Quotables

Berio Sequenza X (Part III)

  • Jan 20, 2017
  • For Trumpeters Only

A History of My Participation in the Berio "Sequenza X(Part III)

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Berio Sequenza X (Part II)

  • Jan 20, 2017
  • For Trumpeters Only

A History of My Participation in the Berio "Sequenza X(Part II)

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Berio Sequenza X (Part I)

  • Jan 20, 2017
  • For Trumpeters Only

A History of My Participation in the Berio "Sequenza X"  (Part I)

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Who was Mathis Lussy?

  • Oct 17, 2015
  • For Trumpeters Only

A brief note about the author of one of the solfege texts used At the Paris Conservatory during the early 20th century.

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Beyond What?

  • Sep 16, 2015
  • For Trumpeters Only

Georges Mager as the source of the specific Vacchiano Rules on which the "....and Beyond " project is based.

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Updating Vacchiano's Rules

  • Nov 19, 2014
  • For Trumpeters Only

Some background information on updating The Rules

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Musicianship vs. Musicality

  • Aug 3, 2014
  • General Quotes

Musicianship and Musicality: Musicians Must Possess Both Qualities

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Mea Culpa: Joseph-Jean-Baptiste-Laurent Arban (1825-1889)

  • Nov 8, 2013
  • For Trumpeters Only

For the Record: A correction of a decades old Arban story.

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James Stamp "Supplemental Studies"

  • May 29, 2013
  • For Trumpeters Only

The reason for publishing the Studies...

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Vacchiano's Rules Redux Part II

  • Jan 25, 2013
  • For Trumpeters Only

William Vacchiano's "Rules" Updated (continued)

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Vacchiano's Rules Redux

  • Jan 24, 2013
  • For Trumpeters Only

Willam Vacchiano's "Rules" Updated

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The Schlossberg School-Four Quotables

  • Sep 12, 2011
  • For Trumpeters Only

Four Quotables from Prominent Students of Max Schlossberg (plus a few comments)

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James Stamp, Jean-Pierre Mathez and Editions Bim

  • Apr 24, 2010
  • For Trumpeters Only

Quotable“I am absolutely amazed at what Jean-Pierre has done for me!”-James Stamp (1983) in a toast to Jean-Pierre Mathez, who was not in attendance, at a dinner with Irving Bush and this writer.

Quotable: “And Jean-Pierre Mathez made you a star!” Irving quipped in response to Stamp’s toast, paraphrasing (in a kind of sprechstimme) a musicians’ insider joke from the big band era (“Benny Goodman made me a star”), which was always sung over the second phrase of “I Can’t Get Started,” a popular song written by Vernon Duke and the first-ever best selling record made by a trumpeter, Bunny Berigan, who also did the vocal, in 1937 (Irving's longtime friend, trumpeter/vocalist Jack Sheldon, included the Benny Goodman line verbatim in his band's recording of the same song made over half a century later)

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Utility Music

  • Oct 23, 2009
  • For Trumpeters Only

Music and Musicians in the Service of Others.

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Favorite Misnomers

  • May 16, 2009
  • General Quotes

Favorite Misnomers: An Andy Rooney Moment

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Those Confounding Triplets (and such)

  • Nov 15, 2008
  • General Quotes

During a recent master class, an old performance problem reared its ugly head: the proper execution of slow (tempo or duration) triplets, which no one in the class could play accurately.

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My Schlossberg Seven-Update and Commentary

  • Aug 2, 2008
  • For Trumpeters Only

A follow-up on an earlier post....

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My Schlossberg Seven

  • Apr 24, 2008
  • For Trumpeters Only

It Would Be Fair to Assume They Are The Real Thing.

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Point/Counterpoint-Musical/Technical

  • Mar 10, 2008
  • For Trumpeters Only

Q. What's a Tourte have to do with it?

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The Hindemith Trumpet Sonata-Whatever Works?

  • Jan 25, 2008
  • For Trumpeters Only

Did Hindemith Write Program Music?

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Performance Consistency II-The Experiment

  • Jan 6, 2008
  • For Trumpeters Only

Not "one more time" or "one more once," but one time only (contradicting the Count of Basie).

