Hard Mute?

trumpetlogic · Regular Member Joined: 06 Mar 2015 Posts: 28

I am playing the 1st trumpet book for Oklahoma and I noticed a few measures played with a "Hard Mute."

Does anybody know what that is? I don't feel any need to go purchase one, but it has me wondering what kind of sound I should try to get.

trpthrld · Heavyweight Member Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 4810

More than likely it means a straight mute.

Oklahoma! / Rogers & Hammerstein were never adventurous with mutes, always used the standard straight, cup, & occasionally Harmon.
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trumpetlogic · Regular Member Joined: 06 Mar 2015 Posts: 28

That's where I was leaning. Plenty of times, though, they wrote Straight Mute. I wonder why they chose to be vague here.

Craig Swartz · Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2016 8:12 am Post subject:

They want it to be heard. Choose your best, loud mute.

trpthrld · Heavyweight Member Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 4810

Craig Swartz · Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2016 1:49 pm Post subject:

trumpetlogic · Regular Member Joined: 06 Mar 2015 Posts: 28

The book is not an original orchestration. It's from R&H Theatricals in NY. The title page says:

trpthrld · Heavyweight Member Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 4810

I asked a friend who has a lot of show parts in .pdf. He's also very knowledgeable about things musical theatre.

He told me it was restored and re-engraved several years ago, which is probably why there's now a "hard" mute listed. Also the reason for the list you provided of "For this edition."

Even tho I suggested you go with what you think sounds best, you might want to ask your MD what his take on it is. There could be similar markings in the trombone or other books. This is in the dream sequence, maybe they're looking for a more ethereal sound color, which I would take to mean Harmon without stem.
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LittleRusty · Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 10:14 am Post subject:

A similar question was asked on the "other" site. This question was referencing Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times calling for a Pekker mute, Mega mute and Hard mute.

I bet someone from those times would be able to translate into our modern terminology.

errata

WHICH MUTE? In RRB's Broadway/commercial work--and in his concert pieces--he'd sometimes write indications like "Hard Mute," which suggest the specific kind of tone desired (we can all get varying shades of tone unmated, as we can with any particular mute in). He'll elsewhere write "brilliant mute" (which doesn't necessarily mean you've got to have the real thing from Conn, but suggests what he's after). "Thin mute" = I'd still play on a straight mute--but it suggests a different sound than "Hard Mute." For a spot in "Victory at Sea" (the real orchestrations, not the published stuff) he once writes "stuffy mutes"--and it's interesting to hear the sound Ray Crisara and his NBC Symphony fellow trumpeters gave him. FWIW, in 1920s-30s Russell tends to write "wow-wow" mute; 1940s and later it's "Harmon."

He was a capable trumpet player (one of the instruments he'd played in his father's band from a young age), and always knew exactly what he was asking of his players. (For tricky trills, he even sometimes writes in the fingerings, reminding you that he knows what you, as a capable player, also know.) Ray Crisara did the "Victory at Sea" soundtrack recordings in 1952-53, then dozens of other RRB-scored documentaries at NBC along with one-off things like the "Many Moods of Christmas" original LP (1963), and had many, many nice things to say to me about playing for RRB.

Oklahoma! orchestrations: What you're renting from R&H is a cleaned up "new edition" of the 1943 orchestration, with very little in the way of alterations. (R&H has really invested in cleaning up the materials they rent, and is even providing full scores now.) The 1943 brass instrumentation was 2 tots, 2hns, 1trb; for R&H's big Lincoln Center revival in the 1960s, they asked RRB to fatten things up a bit, so he added a Tpt3 and Trb2 (which is in the current rental materials). He didn't go an revoice things from scratch, but merely red-penciled those notes into his 1943 manuscript, so the Tpt3 and Trb2 parts do leap about a bit. (If your section-mates complain, you can explain why.) Likewise, the 1943 orchestration didn't have Bassoon, but it was added in the 1960s--and that's in the rental set too. Trivia: the 1943 pit orchestra had an oboe player who also played English horn AND oboe b'amore, AND bass oboe (Heckelphone)---so Russell wrote a couple bits for them in the original orchestration. The current R&H rental materials actually retain those, though will practical "cue line" substitutions as well.

[There was Broadway revival of "Oklahoma" in 2002 where--to please the choreographer--they added sax doubles for some of the (re-choreographed) dance numbers, to get a beefier sounds from the WW than you'd get with the "legit" reeds--Thank Goodness R&H isn't renting *that* reworking!]

[BTW, Bruce Pomahac recently retired as R&H's Director of Music, and his "#2" Wayne Alan Blood has moved up into the post. They both know a great deal about vintage Broadway orchestrations and associated lore, and I think the scores that RRB worked on---even if it was just a paycheck to him--have been treated very lovingly by Bruce and Wayne.]

While I'm disgorging about non-Trumpet things: in all of Bennett's scores, whether orchestrations or compositions, "muffled" snare drum means SNARES OFF, as it did way back in the day. Countless current conductors and players don't know this--including some glamour boys on the university wind ensemble scene--and they aren't playing what RRB asked for. It's an important, much-used "sound" of his, and ought to be respected. If you're on good terms with your show's Musical Director and Percussionist, you can pass that along.

BTW, Russell's era--even in his most serious orchestral stuff--was strictly B flat trumpets (never going crazy with the high notes, in any case).

Enough for know…..there's plenty I don't know about trumpeting, but I'll happily answer any RRB questions, anytime.

George Ferencz ( = "errata" here on trumpetherald)
U. Wisconsin-Whitewater
ferenczg@uww.edu

Crazy Finn · Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 1:41 pm Post subject:

Posts like this are why it's worth perusing TH on any given day. Wow!
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trpthrld · Heavyweight Member Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 4810

Thank you, George!
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LittleRusty · Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 3:41 pm Post subject:

I read errata's post and was thinking it would be cool to just sit and listen to him reminisce.

Not sure I would want to take a class since there would be tests.

errata · Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 6:43 pm Post subject:

^^^^^^^Sincere thanks for the kind words from all of you. Russell Bennett's name pops up in unimagined places all over the 'net, and I try to stay in touch with performances of his stuff and discussions of his huge sphere of activity. If you'd like to get to know him better, I suggest his memoir, published in 1999. It really gives a sense of his personality (definitely not ghostwritten), and you'll understand why many called him "the nicest guy in the music business."

LittleRusty: You're welcome to visit one of my theory, ear-training, or arranging classes sometime. Or, you cold enroll and audit the classes, then you'd never have to take the exams <smile>.

Again, a thank-you to all...

GJF/errata