Hummel Concerto

[CJceltics33]

I am a high school trumpet player. My solo this year is the first movement of the Hummel Concerto. I'm sure most of you have played it, so--Any stylistic elements you recommend I add? Any tips on how to play it at a higher level?

[MalinTrumpet]

There are many wonderful recodings of the Hummel. Mine will always be Armando Ghitalla but there are a host more. Just listen carefully!
Good luck,
LCM

[Dayton]

A few thoughts for you.

First, as previously mentioned, listen to great performers play the Hummel: Hakan Hardenberger, Tine Thing Helseth, George Vosburgh, Wynton Marsalis, Guy Touvron, Maurice Andre....

Second, make sure you prepare the end of that movement with the same attention and effort that you pay to the beginning of the movement. One way to ensure you do this to work from the beginning (measure 66) one day, and then from the end (measure 299) the next. Then alternate. Work in "chunks" of 8 or so measures.

Third, play through the full movement enough times to understand how to pace yourself. The first movement is long, and it isn't unusual to hear a younger player start to wear out around measure 260....

Finally, remember that the low G at measure 119 is just as important as the high Cs scattered throughout the movement. That low G can be tough to play steadily, with a good tone, if you are tense. [Edit: The same with the low C#, D and B at measures 139-141.]

Good luck!

[minimamoralia]

One important thought would be to make sure that you approach the Hummel for what it is-a concerto from the classical era. I don't want to get into too many specifics here, but keep in mind that many younger trumpeters tend to 'overblow' solo pieces, approaching them in the same way they might play in a concert band or marching band.

I'd urge you to seek out and to actively listen to a few different recordings of the concerto. I'd definitely include Armando Ghitalla's recording in this mix, along with a few more contemporary versions. Listen to the recordings with your trumpet at hand and see if you can match the sound/articulation that the soloists use on their performance.

By emulating their approach at first, you will begin to find your own 'voice' with the piece. Too many people practice notes without being clear about the kind of sound they want to produce. Take this opportunity to listen actively and to develop your own sound. Good luck!

[mhenrikse]

I studied the Hummel in detail with Rolf Smedvig and his sound and style are my favorite (though when I learned it in high school the recording I had was Michel Cuvit). Most players play everything quite lyrically and nicely. That can get monotonous and boring. Rolf, overall pointed out that there are two styles in the first movement - fanfare and lyrical - that play off each other. There are the obvious places this occurs and the more subtle ones, for example ends of phrases, where the two styles transition (either smoothly or with stark contrast). You can understand a lot of the movement and how to play it by analyzing it in this way. Don't overplay some of the "hard parts" with the wide skips at the end. Here, Rolf wrote in my music "no big deal" as the feeling to communicate to the audience through all of this section.

The beginning of the second movement takes some planning to make all of the long notes and trills sound good. For me, Rolf wrote the word "mysterious" as the feeling to convey through this section. For ideas on the trill speeds, check out his recording. Note his clear, beautiful sound, contrasting articulation, and the ever present sense of musical taste.

[Andy Del]

For even more insight, get hold of a keyed trumpet, or listen to performances of these instruments. They spend differently, and help make sense of the works.

Once you have listened to recording of great players (like those already mentioned) it is good to get into how classical music was performed. for that, you need to read up on treatises of the day, like Leopold Mozart and Quantz who wrote on how to perform on violin and flute respectively. They have a wealth of information on how one was expected to play and the conventions of the day.

This sort of information illuminates these works in a way that just listening (which is invaluable) can't. Then you will be working at a higher level than just playing the notes or thinking fanfare / song...

cheers

Andy
_________________
so many horns, so few good notes...

[snichols]

[Gabrieli]

[snichols]

[brassexcerpts]

This timestamp tool makes it easy to compare phrases and styles across different recordings: https://www.brassexcerpts.com/trumpet-solo/hummel-trumpet-concerto/

[Andy Del]

[CJceltics33]

Thank you for the replies so far. Another thing--how can i ensure I have enough endurance to get through the whole piece? The end is definitely the most demanding, and it's hard for me to get all the way through with enough juice for te end.

[CJceltics33]

Thank you for the replies so far. Another thing--how can i ensure I have enough endurance to get through the whole piece? The end is definitely the most demanding, and it's hard for me to get all the way through with enough juice for te end.

[homecookin]

[dstdenis]

[homecookin]

[JoseLindE4]

Endurance
1. Ensure your playing is efficient as possible by not neglecting fundamental practice. Don't just practice the piece.
2. Ensure you can play the piece as easily as possible by working it up in small chunks. Phrase by phrase, sing (IN TUNE) -> mouthpiece slurred/glissed from note to note (if you find mouthpiece playing helpful) -> slurred slowly on the horn -> as written. Keep at this process until the performance. Over time,work on longer chunks. This is a foolproof method for learning difficult music.
3. Make a list of the hard licks and practice them daily - sing, mouthpiece, slur.
4. In the weeks leading up to the performance, learn the pacing of the piece. Run through it with a recording. Don't stop and fix things. Be patient with yourself and don't overdo this. Aim to be able to run it back to back about two weeks before the performance. Don't do this everyday. Taper off this a little as the big day approaches.
5. Sleep plenty, eat well, drink water, and exercise.

Style
1. Good recordings on modern ibstruments are fine.
2. The piece only really makes sense in the context of the keyed trumpet.
3. There's no reason a high schooler can't be a thoughtful musician and consider the broader historical context.
4. Young musicians are capable of functioning as more mature musicians if we ask them to do so
5. It's never a waste of time to develop a deeper understanding of the instrument and its music.

[homecookin]

[JoseLindE4]

Despite being technically accessible to a younger player, the Hummel is a pretty substantial piece to deal with musically. It's one of our major works. If a young player lacks the maturity to deal with it in it's broader context, then perhaps they should study a different piece that is more appropriate for their musical development. Just because you can play all the notes doesn't mean that you can make music with them.

Tracking down a keyed trumpet might be difficult, but there are recordings of fantastic performers playing the instrument. There's no reason a young player shouldn't learn the history of the work, the performance issues inherent in the instrument, and spend careful time studying the differences between modern recordings and recordings on historical instruments. This should be the minimum required when dealing with a piece such as this, even for a young player.

The Leopold Mozart treatise is freely available in English online on Scribd. There is one chapter of the Quantz in English on Imslp. Reading is free. So is interlibrary loan (usually). Go to your library and ask your librarian for help in tracking down these books. It's a good learning experience even beyond music. Understanding sources and tracking things down are useful skills to have that many adults lack. Surely a high school student could apply this research towards other assignments in other classes. Get excited about something and find a teacher to support you.

The initial question asked about style. There is no way to understand the style without understanding the instrument for which it was written. If a trumpet player only listened to Maynard and tried to play lead on a Basie chart, it would sound comically wrong. The same goes for playing Haydn or Hummel without studying the instruments for which they were written.

[homecookin]