own countervoices, sometimes doing plain bass work.

2 tubas in F and BBb.

Percussion.


In my opinion the best arrangements come from the edition of the late Ernst Mosch (see link below, apparently no English texted pages).

The Mosch arrangements are made by obviously qualified musicians. The Mosch band had its very own sound. It played with 4 clarinets, 5 flugelhorns, 1 (very, very good) trumpet, 2 tenor trombones, 2 or 3 tenor horns, 2 euphs, 2 tubas, and percussion. Giving a very tight and warm, yet lively, sound. However the commercially available arrangements are made for the instrumentation mentioned above.

The successor band, "Die Egerländer Musikanten" (http://www.die-egerlaender-musikanten.de/), has some of the same musicians and is also very good. A somewhat slimmer sound. Flugelhorns cut down to 3, no euphs, bass bone added. The 2 leaders of the band play extremely beautiful duets on their tenorhorns.

Klaus



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