Hummel Concerto

[snichols]

[JoseLindE4]

These two pieces were written specifically for an individual player on specific instruments. Ignoring that context seems preposterous. While the instrument lost out to the valve, I find it hard to listen to some beautiful performances on it and write it off as simply stuffy. Reinhold Friedrich's fantastic version is available on Naxos online. A subscription is available for a small donation to Imslp or your local library probably has one.

Listening to the work performed on the keyed trumpet changes the approach to everything - ornaments, articulations, sound concept, etc. Listen to Reinhold Friedrich play it and then try to convince yourself that the keyed trumpet is irrelevant to understanding the work. I wouldn't call it stuffy and uneven.

Learning the baroque trumpet radically changed my approach to the piccolo because the literature suddenly made sense. Likewise, Haydn and Hummel make a lot more sense once you understand the keyed trumpet.

[omelet]

It seems that the controversy is that "stylistic elements to add" and "play at a higher level" is being construed in different ways by different people. Perhaps the OP can clarify whether this means improving the way it's being played or making it more authentic, which aren't necessarily the same thing.

[Gabrieli]

[homecookin]

"My suggestion to learn a different piece was not directed at the OP but rather the hypothetical young player not willing to put forth more than a minimal effort. While they are welcome to play the Hummel poorly, their time could be better spent on lesser music if they'd rather be lazy. It's up to the OP to decide how much effort they're willing to put forth to justify their study. Doing something poorly seems like a waste of time to me, but everyone is welcome to use their time however they see fit."

"It isn't that hard to find recordings on historical instruments. I found the Friedrich version on Naxos in about two minutes. A Naxos subscription isn't hard to track down and is well worth it. A visit to the library is an afternoon well spent. You get to chat with and learn from the reference librarian, browse some books, and maybe even meet a smart girl. It seems like a win all around for the OP. This doesn't take that much effort."

"If the standard is thoughtless performances, our results will be uninteresting. We should expect more.[/quote]


EARTH TO PLANET NEPOMUK...

Once again... your post is just dripping with arrogance and condescension.
Of course your suggestion to learn a different piece was directed at the
OP, NOT... "some hypothetical young player not willing to put forth more than
minimal effort".
"While they are welcome to play the Hummel poorly,
their time could be better spent on lesser music if
they'd rather be lazy".
"Doing something poorly seems like a waste of time to me,
But everyone is welcome to use their time as they see fit".
"If the standard is thoughtless performance I results will be uninteresting.
We should expect more".

You are making a lot of assumptions there...
What makes you think that the OP is going to
" play the Hummel poorly" ???
The fact that the OP came on the TH website
to seek advice from more experienced players
Indicates to me that he is not being "thoughtless"or "lazy"...
as you described it.
You are making way too big a deal out of this,
the OP is an intelligent young high school student who posted a
question on TH about how to do a good performance of the
first movement of the Hummel Concerto
on his B-FLAT TRUMPET !
Most of your suggestions would be better suited
to someone who's preparing their D.M.A. recital !
The OP did not ask for a lecture on authentic
instruments of the period.
But who knows... maybe he'll end up marrying
that girl he meets at the library, and they will have
a couple of kids, and maybe they'll all
learn to play the Hummel Concerto
on keyed trumpets.

[homecookin]

[Nonsense Eliminator]

If the only recordings available on authentic instruments were by terrible musicians, by all means, we should avoid them. But they aren't. And what's more, they're by musicians who have studied historically informed performance, which informs us far beyond what we hear from the simple act of playing the piece on the instrument it was written for.

I love Maurice André. As far as musicianship, technique, and beauty of sound go, he's the soloist I most strive to emulate. But that doesn't mean I can't listen to anybody else, and it certainly doesn't mean I have to emulate an out-of-date understanding of performance practice. It doesn't mean I can't take an approach that starts out mostly his (or Wynton's, or Hakan's, or whoever's) and add other ideas to it. I think the way we arrive at our own interpretations of these pieces is by listening to a lot of versions, doing our own reading and study, mixing it all up and experimenting to see what works.

