Fantasia Breve
by Barton Cummings 11:49 tracks 1, 2, 3
Published by PRB Productions 963 Peralta Ave., Albany, CA 94706-2144.
The following notes were supplied by the composer:
It has been a desire of mine to have
the time to concentrate on original composing and at the beginning of 1989,
I plotted out a design whereby I could set aside time in large blocks that
could be devoted to composing. Fantasia Breve is the third composition
to be published in 1989. The other two are a set of pieces for solo tuba,
now published, and a piece for younger band, also published. Both pieces
led me to this current work by a somewhat circuitous route, yet a logical
one in my mind. It is interesting to me that all three of the pieces, when
once begun, flowed easily and completely and all three required little,
if any, rewrite. Fantasia Breve is in three movements with the outer movements
being fast and the middle movement, slow. A "fantasy" is not usually
in any kind of strict form, although each movement is tied together, yet
each movement could be placed independently of the others and make a complete
piece, albeit short. That they proceed in a logical fashion is, I suppose,
because during the time I worked on it, I worked only on it and with the
thought that there would be three movements. I wanted to create, even in
the slow movement, a virtuoso work that would contain intense rhythmic activity,
harmonic diversity and a sense of drama. I also wanted to create a work
that would display all of the many stylistic potentials of the tuba without
reverting to any unusual or extended performance techniques and at the same
time give the piano part its own integrity and independence within the whole.
I wrote this piece specifically for Mark Nelson and it is respectfully dedicated
to him.
The premiere took place on October 11, 1989 by Mark Nelson and Sylvia Parker
at the University of Vermont Music Building Recital Hall.
Barton Cummings (b. 1946) is a noted tubist and scholar who has commissioned
and premiered over thirty compositions and has four solo recordings to his
credit. He has taught on the faculties of San Diego State University, Point
Loma Nazarene College, and Delta State University in Mississippi. He is
currently the Music Director of the Walnut Creek Concert Band, a music teacher
in the San Francisco bay area, and an active writer and composer with several
dozen compositions, several hundred music reviews, and many articles to
his credit.
Parable for Solo Tuba by Vincent Persichetti 10:16 track 4
Published by Elkan-Vogel, Inc. C/O Theodore Presser Co., Presser Place,
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010.
Parable for Solo Tuba was written at the request of Harvey Phillips,
noted tuba soloist and impresario in 1981 and premiered by him on April
25, 1982 at Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City. It is published by Elkan-Vogel
Music. The parable series all refer to earlier works of the composer for
melodic and rhythmic inspiration. In a letter to Mark Nelson, Persichetti
describes the Parables as "...musical essays that convey a meaning
indirectly by the use of comparisons or analogies." This work is based
on sections of the Creation for mixed chorus, soloists, and orchestra
which premiered in 1970. The text of the specific sections quoted in this
piece recalls the void before creation gathered from various cultures and
sources. In another letter, Persichetti describes the relationship of the
Parable for Solo Tuba to the Creation as:
Think of the tuba player backstage
during intermission improvising on a basic segment of The Creation having
just been performed. Think of the composer (me) shaping fragments begot
into a musical form that stands on its own.
For additional information regarding this composition, the reader is referred
to "Program Notes for the Solo Tuba" compiled and edited by Gary
Bird (Indian University Press) where the author has written a comprehensive
overview of this work. The reader is also invited to read the author's DMA
research paper from Arizona State completed in 1985 for an in depth study
of all of solo brass Parables.
Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987) wrote for nearly every medium including
twenty-six compositions entitled Parable. He taught at the Julliard School
from 1947-1987 assuming the chairmanship of the composition department in
1963. He was appointed Director of the publishing firm Elkan-Vogel, Inc.
in 1952 and has had over 150 compositions published through it. He wrote
an enduring text entitled "Twentieth Century Harmony" which is
still in print. Many of his early band works are frequently performed and
are now considered classics in that medium.
New England Reveries by Neal Corwell 9:16 track 5
Published by Nicolai Music P.O. Box 253 Clear Spring, MD 21722.
