Ferreira Rodrigues: Studies for Trumpet Derived From "Dobrados" (Brazilian Marches)

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Published: Friday, 12 July 2024 14:19
Written by Fred Sienkiewicz

Additional Materials

  • Abstract for this presentation.
  • Dissertation: "Trumpet studies derived from Dobrados: a possibility of teaching in community bands," 2019, which includes the full set of etudes.

Citation

Ferreira Rodrigues, Marcos José. "Studies for Trumpet Derived from Dobrados (Brazilian Marches)." Lecture presented at the International Trumpet Guild Conference, Anaheim, CA, May 30, 2024.


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Wertenberger: Re-Examining the Relevance of Orchestral Excerpts

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Published: Friday, 12 July 2024 14:17
Written by Fred Sienkiewicz

Additional Materials

  • Research Survey: Submit your suggestions for updated orchestral trumpet excerpts.

Citation

Wertenberger, Rebecca. "Re-Examining the Relevance of Orchestral Excerpts." Lecture presented at the International Trumpet Guild Conference, Anaheim, CA, May 30, 2024.

Abstract

There has been an initiative in recent years to diversify the repertoire performed by major United States symphony orchestras. Orchestras are now actively including more female composers, composers of color and varying nationalities, and composers who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community in their programming practices (Deemer and Meals, 2022). However, the demographic makeup of standard trumpet excerpts asked at orchestral auditions has remained largely unchanged. This study explores the relationship between the demographics of programmed composers and the composers of frequently requested trumpet audition excerpts.

The International Trumpet Guild Journal has published surveys of trumpet excerpts appearing on orchestral audition lists; one in 1981, the second in 1994, and the most recent published in 2011 (Hunsicker, 2011). This study aims to conduct a similar survey, though on a smaller scale, by cataloging the audition excerpt lists and repertoire programmed by five major U.S. orchestras over the past two seasons. The orchestras observed were selected based on the following criteria: 1) Categorized as Group 1 by the League of American Orchestras in 2022 (a budget of >$17,775,000), 2) Their full programs from the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons are available online, and 3)A trumpet audition list from 2022 or more recent is available online. A spreadsheet was compiled of composers who were on the audition lists from each orchestra. There were twenty-nine total composers included across all five orchestras. Among the twenty-nine listed composers, John Williams was the only living composer, and Florence Price was the only female or person of color. A spreadsheet was then created for each group that contained a list of every composer programmed during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons, along with an indication of how many times each composer was programmed during each season. The spreadsheet for each orchestra also lists the composers from their respective audition lists. Composers who appeared on the audition lists but not in any of the programs were highlighted in red. After cataloging the composers, the percentage of female, living, and BIPOC composers programmed in each group was calculated.

This issue affects more than the personnel that make up a professional orchestra’s trumpet section. Most schools of music in the United States integrate orchestral excerpts into their curriculum of trumpet performance. Many of these schools also require commonly asked orchestral excerpts as part of their own audition processes. This means that collegiate trumpet players spend much of their education working on these orchestral excerpts and studying the repertoire they originate from. Diversifying the orchestral audition excerpt selection would better prepare performers for the expectations of playing in modern professional orchestras as well as benefit students by giving them a more well-rounded performance education. The results of this study indicate a need for deeper exploration of this topic among a wider sample of professional orchestras in addition to proposing and advocating for updated trumpet excerpts to be added to orchestra audition lists.

Bibliography

Resources – Orchestral Lists


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McSwain: Robert Starer and His Works for Solo Trumpet

Details
Published: Friday, 12 July 2024 14:16
Written by Fred Sienkiewicz

Additional Materials

  • Dissertation: McSwain, Allison. "Robert Starer and His Music, with a Focus on Solo Works for Trumpet". 2023.

Citation

McSwain, Allison. "Robert Starer and His Works for Solo Trumpet." Lecture presented at the International Trumpet Guild Conference, Anaheim, CA, May 30, 2024.

