Euphonium Concerto is a concerto written by Joseph Horovitz for euphonium and British-style brass band (or, alternatively, wind orchestra or chamber orchestra). It is considered as one of the first euphonium concertos. It was commissioned by the National Brass Band Festival with funds from the Arts Council of Great Britain. The concerto is based on the classical form[1] and consists of 3 movements, following the traditional fast–slow–fast structure.
| Euphonium Concerto | |
|---|---|
| by Joseph Horovitz | |
| Other name | Concerto for Bassoon |
| Key | C minor |
| Composed | 1972 |
| Published | 1972 (original) & 1991 (piano arrangement) |
| Publisher | Novello |
| Duration | c. 16 minutes |
| Movements | Three |
| Scoring | Solo euphonium (or bassoon) with brass band (or chamber orchestra, wind orchestra, or piano) |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 14 October 1972 |
| Location | Royal Albert Hall, London |
| Conductor | Stanley H. Boddington |
| Performers | Trevor Groom (euphonium soloist) with the GUS Footwear band |
Structure
editThe movements are as follows:[2]
- Moderato
- Lento
- Con moto
There is quite a number of tempo/mood changes in movements 1–2.
- Moderato (♩=86) — Tempo primo — Allegro vivace — Meno mosso — Pochissimo meno — un poco animando — Pochissimo meno — Stringendo — Molto meno (tempo primo) — Molto accelerando[a].
- Lento (♩=58) — Adagio — Poco più moto — Tranquillo — Lento — Adagio — poco più moto
- Con moto (♩=100–108) — (♩=130)
Programme notes
editThe 1972 edition includes the following programme notes.[2]
The three-movement structure reflects a classical outlook concerning concertos. Traditionally, this design favours the listener, first in the head, then the heart and finally in the toes. In the first movement, the soloist combines clear strong phrases with gentle melismatic meandering as well as negotiating many acute-angled leaps which justify themselves by enharmonic changes beneath. The slow movement has a long main melody and contains the only cadenza element in the work: two pastoral passages, homage to the mysteriously beautiful Border Country. The finale opens with a driving, motoric introduction followed by a cheeky rondo theme. Repeated quotations of this are elaborated with increasingly intricate variations until an unaccompanied whole-tone version of the theme brings the work to a fast close.
— Joseph Horovitz
Notes
edit- ^ Changed to just "Tempo ♩=130" in the piano arrangement because many players mistook "Molto accelerando" for gradually increasing in speed (hence playing the passage too fast, contrary to the author's intentions).
References
editCitations
edit- ^ "Euphonium Concerto | Joseph Horovitz". Wise Music Classical. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
- ^ a b "Euphonium Concerto (Horovitz)". Wind Repertory Project. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
Sources
edit- Horovitz, Joseph (1972). Euphonium Concerto. Novello & Co. ISBN 0-85360-403-7.