Euphonium duet
SKU:
P2.80160
Composed by
Tom Holtz. Chamber music.
Published by Potenza
Music (P2.80160).
The idea for
these duets came from
programming a duet
recital with my colleague
and dear friend, Dr.
Joanna Hersey, Associate
Professor of Low Brass at
the University of North
Carolina at Pembroke. She
had several new
arrangements for us to
perform, and she had set
them specifically to be
rehearsed and performed
by her students. She
suggested I write
something jazzy for us to
play that her students
could also work on in
lessons. What started out
as a quick dose of
pseudo-dixieland turned
into something quite
different. Tango is built
on a straight-eighth-note
groove. It's meant to be
danceable without being
too fast or too loud.
Players should have fun
with the style while
being very strict about
time and rhythm. Bolero
challenges players to
provide a steady,
rhythmic bass line in the
often unwieldy lower
registers of the horn,
and long, lyrical
melodies in the upper
register. Jam is all
about having fun. It is
built around basic
harmonic and rhythmic
patterns, and is meant to
be played aggressively.
My hope is that players
build necessary skills
while preparing these
duets, and get a hefty
round of applause for
their efforts at the
performance. Thanks go to
Walter Sear (1930-2010),
whose books of tuba duets
form a cornerstone of low
brass chamber repertoire.
Thanks also to my
colleagues in The
President's Own, Chris
Tiedeman and Paul Mergen,
who often reminded me of
how much fun duets can be
every time they pulled
out their well-loved,
dog-eared copy of the
Sear book. This work is
dedicated to Dr. Joanna
Hersey and her studio at
the University of North
Carolina at Pembroke for
their inspiration,
dedication, and spirit.
My sincere thanks to all
of you for making this
project a reality.