Abstract

Vienna-born American composer Robert Starer (1924-2001) was well-regarded in his lifetime but has fallen into obscurity, with his music largely unstudied and rarely performed. He had a unique and varied background: born in Vienna to Jewish parents, Starer left to study in Israel, served in the British military, and ultimately settled in the US. Starer received excellent musical training in Western art music and in Eastern music practices, both through formal schooling and extracurricular engagement, which influenced his compositional style and musical philosophy, most notably through his idea of “klimpern” (musical doodles), rhythmic development, and use of tonal centers, rather than “standard” harmonic progression. Starer’s collaborations included superstars like Itzhak Perlman, Martha Graham, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa, and he composed for a wide variety of instruments and ensemble sizes (including brass solos and brass quintet). He also wrote about his life and perspectives on music performance and education, leaving additional sources to gain more context of his music.

Starer’s three works for solo trumpet are substantive and accessible to audiences and players of different levels, using his trademark blend of west-meets-east tonality and rhythmic patterns. The pieces allow for a lot of choice from the performer through the independence of the writing, free sections, musical accessory options, and performance alternatives, such as reordering movements or varied instrumentation options. The three solos, Invocation, The Mystic Trumpeter, and Three Preludes for Trumpet and Organ, demonstrate Starer’s compositional style and deserve inclusion in trumpet literature as interesting and attainable works.

My research delves into each of these pieces from historical, theoretical, and pedagogical perspectives. Primary sources include Starer’s own writings–his memoir (Continuo: A Life in Music), his novel (The Music Teacher), and many articles published in periodicals ranging from academic journals to mainstream publications. I conducted an interview with composer (and former trumpeter) Douglas Hedwig, who was a colleague of Starer’s and commissioned Three Preludes. Hedwig worked closely with Starer not only on that piece, but on premieres of versions of Invocation and The Mystic Trumpeter. Robert Starer’s work merits lasting attention for its style and influence, and because it is beautiful music that is approachable by a variety of performers and listeners. Invocation, The Mystic Trumpeter, and Three Preludes are viable trumpet solos that deserve regular inclusion in the trumpet repertoire; understanding their background and construction informs performance decisions. They are written well for the instrument and accessible by players of many levels; a strong high schooler could successfully perform the pieces, and they are suitable for high-level recitals, as well. Inclusion of these pieces adds three additional selections to the canon of American 20th-century trumpet literature from a meritorious composer (and offers a door to further exploration of his music for trumpet in a chamber setting.)

Bibliography

    Scores

  • Starer, Robert. Invocation (for trumpet and piano). Easton Music Company, 1962.
  • Starer, Robert. Invocation (for trumpet and winds). Easton Music Company, 1983.
  • Starer, Robert. The Mystic Trumpeter. New York: Tetra Music Corporation, 1984.
  • Starer, Robert. Three Preludes for Trumpet & Organ. Easton Music Company, 1987.

    Writings by Starer

  • Robert Starer Home Page. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://robertstarer.com.
  • Starer, Robert. “Composing with the Soloist in Mind.” New York Times, May 1, 1988. https://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/01/arts/music-composing-with-the-soloist-in-mind.html..
  • Starer, Robert. Continuo: A Life in Music. London: Deutsch, 1987
  • Starer, Robert. “Continuo.” New Yorker, January, 6, 1986. https://newyorker.com/magazine/1986/01/06/continuo.
  • Starer, Robert. “Music for the Young.” Music Journal 31, no. 8 (Oct 1, 1973): 18. ProQuest.
  • Starer, Robert. Rhythmic Training. Los Angeles: Universal Music Pub. Group, 1969.
  • Starer, Robert. The Music Teacher. Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press, 1997.
  • Starer, Robert. “Writing an Opera is a Composer’s Ultimate Challenge.” New York Times, April 29, 1990. https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/29/arts/music-writing-an-opera-is-a-composer-s-ultimate-challenge.html.

    Other

  • Godwin, Gail. Evenings at Five: A Novel and Five Stories. New York: Ballantine Books, 2004.
  • Havas, Valerie. “A Novel Approach.” Hudson Valley, September 2003.
  • Havas, Valerie. “Composing a Life.” Hudson Valley, November 1997.
  • Hedwig, Douglas. 2022. Interviewed by Allison McSwain. December 16, 2022. Phone call.
  • Wendland, Kristin Florence. “The Major Choral Works of Robert Starer and Their Place in American Music.” PhD diss., City University of New York, 1991. ProQuest.

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