Brass Ensembles:

Opportunities for the Tubist

BY DANIEL PERANTONI

ince the formation of the New York

Brass Quintet in 1953, new career opportunities have emerged for tuba players. I
first heard the New York group during my
undergraduate days at Eastman and was intrigued by the different styles of music, all of
which demanded extraordinary musicianship of
each player. It was no surprise that all the quintet members were soloists in their own right.
The history of brass ensembles has been written by a small number of outstanding groups.
The New York Brass Quintet rediscovered important old music by early masters and pioneered the commissioning of modern music, thus
presenting a unique repertoire of more than four
centuries of unusual brass music. They set a
precedent for performing transcriptions of string
quartets and for commissioning new music. Performing in concert halls that had been limited to
traditional string quartets, the quintet expanded
career possibilities for the tubist outside the symphony orchestra. By the 1960s colleges and universities hired tubists to join their faculties to
perform in brass quintets along with their other
duties, and today there are hundreds of brass
quintets that perform throughout the world.
Tubist Charles Daellenbach, one of the founding members of the Canadian Brass, was inspirational in mixing comedy with music. The group
provided virtuoso performances as well as delightful entertainment, playing for audiences of
thousands of people in settings such as Hollywood Bowl. Tubist Sam Pilafian has influenced
the direction of the Empire Brass Quintet with
his exceptional jazz background. The virtuosic
abilities of the players and their collective qualities as an ensemble have made it possible for the
Empire to be presented in prestigious concert
series. Today, the success of the Canadian Brass
and the Empire Brass have proven that there is
a bright future for the tuba in the brass quintet.
The outstanding Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
generated a wealth of transcriptions and commissions that .greatly improved brass literature. In
addition to the quintet, Philip Jones featured a
larger ensemble for its concerts; and, like all
brass groups, its repertoire was built around its

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THE INSTRUMENTALIST / DECEMBER 1988

members. The late John Fletcher, tubist with the

P.J.B.E., was one of the greatest musicians of our
time. Through his virtuosic playing, artistry, and
musical personality, he influenced composers
and arrangers to add new dimensions to their
works for the tuba.
Formed in 1964, the Saint Louis Brass Quintet
performed children's concerts in its beginning
years for Young Audiences, Inc. In recent years
the group has changed its concert format to present original music for brass from the 20th century, baroque transcriptions, and lighter music
with humorous demonstrations catering to a
more general audience.
For many years, my colleague David Hickman
had dreamed of an all-American brass ensemble
similar to those in Europe and Japan. Drawing
on the talents of some of the finest players in
the country, he formed Summit Brass, an ensemble of hand-picked players from principal positions in major symphony orchestras together
with leading brass soloists. Because of the virtuosic abilities and reputations of the members, the
ensemble signed a three-record contract by Pro
Arte even before the group played together.
Summit Brass was featured on National Public
Radio one year after its existence, with the host
of one program commenting. "Where else could I
hear the principal trombones of the New York,
San Francisco, and Los Angeles in one group in
one place?"
The members host an intensive institute, the
Keystone Brass Institute in Keystone, Colorado,
which focuses on both performance and career
guidance for young players. Keystone is the only
institute where there are business seminars with
experts in the field of promoting, selling, and
managing, as well as workshops and master
classes with some of the best brass performers. In
June of 1989 Keystone will expand to include
gifted high school students.
Soloist and chamber musician Daniel Perantoni is a professor of music at Arizona State University. He performs
with the Saint Louis Brass Quintet, the Summit Brass,
and the Matteson-Phillips Tubajazz Consort and is a
consultant/clinician for Custom Music Company.

tudent tubists who hope to work professionally need to develop a good background in all styles of music, from the
classics to jazz in ensembles of all sizes. Once
you have formed a chamber ensemble, how do
you make it succeed? My advice to student tubists is to develop a focused and centered sound
in order to blend equally with colleagues. By
listening carefully for balance and trying to
make your partners sound good, you will all
sound better. Learn to color your tone to suit
the style of the piece, and when playing a
transcription try to imitate the qualities of the
original instrument. For example, imitate the
qualities of the flute during a flutelike passage.
Swing like a walking jazz bass player while performing a bass line in that style. Think of the
sound of Herbert L. Clarke when playing the
Carnival of Venice on the tuba.
Dynamics are softer in small ensembles when
compared to larger groups. You are often required to play lightly with the agility of a cellist
in a string quartet. Most professionals use
smaller equipment to produce this lighter and
more focused sound. These parts are usually
written higher, similar to the range of a cello or
bass trombone, so I use a large bore F tuba exclusively with the brass quintet.
When the members of Summit Brass first re-

Photo by Wayne Brill, courtesy of Imeilochen

hearsed, Gene Porkorny and I found that many

passages sounded too overpowering and unclear
when performed on our large bore CC tubas.
Our solution was to use the F tuba for the
higher parts and the CC tuba for the lower
parts. The compact and brighter sound of the F
tuba combined with the more fundamental
sound of the CC tuba produced more clarity
and definition while maintaining a "good bottom" for the ensemble.
Young musicians can benefit from performing
in a small ensemble. With one or a few players
on a part, students learn to listen more carefully,
which improves awareness of intonation and
rhythm. Everyone hears every note, so it is impossible to hide in a section. Each student
should develop a good relationship with the
other members of the group, both personally
and professionally, because all are equal members and have to rely on one another for support. Being a team player is the key to a successful ensemble.
Today tuba playing has reached a new level of
expertise. It has advanced from the traditional
demands of bands and orchestras to include the
requirements of solo playing and small brass
ensembles. The success of chamber ensembles,
like the modern brass quintet and larger brass
ensembles, continues to expand career opportunities for the contemporary tubist.
D