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pcctpt
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 Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 6:42 am Post subject: Rumanian Rhapsody No. 1? |
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I'm subbing in a local orchestra, and we're playing Enesco's 'Rumanian Rhapsody No. 1' [Hampton Orchestra Library].
At rehearsal number 33 there is an indication in the trumpet parts of 'bouchee'---muted. This continues for several measures, and is at an indicated dynamic of 'ff'. Also, there are +'s over/under all of the notes in this section.
The conductor said to play this with a straight mute, but said he wasn't exactly sure what should be done. Is that the correct mute? Or, should it be 'hand over bell' because of the +'s?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
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Steve A
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| Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 7:22 am Post subject: |
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| I think that's hand-stopped, like, say, gestopft parts in Mahler 1, third movement. |
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Danbassin
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| Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 9:53 am Post subject: |
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| Steve A wrote: | | I think that's hand-stopped, like, say, gestopft parts in Mahler 1, third movement. |
Yes - but this is an historical approach to modulating the sound that we don't encounter in practice all that much, nowadays. Your conductor is right that the most common practice now is to use a straight mute - like most of the 'gestopft' moments in Mahler, which are rarely differentiated from 'mit dampfer' in today's orchestral reality.
Hand-stopping a modern trumpet is possible, but we should take the composer's intent for a given passage to heart, just as we will have to also counterbalance that with realities of the state of the art of ensemble precision in our own time. By this I mean - watch out, there's much you can do that will neither sound good, nor be remotely acceptable from an intonation standpoint. For loud passages with sharp attacks - short hits, or ffpp sustains - I find that using part of my left hand, held flat (palm and fingers flush with the rim of the bell) over somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of the bell gives good 'edge' and retains a muted sound that is very different from OPEN and MUTED (not 'stopped').
After that, things get more complicated. Remember that horn players have to transpose when then hand-stop, and also remember that their bells are literally designed to accommodate hand-stopping. Ours are not. The mostly rotary-valved orchestral trumpets of Mahler's day and Enescu's early days had bells which were somewhat larger than the standard 229/239 you'll find in orchestras now. To say nothing of the pitch variances which were somehow tolerated back then.
Fundamentally, it's not a nice, gentile sound. Straight mutes can mimic some of the quality, but trial-and-error will give you more options for something more authentic...if you get your conductor and section to go-along.
Happy practicing - open, or muted, just don't STOP!
-DB
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Steve A
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| Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 10:26 am Post subject: |
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| Admittedly, it's not a technique that I use very often, since it doesn't come up too often, but when I've been playing these pieces, I've generally found that a bit of trial and error and using fingerings one semitone higher than written produced characteristic and fairly reliable results with hand stopping. I think the reason we use mutes instead of doing what the composer wrote is more to do with it being unusual and people being hesitant to take a chance with an unfamiliar technique than because it sounds bad, or can't be done. |
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Irving
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| Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 8:29 am Post subject: |
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| The best thing to do is to play it however you want,trying to make it sound good in the context with what is going on in the music. The last thing I would do would be to ask the conductor what he wants. Only respond to the conductor if he mentions the passage. If he doesn't, then whatever you are doing is OK. Now that you called it to his attention, you will have to play it as he wants it. 9 times out of 10, the conductor will have no idea of what should be done. That won't stop him from deciding something, even if he just decides on a whim. |
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cheiden
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Location: Orange County, CA
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| Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 9:01 am Post subject: Re: Rumanian Rhapsody No. 1? |
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| pcctpt wrote: | I'm subbing in a local orchestra, and we're playing Enesco's 'Rumanian Rhapsody No. 1' [Hampton Orchestra Library].
At rehearsal number 33 there is an indication in the trumpet parts of 'bouchee'---muted. This continues for several measures, and is at an indicated dynamic of 'ff'. Also, there are +'s over/under all of the notes in this section.
The conductor said to play this with a straight mute, but said he wasn't exactly sure what should be done. Is that the correct mute? Or, should it be 'hand over bell' because of the +'s?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! |
"+" always means hand stopped...if you're playing a French horn. I've read that it can be done on trumpet but I seriously doubt I could reach far enough to get the bell fully stopped. And for the less familiar this doesn't mean partially covering the mouth of the bell which would soften the tone.
This means inserting the hand deep into the bell so that it produces a harsh metallic sound and seriously alters intonation.
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