The following notes about New England Reveries have been supplied by the
composer:
As a brass musician with a fascination
for both synthesizers and composition, it was only natural that one day
I would decide to combine these three musical loves. Night Song,
a piece for solo euphonium accompanied by a pre-recorded synthesizer tape,
was my first effort in this genre. Unlike many pieces for solo instrument
with synthesizer, the music is tonal, and the synthesizer is NOT used merely
as a source of bizarre sound effects. Instead, analog and digital synthesis
techniques are utilized as a means of expanding the timbral palette available
to the composer in support of the featured instrument. Mark Nelson was present
at the 1989 premiere of Night Song. He later commissioned me to write
a similar piece for inclusion on his compact disc with Crystal Records.
New England Reveries composition for solo tuba with a taped synthesizer
accompaniment, is the product of that commission. The score was completed
during July of 1990, and the final version of the synthesizer accompaniment
was recorded during the first few weeks of the following September, just
in time for its premiere. Though not specifically programmatic in content,
the composition was inspired by the scenic beauty of the forests, mountains,
and lakes of New England. The music is intended to evoke images similar
to those that might be conjured up while contemplating these wonders of
nature.
Neal Corwell (b. 1959) holds music degrees from Frostburg State (B.S.),
George Mason University (M.A.) and the D.M.A. from the University of Maryland.
From 1981 until 1989, Neal served as a featured euphonium soloist with the
Pershing's Own, The US Army Band in Washington, D.C. He is currently an
adjunct faculty member at Shepherd College and is a euphoniumist in the
acclaimed professional low brass ensemble, Symphonia. He is a published
composer and arranger with his specialty being music for brass solo instruments
with synthesizer accompaniment. Neal's debut CD recording as a solo artist,
Distant Images, was released in Fall 1994 by Nicolai Music. The recording
features over an hour's worth of original music for brass and synthesizers,
all composed, arranged, and performed by Mr. Corwell.
Escher's Sketches by Walter Ross 9:12 tracks 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Published by Mark Tezak Verlag Postfach 101360. 5090 Leverkusen 1, Germany.
Escher's Sketches for solo tuba was written for Mark Nelson after
years of correspondence with the composer primarily regarding performances
of several of his other works for tuba. The premiere by Mark Nelson took
places on October 19, 1986 at the University of Vermont Music Building Recital
Hall. This multi-movement composition is based upon selected lithographs
of the noted Dutch artist M.C. Escher. There are many musical associations
with the drawings. For example, the music of "Magic Mirror" is
in itself a mirror, as the second half is an inversion at the major third
of the first. Each movement in some way reflects the drawing which inspired
it.
Walter Ross (b. 1936) is currently Professor of Composition at the University
of Virginia, Charlottesville and former chair of the Department of Music.
He has also served as President of the Southeastern Composer's League. Dr.
Ross has written over 100 works, most of them for wind instruments in a
variety of combinations, including two trombone concertos along with ten
other concertos for wind instruments, a piano concerto, a symphony for chorus
and orchestra, a one-act opera, chamber music and many songs. His works
are published by Boosey and Hawkes, Tezak Verlag, Dorn Publications, and
TUBA Press.
Sonata-Fantasia by Louis Calabro 23:00 tracks 11, 12, 13
Published by TUBA Press 3811 Ridge Road, Annandale, VA 22003.
The Sonata-Fantasia grew out of an exchange of correspondence between
the performer and composer after a Vermont Symphony Orchestra performance
of Calabro's Third Symphony in 1986. Sonata-Fantasia was premiered
on September 16, 1987 by Mark Nelson and Sylvia Parker at a faculty recital
at the University of Vermont Music Building Recital Hall. The piece, in
Calabro's words, is "...sort of a 'macro-minimalist' composition where
several melodies are heard over repeating ostinato figures by the pianist,
especially in the outer movements." There are jazz elements such as
added note chords and a modified "blues" scale in the second and
third movements. He also makes daring use of sixteenth notes and extended
range in fast tempo sections.
Louis Calabro (1926-1991) taught at Bennington College, Vermont from 1955
until his death. He has a diploma from the Julliard School where he studied
with his long-time friend and colleague Vincent Persichetti. In addition
to being a prolific composer, Calabro was also the conductor of the Sage
Symphony in Bennington for over two decades and was a founding member of
the Vermont Consortium of Composers.
total: 63:57
program notes copyright 1997 by Mark Nelson. All Rights Reserved