THEVAUGHANWILLIAMSTUBACONCERTO:ITSINCEPTION,ANDINFLUENCEONSELECTEDTWENTIETHCENTURYWORKSFORTHETUBABYBRITISHCOMPOSERS
By
AlexTaylor
SubmittedtothegraduatedegreeprograminSchoolofMusicandtheGraduateFacultyoftheUniversityofKansasinpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforthedegreeofDoctorofMusicalArts
__________________________________________Chairperson:PaulLaird
________________________________________________________ScottWatson
________________________________________________________PaulPopiel
________________________________________________________SteveLeisring
________________________________________________________MartinBergee
DateDefended:12/14/2017
ii
ThedissertationcommitteeforALEXTAYLORcertifiesthatthisistheapprovedversionofthefollowingdissertation:
THEVAUGHANWILLIAMSTUBACONCERTO:ITSINCEPTION,ANDINFLUENCEONSELECTEDTWENTIETHCENTURYWORKSFORTHETUBABYBRITISHCOMPOSERS
___________________________________Chairperson:PaulLaird
DateApproved:12/14/2017
iii
Abstract TheConcertoforBassTubabyRalphVaughanWilliamswasthefirst
concertowrittenforsolotuba,andremainsastapleintherepertoiretoday.The
VaughanWilliamsConcertocameaboutinthetwentiethcenturyduetotherapidly
evolvingroleofthetubawithintheorchestra,brassandmilitarybands,eventually
inspiringVaughanWilliamstowriteforthetubaasasoloinstrument.
TheVaughanWilliamsConcertoinfluencedEdwardGregson’sTuba
Concerto,asitisdirectlyquotedinthedevelopmentsectionofGregson’sfirst
movement.Therearealsomarkedsimilaritiesbetweenthetwoconcertiintermsof
form,range,andintervallicmaterial.
TheVaughanWilliamsandGregsonConcertosbothinfluencedtwoworksfor
thetubabyBritishcomposersthatwouldcomeaboutinthesubsequentdecades:
theConcertoforTubaandStringsbyRogerSteptoe,andCapricciobyRodney
Newton.Steptoe’sConcertoismostlyatonal,yettheinfluenceofVaughanWilliams
andGregsononitsform,style,andintervallicrelationshipsisstilldiscernable.
Newtonborrowsfanfare-likeelementsfromGregsonwhileutilizingmotivic
materialthatissimilartoVaughanWilliams.Thegoalofthispaperistoshowthe
influenceoftheConcertoforBassTubabyVaughanWilliamsontheBritishtuba
concertoasitevolvedthroughoutthetwentiethandtwenty-firstcenturies.
iv
Acknowledgements
IwouldliketothankProfessorScottWatsonforhisexcellentteachingand
steadfastmentorshipduringmytimeasagraduatestudentandteachingassistantat
theUniversityofKansas.Iwouldalsoliketothankmypreviousteachers,Dr.
DemondraeThurmanandProfessorJohnStevens,forthetremendousimpactthey
hadonmeduringthemoreformativeyearsofmymusicalcareer.
Iwouldliketothankthemembersofmygraduatecommittee:Dr.PaulLaird,
ProfessorScottWatson,Dr.PaulPopiel,ProfessorSteveLeisring,andDr.Martin
Bergee,fortheirpatienceinworkingwithmetoscheduleexamsandguidingme
throughtheprocessofwritingthisdocument.
Lastly,Iwouldliketothankmyfamily,withoutwhoseunwaveringsupportI
wouldnothavehadthesuccessIhavehadinacademiaandinmycareer.
v
TableofContents
Acceptance ii
Abstract iii
Acknowledgements iv
Introduction 1
TheVaughanWilliamsConcerto 2
TheGregsonConcerto 8
TheSteptoeConcerto 14
TheNewtonCapriccio 22
Conclusion 26
Bibliography 28
1
Introduction
Sinceitsinceptionin1835,thetubahashadaclearlydefinedandsometimes
narrowrolewithintheorchestra,windband,andotherensembleswhereitis
commonlyused.Theroleofthetubaasenvisionedbyitsearliestcomposerswas
strictlytoprovidebasslinesandfoundationalharmonieswithintheensemble.The
verynotionofatubaplayingasolo,letaloneafullconcerto,mighthaveseemed
inconceivableintheearlyyears.Withinthelastcenturythetubahasundergonea
remarkablereevaluationbyperformers,composers,andpedagogues,meaningthat
todaytheideaofthetubaplayingsolosandmelodiclineswithinalargeensemble,
aswellaschambermusicandconcertiasasoloist,isnolongeraforeignconcept.