Regarding the sound of the keyed trumpet, yes, it's a compromise, and no, we don't have to play funky notes to imitate it. But understanding that the changes in key change the timbre of whole passages could inform how we approach the piece. Or not -- but why not make an informed choice? Why not listen to something crazy and see if something helps us figure things out, even if it's by highlighting something we hate.
_________________
Richard Sandals
NBO

[homecookin]

Let me be clear...
I have absolutely nothing against listening to or performing the Hummel and the Haydyn on the authentic instruments of that period... The KEYED TRUMPET. But that is certainly above and beyond what the OP's original post was about.
To automatically assume that listening to recorded examples of the Hummel being played on a keyed trumpet is going to enhance the OP's performance of it on his B-flat TRUMPET is a stretch... maybe... maybe not.
My whole point is that his time would be better spent listening to the work being performed on modern instruments to get a sense of the style of the piece.
And as I stated, of course the majority of his time dedicated to this endeavor should be spent on intelligent consistent practice emulating the examples he's listen to.

[CJceltics33]

Thank you again for all that you have suggested. I will be playing this piece on my B flat Bach Strad 37, however I do not consider any listening a waste of time. I have listened to many recordings you have advised, and I am paying particular attention to interpretation of the piece (what I previously referred to as "style") and purity in sound. Tone quality and ease is what I am most striving for. My worries for this piece are in this order: 1)Tone quality throughout the piece, 2) interpretation and musicality 3) endurance 4) correct notes.

As advised, I will focus on the ending and the few tricky licks so I can develop confidence and efficiency on these.

[homecookin]

[Steve A]

[Seymor B Fudd]

[JoseLindE4]

Jens Lindemen just announced elsewhere on TH that he has released a recording of the Hummel. He's a spectacular player that plays with grace and energy, and the orchestra is pretty good too. I'd check that one out as well.

[Edward4]

Remember to watch out for articulation! Staccatos and Legatos are fairly prevalent in this piece, and can really change how the piece sounds. I went over this a lot with my instructor, as it's something that is easy to miss, but makes a huge difference.

-Edward

[dstpt]

[gabriel127]

<Edit: Please refrain from personal attacks. - TH Moderators>

[Paladin53]

I don't believe anyone has mentioned the great Timofei Dokshiter recording of the Hummel.

Back when Nixon was a president and I a senior in high school, I played along with Mr Dokshiter ever night preparing the first movement. My vinyl record is well worn.

After the regional contest our band director took some of the first division soloist and ensembles to some type of music appreciation club, comprised of proper old ladies (probably no older than I am now). Some were connected with the music department of the small collage where we lived.

From that performance my pianist accompaniment and I were invited to a music faculty banquet at the collage. This invitation was probably more due to the excellent playing of the rather difficult piano part.
My fellow senior was well know in the music community.

For a high school student I think Homecoming advice is right.

[PC]

...and here is a link to Markus Würsch on the mother of all keyed trumpets:

https://youtu.be/9XkrFxPBLXQ

Apparently, Weidinger was experimenting with improvements to the keyed trumpet, so he may have hit on more holes with different diameters to improve intonation and evenness in tone. The version here is markedly different to the standard one, I find it to be poorer...

Würsch is a tremendous player, at ease on modern picc as well as on historical instruments, always with excellent tone and musicality.

By the way, renowned soloists on historical instruments are mostly unpretentious and normal: Jean François Madeuf told me he much prefers listening to Telemann interestingly and musically played on modern clarinet, than boringly on natural trumpet. William Dongois is into Bulgarian folk music on PVC kavals and great admirer of Mendez...

Anyway, there are plenty of sublime and varied Hummel interpretations out there, most of them on Eb/E trumpet by the usual suspects we love in the trumpet world to find one’s favourite!
Pierre

[area51recording]

SIGH........seems like so many topics on TH eventually devolve into a variant on the "how many trumpet players does it take to screw in a light bulb" riff.....

[CJceltics33]

Thanks for all your help! I’ve definitely used your suggestions and I’ve improved in the piece. Endurance is no longer a worry. Now, along with a good sound and style of course, my focus is tonguing those triplet rhythms fast enough. It’s been an issue for me.