Salome 4th bone. Contra?

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Bach5G
Posts: 2874
Joined: Apr 07, 2018

by Bach5G »

Experienced Salome in Vienna this evening.

Is the 4th bone a contra part?
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MahlerMusic
Posts: 158
Joined: May 07, 2019

by MahlerMusic »

I would say Bass Trombone but I would pull out the contra if I could still get the sound I wanted...

<LINK_TEXT text="https://musaic.nws.edu/videos/opera-exc ... -siegfried">https://musaic.nws.edu/videos/opera-excerpts-otello-salome-siegfried</LINK_TEXT>

I changed my mine after this Great Post: Bass all the way.

<LINK_TEXT text="viewtopic.php?t=27806">https://trombonechat.com/viewtopic.php?t=27806</LINK_TEXT>

Changed again... so much information. I would not blame anyone for using a contra. I know If I only played my contra when it is really called for, I would never get to play it.

<LINK_TEXT text="https://www.vsl.info/en/academy/brass/c ... s-trombone">https://www.vsl.info/en/academy/brass/contrabass-trombone</LINK_TEXT>
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Posaunus
Posts: 5018
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by Posaunus »

[quote="MahlerMusic"]• <LINK_TEXT text="https://musaic.nws.edu/videos/opera-exc ... -siegfried">https://musaic.nws.edu/videos/opera-excerpts-otello-salome-siegfried</LINK_TEXT>

<LINK_TEXT text="viewtopic.php?t=27806">https://trombonechat.com/viewtopic.php?t=27806</LINK_TEXT>
[/quote]

Great information in both of these links.

• Makes me realize that I never could have made a career of being a bass trombonist!

• Tiffany's post is very insightful. Would like to know the real story of Strauss's relationship with "his" trombonists.

In any case, it's pretty clearly not a contrabass trombone part.
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u_2bobone
Posts: 474
Joined: Mar 25, 2018

by u_2bobone »

I played excerpts from "Salome" around 1968 in the NSO with Inge Borkh, the incredible German operatic soprano. The part was easily played on a regular bass trombone. I still have a "pirated" tape of it about somewhere.
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Finetales
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Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by Finetales »

Definitely not a contra part. Like Alpensinfonie, it's one of those parts that people will sometimes play on contra because they get doubling pay, because the conductor wants it, or just because they can. If I had spent big bucks on a contra, I would definitely be looking for every possible opportunity to use it, so I get it! But it's not meant for that instrument - IIRC Elektra is the only time Strauss actually wrote for contra.
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Matt_K
Posts: 4809
Joined: Mar 21, 2018

by Matt_K »

[quote="Finetales"]Definitely not a contra part. Like Alpensinfonie, it's one of those parts that people will sometimes play on contra because they get doubling pay, because the conductor wants it, or just because they can. If I had spent big bucks on a contra, I would definitely be looking for every possible opportunity to use it, so I get it! But it's not meant for that instrument - IIRC Elektra is the only time Strauss actually wrote for contra.[/quote]

If I had a contra, I’d pull it out for 4th bone on In the Mood :idea:
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sf105
Posts: 433
Joined: Mar 24, 2018

by sf105 »

[quote="Finetales"]But it's not meant for that instrument - IIRC Elektra is the only time Strauss actually wrote for contra.[/quote]

That's what Ed Solomons says too.

I've just done the Alpine and, much as I was tempted to crank up the contra, it would have been the wrong decision.

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Posaunus
Posts: 5018
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by Posaunus »

[quote="Matt K"]If I had a contra, I’d pull it out for 4th bone on In the Mood :idea:[/quote]

Please don't Matt! :horror:

That would be a bit like using a pedal steel guitar in a Vivaldi concerto.
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Finetales
Posts: 1482
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by Finetales »

[quote="Posaunus"]That would be a bit like using a pedal steel guitar in a Vivaldi concerto.[/quote]

Well now I want to hear that!
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GabrielRice
Posts: 1496
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by GabrielRice »

[quote="Posaunus"]That would be a bit like using a pedal steel guitar in a Vivaldi concerto.[/quote]

I'd want to hear that too!

Just last weekend I did a pair of concerts with Bela Fleck playing Rhapsody in Blue in his arrangement for solo banjo with the standard orchestra parts behind him...he was AWESOME.
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Posaunus
Posts: 5018
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by Posaunus »

[quote="GabrielRice"]Just last weekend I did a pair of concerts with Bela Fleck playing Rhapsody in Blue in his arrangement for solo banjo with the standard orchestra parts behind him...he was AWESOME.[/quote]

Wish I'd been there to hear it!