Thistwentiethcenturyreinventionofthetuba’sroleandthediscoveryofitsgreater
potentialisdueinlargeparttoahandfulofinnovativecomposers,performers,and
teacherswhohadamuchgreatervisionofthetuba’scapabilities.Legendarytubists
suchasWilliamBell,HarveyPhillips,ArnoldJacobs,R.WinstonMorris,RogerBobo,
andJohnFletcherallmadesignificantcontributionstothetuba’sevolutionandits
emergingroles,butthereislittledoubtthatitwouldhavefailedtoprogressto
whereitistodayifnotforthegreatcomposerswhopioneeredwritingforthetuba.
WhileAmericanandBritishcomposersalikehavemadesignificantcontributionsto
thetubasololiterature,thisdocumentwillfocusonBritishtubaliteraturestarting
withtheseminalworkfortuba,theConcertoforBassTubabyRalphVaughan
Williamsandwillseektodrawparallelsbetweenthisworkandtwosubsequent
tubaconcertos:TubaConcertobyEdwardGregsonandConcertoforTubaand
2
StringsbyRogerSteptoe,byexaminingsimilaritiesandcontrastsinform,tempo,
harmony,andmotivicmaterialfromthethreeworks.Thedocumentwillthen
discussVaughanWilliams’spossibleinfluenceonatwenty-firstcenturywork:
CapriccioforTubabyRodneyNewton.
TheVaughanWilliamsConcerto
VaughanWilliams(1872-1958)wrotethefirstconcertoforthesolotuba.
VaughanWilliamswasborninDownAmpney,Gloucestershire,England,andhailed
fromafamilyofprominentintellectuals,whichincludedJosiahWedgwood(1730-
1795)andCharlesDarwin(1809-1882).Afterhissomewhatobscureearlyyearsas
anunknowncomposer,VaughanWilliams’scareerfinallytookoffinthe1910’s,and
hewentontobecomeperhapsthemostinfluentialBritishcomposeroftheearly
twentiethcentury.Asidefromthetubaconcerto,whichwasoneofhisfinal
compositions,VaughanWilliamswasacomposerofsymphonies,bandmusic,choral
music,andoperas,aswellasanarrangeroffolksongs.AccordingtoJosephMachlis,
“TheEnglishrenascencewasheraldedbyanawakeningofinterestinnativesong
anddance.ThemostimportantfigureamongthemwasRalphVaughanWilliams,
whosucceededElgarastherepresentativeofEnglishmusicontheinternational
scene.”1ThetubaconcertocameaboutasaresultofVaughanWilliamsbeing
commissionedtowriteanewworkforaconcertcelebratingtheGoldenJubileeof
1JosephMachlis,IntroductiontoContemporaryMusic(NewYork:WWNortonandCompany,1979)291.
3
theLondonSymphonyOrchestra.2ThepremiereoftheVaughanWilliamsConcerto
forBassTubawasgivenbytheLondonSymphonyonJune13,1954,withthe
orchestra’sprincipaltubist,PhilipCatelinet,performingasthesoloist,andSirJohn
Barbirolliconducting.GaryBirdwrites,“Besidesnotableconcertosforviolinandfor
piano,RalphVaughanWilliamshasenrichedtheliteratureoftheconcertoforlesser-
knowninstruments–theharmonicaandthebasstuba–raisingthem,too,to
concertrank.”3Whileitwasnotthefirstworkeverwrittenforthesolotuba,the
VaughanWilliamsconcertowasthefirstfullconcertowrittenfortheinstrument.