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Performance Consistency I

  • Jan 4, 2008
  • For Trumpeters Only

Quotable: "There are no second chances in music"-old and oft-repeated music business aphorism.

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Anonymous, No Quotables

  • Jul 31, 2007
  • General Quotes

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There is also a negative side."-Hunter S. Thompson

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Two Masters of Tempi

  • Jun 3, 2007
  • General Quotes

Count Basie and Igor Stravinsky had something in common.

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Stamp's Angle

  • Apr 30, 2007
  • For Trumpeters Only

A little known anecdotal and a few comments about James Stamp's methodology.

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The How-An Update

  • Apr 10, 2007
  • For Trumpeters Only

By Request: Some additional information re: the subject of the previous post.

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Vacchiano on Transposition

  • Mar 23, 2007
  • For Trumpeters Only

William Vacchiano's Approach to Musical Transposition: This Musician's Experience

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Vacchiano on Transposition-The How

  • Mar 23, 2007
  • For Trumpeters Only

An example of the methodology.

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Why Trumpeters Transpose-Part II

  • Mar 21, 2007
  • For Trumpeters Only

Another Reason for Transposition Skills

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Why Trumpeters Transpose

  • Mar 20, 2007
  • For Trumpeters Only

A Mini-Primer for Very Young Trumpeters and Non Trumpet-Playing Observers of the Musical Art.

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The Haydn Trumpet Concerto

  • Feb 8, 2007
  • For Trumpeters Only

"Who wrote it?"-Carlo Maria Giulini

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Halsey's Sonata

  • Dec 26, 2006
  • For Trumpeters Only

The Trumpet Sonata.

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Management Funnies

  • Dec 26, 2006
  • General Quotes

"When in the sandbox, playground rules apply." -the late Robert Cowart, woodwind virtuoso.

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Instrumental Virtuosity

  • Nov 23, 2006
  • General Quotes

Higher. Faster. Softer. Louder.

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Instrumental Virtuosity: Favorite Quotables

  • Nov 23, 2006
  • General Quotes

Some Personal Favorites.

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Conductors-Alternative Views III

  • Nov 6, 2006
  • General Quotes

Hindemith Quotable With Comment

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Conductors- Alternative Views II

  • Nov 5, 2006
  • General Quotes

The Marsteller Rule

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Conductors-Alternative Views

  • Oct 6, 2006
  • General Quotes

"Who is sitting in that empty chair?"-Eugene Ormandy

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Go For It!

  • Oct 5, 2006
  • For Trumpeters Only

Taking. Musical. Chances.

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Classical or Popular ? II

  • Aug 25, 2006
  • General Quotes

Have you seen the movie?

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Classical or Popular?

  • Aug 25, 2006
  • General Quotes

Giulini offers a classic comment on Italian opera.

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Favorite Answers to Questions about Music

  • Aug 14, 2006
  • General Quotes

The Answers to Questions about Music

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A Quotable on Music Education

  • Aug 11, 2006
  • General Quotes

Paul Hindemith had a sense of humor!

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Pay Attention to the Stairs

  • Aug 10, 2006
  • For Trumpeters Only

An age-old problem for performers of all stripes, both vocal and instrumental, is that pitches in the low register do not project as well as those in the middle or high registers, and, consequently, adjustments must be made by performers to remedy this problem.

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Vacchiano and "His" Rules

  • Aug 7, 2006
  • For Trumpeters Only

The Rules

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Trumpet Traditions II (Battery Parts)

  • Aug 5, 2006
  • For Trumpeters Only

An Old Tradition Regarding Battery Parts in Classical Works

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Trumpet Traditions I (About Those Octaves)

  • Jul 30, 2006
  • For Trumpeters Only

Octaves or Unisons?

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Traditions II

  • Jul 26, 2006
  • General Quotes

Traditions Today

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Traditions I

  • Jul 26, 2006
  • General Quotes

"Tradition is Slovenliness"-Gustav Mahler

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Some Old Dead Guys' Ideas About Mouthpieces

  • Jul 7, 2006
  • For Trumpeters Only

A few comments concerning trumpet mouthpieces from the past.

