The Composer's Guide to the Tuba
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THE COMPOSER’S GUIDE TO THE TUBA: CREATING A NEW RESOURCE ON THE CAPABILITIES OF THE TUBA FAMILY Aaron Michael Hynds A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS August 2019 Committee: David Saltzman, Advisor Marco Nardone Graduate Faculty Representative Mikel Kuehn Andrew Pelletier © 2019 Aaron Michael Hynds All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT David Saltzman, Advisor The solo repertoire of the tuba and euphonium has grown exponentially since the middle of the 20th century, due in large part to the pioneering work of several artist-performers on those instruments. These performers sought out and collaborated directly with composers, helping to produce works that sensibly and musically used the tuba and euphonium. However, not every composer who wishes to write for the tuba and euphonium has access to world-class tubists and euphonists, and the body of available literature concerning the capabilities of the tuba family is both small in number and lacking in comprehensiveness. This document seeks to remedy this situation by producing a comprehensive and accessible guide on the capabilities of the tuba family. An analysis of the currently-available materials concerning the tuba family will give direction on the structure and content of this new guide, as will the dissemination of a survey to the North American composition community. The end result, the Composer’s Guide to the Tuba, is a practical, accessible, and composer-centric guide to the modern capabilities of the tuba family of instruments. iv To Sara and Dad, who both kept me going with their never-ending love. And to Mom, who didn’t get the chance to see the end of this journey, but whose love and support helped make it possible. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to thank those at BGSU that had such a monumental impact on the creation of this document: my advisor, teacher, and mentor, David Saltzman, for pushing me to be the best musician that I can be; Dr. Andrew Pelletier, Dr. Mikel Kuehn, and Dr. Marco Nardone, for serving on my committee and shepherding me along the whole way; Dr. Marilyn Shrude, for being a gracious, supportive, and generous program leader and mentor all these several years; the many professors that taught me what I know, including Dr. Elainie Lillios, Dr. Christopher Dietz, Dr. Nora Engebretsen, Dr. Per Broman, Dr. William Mathis, and Dr. Rob Wallace; to the wonderful teachers that I worked with as a doctoral assistant, especially Dr. Kara Attrep, Dr. Engebretsen, and Dr. Ebright; to Kurt Doles and Mark Bunce, for always providing some balance; and to too many other people to mention. During my time at BGSU, I was fortunate enough to belong to a cohort of incredible musicians, who also happened to be great friends. I know I’m going to forget some people, and as fellow doctoral students, I hope they understand my tendency towards forgetfulness at this busy stage of the game. In particular, though, I’d like to thank the following, all of whom have helped me in ways both tangible and intangible: to Dr. Hong-Da Chin, Dr. Michiko Saiki, and Gunnar Hirthe, who were the best classmates and friends one could have, and to Dr. Liz Pearse, Kalindi Bellach, Derek Emch, Henrique Batista, and Stephanie Titus, for providing great friendship and support for so many years. I value all of those who have come before and after me in the program, and I hope that this document may serve as continued proof that it is possible! I would like to thank some of my colleagues at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where I am currently employed as I write these acknowledgements. In particular, I’d like to thank Dr. Anthony Donofrio, Dr. Duane Bierman, Dr. Brian Alber, Dr. Sharon Campbell, Mick vi Johnson, and Katherine Shinn, for providing a ton of support as I juggle so many big events in my life. I would like to thank my family and dedicate this work to them, all of whom mean so much to me; for my Dad, Steve Hynds, for providing the very model of a great man, artist, father, and craftsman; for my brothers and sisters-in-law, Andy, Angie, Danny, and Marianne, for being the best siblings in the world, and for being great musicians, artists, and teachers; for my nephews Noah, Nathan, Joel, and Judah, for showing me how cool it is to be a fun uncle; for my grandma, Elaine Hynds, and my dearly departed grandparents Don Hynds, Geraldine Saunches, and Ray Saunches, for being beacons of love and support for so many years; for my extended family, for always providing a kind word and a good laugh when needed most; and most of all, for my Mom, Tina Hynds, who was taken far too early from us, and who anchored us all with her love, her understanding, her generous laugh, and her unyielding warmth. I miss you every day, Mom, and I hope that this document makes you proud. For the two best cats in the world, Smidge and Yoda. Thank you for all of the cuddling and for occasionally stepping on my keyboard while I was trying to type. And finally, I owe so much in my life to my wonderful Sara, who keeps me anchored and who I love and appreciate more and more each day. I wouldn’t be here without you, and I am thankful every day for the privilege of being married to you. I love you, Sara, and I can’t think of a world without you in it. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1 Review of Scholarly Literature .................................................................................. 2 Outline of Document .................................................................................................. 14 CHAPTER 1. IDENTIFYING AND ANALYZING COMPOSITIONAL RESOURCES .. 16 Definition of “Composer-Centric” Materials ............................................................. 16 Narrowing the Field of Available Materials .............................................................. 17 Resources About the Tuba Family ............................................................................. 20 Appraisal of Selected Materials ................................................................................. 22 CHAPTER 2. ANALYSIS OF SURVEY ............................................................................ 27 Prior Knowledge of Tuba Family Amongst Composers ............................................ 27 Assessing Demand for Tuba Family Resources ........................................................ 39 CHAPTER 3. FORMULATION OF MODEL FOR NEW TUBA RESOURCE ................ 45 Building a Structure Based on Gathered Data ........................................................... 45 Methodology for Updating Resource Over Time ...................................................... 48 CHAPTER 4. THE COMPOSER’S GUIDE TO THE TUBA ............................................. 50 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 50 Section 1. Towards a Definition of the Tuba Family ................................................. 51 Ancestors Both Near and Far: The Serpent and Ophicleide .......................... 51 New Directions: Sax, Červený, Moritz, and the Creation of the Modern Tuba Family ............................................................................................................ 57 Regional Schools of Tuba Playing, and Their Effect on Instrument viii Development .................................................................................................. 63 The Tuba Outside of the World of Western Art Music ................................. 80 The Argument for an Inclusive Tuba Family ................................................ 83 Section 2. Standard Technical Information and Performance Considerations .......... 85 Instrument Design and Choice ....................................................................... 85 Fingering Patterns .......................................................................................... 96 Range/Harmonic Series ................................................................................. 104 Articulation .................................................................................................... 122 Breathing ........................................................................................................ 124 Section 3. Contemporary Techniques ........................................................................ 125 A. Air ............................................................................................................ 126 i. Breath sounds .................................................................................. 126 Method ................................................................................... 126 Necessary information ........................................................... 126 Notation .................................................................................. 127 Relative difficulty .................................................................. 127 Works to consider (bolded titles are particularly representative examples of this technique) ................................................... 127 ii. Circular breathing .......................................................................... 128 Method ................................................................................... 128 Necessary information ..........................................................