Chamber Music Cornet
SKU: CF.O88X
Composed by Narcisse
Bousquet. Edited by Joey
Tartell Edwin Franko
Goldman. SWS. Softcover.
With Standard notation.
44 pages. Carl Fischer
Music #O88X. Published by
Carl Fischer Music
(CF.O88X).
ISBN
9781491153406. UPC:
680160910908. 9 X 12
inches.
These
studies are a staple of
the advanced trumpet
method repertoire. Each
etude is an exploration
of a wide variety of
registers, articulations
and tonalities. While
going through these 36
etudes the trumpeter will
develop an even sound in
all registers while
tackling the musical and
melodic challenges that
lie
within.
IntroductionTi
ps on Musical
PracticeStarting a new
study can be
overwhelming. Using Etude
No. 1, here’s an
example of how to
approach working on these
etudes with both
musicality and technique
in mind.Bousquet’s
first study can be broken
down into three large
musical sections:Section
1: from the beginning to
the downbeat of m.
26.Section 2: from the
upbeat of 2 in m. 26 to
the downbeat of m.
51.Section 3: from the
downbeat of m. 51 to the
end.Each one of those
sections can be broken
down into two smaller
sections:Section 1a: from
the beginning to the
downbeat of m. 16.Section
1b: from the downbeat of
m. 16 to the downbeat of
m. 26.Section 2a: from
the upbeat of 2 in m. 26
to the end of m.
35.Section 2b: from m. 36
to the downbeat of m.
51.Section 3a: from the
downbeat of m. 51 to the
downbeat of m. 59.Section
3b: from the downbeat of
m. 59 to the end.To get
started playing, choose a
slow tempo that allows
you to play Section 1 all
the way through without
stopping. If that is
problematic, just play
through 1a.Remember to
focus on the music.
Section 1a is light,
moving in four-measure
phrases to the ninth
measure, where it
cadences in G. From
there, retain the
lightness through the
arpeggiation that
concludes with the trill
that brings an arrival
point at Section 1b. Here
the style changes
completely, alternating
two measures of fluid,
connected sixteenth notes
with two measures of
scalar staccato
sixteenths before finally
cadencing on the downbeat
of m. 26.Section 2 begins
with a melodic line of
eighth notes, punctuated
by sixteenths in the
third full measure before
returning to the original
line for only a measure
before driving forward
with a flourish to finish
Section 2a. Section 2b
starts back in C with
four-measure phrases in
which the line moves up
for two measures, then
down for two measures,
ending in G. The last
seven measures of Section
2 stay light as they work
their way back to
C.Section 3 is very
exciting, starting with a
fiery cornet solo-like
passage in 3a. 3b brings
the piece to a dramatic
conclusion outlining C
major for the first four
measures before
arpeggiating C major and
G dominant for two
measures, finally
finishing with the
C-major scale.The next
step is to isolate any of
the parts that proved
troublesome. Examples
could include missed
notes or figuring out
where to breathe. Once
you have practiced the
troublesome sections in
isolation, play the
section all the way
through without stopping
again. Even if there are
still problems, you are
now practicing in a way
that is preparing you to
perform musically.The
next day, play through
Section 1 again, at a
tempo that allows you to
do this without stopping.
Now go on to Section 2,
and follow the same three
steps:Play all the way
through, at a tempo that
allows you to do so
without stopping,Isolate
and practice the
troublesome passages,
thenPlay all the way
through, at a tempo that
allows you to do so
without stopping.Now play
from the beginning to the
end of Section 2.The next
day, play Section 1. Now
play Section 2. Then play
Section 3 and apply the
same three steps outlined
above.Now play the whole
study. At this point you
have spent time on each
section, making musical
decisions and correcting
mistakes. Increase the
tempo as you gain
confidence and control of
the material. As you work
towards performing the
entire study as a piece
of music, record yourself
playing the entire study
as a performance each
day. Review the
recordings to reveal what
still needs work. Be
honest with yourself!
When you are happy with
the recording of your
performance, it’s
time to move on to the
next study.About the
Goldman PrefaceThese
studies will be an
excellent practice,
especially for the lower
register of the Cornet,
which is somewhat
neglected in other
instruction books. It is
recommended that the
pupil should practice one
of this series of Studies
now and then to repose
his lips, and acquire
facility in difficult
fingering.— Edwin
Franko GoldmanIn his
original preface, Edwin
Franko Goldman is
absolutely correct that
these studies are
excellent practice and
will help with the
dexterity demanded of
today’s player.
Although the low register
is certainly explored
throughout the book, it
does not appear to be the
focus of these studies.
There are many books
available now that
concentrate on the low
register. The suggested
fingerings have been
removed. Using alternate
fingerings was more
common to cornet players
to aid in the fluidity of
a passage. This practice
is not nearly as common
today, especially with
trumpet players, as the
difference in timbre
caused by the alternate
fingerings is disruptive
to the musical line.
Published for cornet, as
it was the solo
instrument of choice in
the 1920s, these etudes
are just as useful to
today’s trumpet
player. When playing
these studies on trumpet,
the performer should
strive for a fluid line
while maintaining a full
and clear sound. Because
of the musicianship and
technique demanded, this
book remains as useful
today as it has ever
been.— Joey
TartellAbout Narcisse
Bousquet and the 36
EtudesNarcisse Bousquet
(c. 1800–1869) was
French by birth, active
as a composer, editor and
arranger in both France
and England in the early
nineteenth century.
Bousquet was respected as
an accomplished performer
of the French flageolet,
a high-pitched woodwind
instrument much like a
recorder, although later
outfitted with the Boehm
key system like the
modern flute. Although
obsolete in modern times,
the instrument once
enjoyed great popularity
with a variety of
composers and performers,
both amateur and
professional. Purcell and
Handel composed for the
instrument, and Berlioz
was purportedly an
accomplished amateur
performer of the
flageolet. The Scottish
author Robert Louis
Stevenson, likewise, was
a proficient performer of
the instrument and
composed a number of
pieces for it.Little is
known today of
Bousquet’s life.
He composed a large
variety of music,
including works
specifically for the
flageolet, which were
widely appreciated in
their day. The 36 Etudes
for flageolet are
undoubtedly the most well
known of his works.
Published in 1851, the
Etudes explore a variety
of techniques, such as
scales, arpeggios,
ornamentation, breath
control and expressive
playing, and their
technically demanding
writing confirms
Bousquet’s prowess
as a flageolet performer.
However, the date of the
arrangement of the etudes
for cornet and their
arranger remain
speculative. Edwin Franko
Goldman is credited as
the arranger of the 1890
publication by Carl
Fischer, although Goldman
would have been only
twelve years old at the
time; his work on these
pieces surely came at a
later time. Bousquet
himself may have arranged
these pieces for cornet
at the request of an
accomplished cornet
player at some point
after their
publication.