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Recorded vs. Live Performance

  • Jul 5, 2006
  • General Quotes

Two distinguished thespians opine on the differences between taped and live performances.

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Musical Expression IV

  • Jun 30, 2006
  • General Quotes

Actor/Musician Danny Kaye offers a Quotable.

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Musical Expression III

  • Jun 15, 2006
  • General Quotes

Hindemith Strikes Again!

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Musical Expression I

  • Jun 7, 2006
  • General Quotes

"Dolce is not salivating."-Erich Leinsdorf (1985)

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Musical Expression II

  • Jun 7, 2006
  • General Quotes

"Sometimes no expression is expression."-Esa-Pekka Salonen (1995)

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Intonation IV (Lukas Foss)

  • May 20, 2006
  • General Quotes

Lukas Foss: Tune-Up, or Play In-Tune?

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Intonation III (Carlo Maria Giulini)

  • May 18, 2006
  • General Quotes

A comment on intonation offered in 1980 by the preeminent maestro.

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Intonation II (Sir Andre Previn)

  • May 13, 2006
  • General Quotes

"It seems to be a great deal of trouble just to sound out-of-tune."-Andre Previn

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Intonation

  • May 4, 2006
  • General Quotes

Intonation. For our purposes, a colloquial use of the noun as it applies to singing or playing a musical instrument in or out-of-tune.

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Arrangements and Transcriptions 2006

  • Apr 22, 2006
  • General Quotes

There are those who believe the usual questions and concerns regarding musical arrangements/transcriptions are démodé-very last century......

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Arrangements and Transcriptions (Paul Hindemith)

  • Apr 16, 2006
  • General Quotes

A few classics from Paul Hindemith, one of the twentieth century's leading critics of the arranging and transcribing of (classical) music.

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Arrangements and Transcriptions (Luciano Berio)

  • Apr 14, 2006
  • General Quotes

........."If the purists had their way, I would be forbidden to redo [arrange/transcribe] even my own music!" -Luciano Berio

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Arrangements and Transcriptions 901

  • Apr 10, 2006
  • General Quotes

At the 901 Club............conductor Henry Lewis was holding court.......

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Arrangements and Transcriptions 901 (part II)

  • Apr 10, 2006
  • General Quotes

Further comments from the 901 Club.

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Arrangements and Transcriptions-(Introduction)

  • Apr 9, 2006
  • General Quotes

The practice of re-setting music originally intended for other instruments (voices) or venues is a controversial one at best.

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Dynamics-Part VII (The Lightest and Last of the Dynamics Comments)

  • Apr 5, 2006
  • General Quotes

Four not-so-serious but relevant comments plus a true classic on soft dynamics from four major leaguers of 20th Century classical music.

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Dynamics-Part VI ( Composer/Conductor Ingolf Dahl )

  • Mar 31, 2006
  • General Quotes

Composer ingolf Dahl offers a comment that supports the concept of relative dynamics.

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Dynamics-Part V (Giulini: "P" or "PPPP")

  • Mar 23, 2006
  • General Quotes

Carlo Maria Giulini reiterates an old Toscanini line in a pianissimo version of the Leinsdorf/Sanderling points in Dynamics II.

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Dynamics-Part IV (Leonard Bernstein's Fortissimo)

  • Mar 20, 2006
  • General Quotes

A comment on dynamics from Leonard Bernstein, followed a somewhat less profound but not altogether inappropriate comment from a colleague.

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Dynamics-Part III (Toscanini vs. Vacchiano)

  • Mar 18, 2006
  • General Quotes

In making a point to establish his authority, the legendary Arturo Toscanini served up a marvelous Quotable (excerpted from the BrassBulletin Backstage series).

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Dynamics-Part II (Erich Leinsdorf and Kurt Sanderling)

  • Mar 17, 2006
  • General Quotes

The following are comments offered by two of the twentieth century's most distinguished symphony/opera conductors. The material has been exerpted from an article, "Fortissimo," that was originally published as one of my Backstage series for Jean-Pierre Mathez' BrassBulletin.

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Dynamics

  • Mar 16, 2006
  • General Quotes

Dynamic markings in music are not absolute.

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