Thefactthatthisconcertowaswrittenbyanalreadyveryprolific—asopposedto
unknown—composerdidmuchforitsfame,aswellasenhancingthevisibilityand
viabilityofthetubaasasoloinstrument.AccordingtoCliffordBevan,“JohnFletcher
pointsoutthatV[aughan]W[illiams]hadintendedforsometimetowriteatuba
concerto,andithastobesaidthatveryoftensectionsofthetubapartsinhis
orchestralworksapproachaconcertolevelofdifficulty.”4VaughanWilliams’s
reasoningforwritingaconcertoforthetubaisnotentirelyclear,butitisworth
notingthattheagingcomposerhadwrittenhisRomanceinD-flatforHarmonica
onlyafewyearsbeforein1951.PerhapsVaughanWilliamswasintentionally
experimentingwithwritingforunusualsoloinstrumentsinthelatterpartofhislife,
butitisapparentfromJohnFletcher’saccountthatthecomposerhadforyearsprior
soughttotreatthetubanotasanovelty,butasaseriousinstrumentforserious
2CliffordBevan,TheTubaFamily(Hampshire:FaberandFaberUnlimited,1978)437.3GaryBird,ProgramNotesfortheSoloTuba(Bloomington:IndianaUniversityPress,1994)107.4Bevan,437.
4
musicians.TheVaughanWilliamsconcertoshowsoffthetuba’svirtuosicandlyrical
capabilities,andthemusicisinnowayploddingorhumorous.Notsurprisingly,
musicalpunditsandcriticswereskeptical.PhilipCatelinet,inhisarticleforthe
InternationalTuba-EuphoniumAssociationJournalentitled“TheTruthAboutthe
VaughanWilliamsTubaConcerto,”mentionsonecausticarticle:“VaughanWilliams,
now81,hascomposedaconcertoforbasstuba.Hislastconcertwasformouth
organ,anditranLarryAdlertothelastounceofhistechnique.PhilipCatelinet,first
tubaplayeroftheL.S.Ohasmanfullytakenonthesolopart.Hewillneedallhis
breath.”5Catelinethadhisdoubtsaswell,buthisplayingintheinitialrehearsals
wasencouragingtoVaughanWilliams,andalthoughCatelinethadafewmisgivings
abouthisinauguralperformance,particularlyofthefirstandthirdmovements,the
immediatepublicreceptionwasmostlypositive,despitethereactionsofafew
critics.6
TheoriginalorchestralversionoftheVaughanWilliamsisscoredforsolo
tuba,twoflutes,oboe,twoclarinets,bassoon,twohorns,twotrumpets,two
trombones,percussion,andstrings.Atranscriptionoftheorchestralpartforpiano
accompanimentisalsocommonlyheardinrecitalsettings.Theconcertoisinthree
movements,andfollowsthestandardtemposchemeoffast-slow-fast.Thefirst
movementisentitled“Prelude”andmarked“Allegromoderato”withasuggested
5PhilipCatelinet,“TheTruthAbouttheVaughanWilliamsTubaConcerto,”ITEAJournal14,no.2(1986)http://philipcatelinet.com/biography/the-truth-about-the-vaughan-williams-tuba-concerto-by-philip-catelinet-itea-journal-volume-14-number-2-november-1986(accessedDecember11,2016).6Catelinet,(1986).
5
tempoofquarternoteequals96beatsperminute,thoughmanyperformershave
takensomelibertywiththis,asmaybeheardonseveralrecordings.Forexample,
HarveyPhillipsplayedthefirstmovementatquarternoteequals106inhis
recording;DonLittletookitslightlyslowerthanthecomposersuggestedataround
quarternoteequals90-92,andArnoldJacobsplayeditsignificantlyfasteratquarter
noteequals116.7Thesecondmovement,entitled“Romanza,”ismarked“Andante
sostenuto”andquarternoteequals60,althoughlibertieshavebeentakenwiththis
movementaswell,asitisoftenplayedseveralclicksslower.Thepreferredslower
tempiofmostperformersalmostgivesthismovementthefeelingofaneighth-note
beat.Forexample,HarveyPhillips’srecordingofthesecondmovementatquarter
noteequals45isanextremeexample,butthemeantempoformostrecordings
seemstobearound54.8Thethirdmovementisentitled“Finale-RondoAlla
Tedesca,”andiswaltz-likein¾time.Thetempoismarked“Allegro”andquarter
noteequals150,ordottedhalfnoteequals50,sincethemusic,especiallyinthe
“Pocoanimato”sectionbeginningfourmeasuresbeforerehearsalnumber5,is
intendedtobefeltinoneratherthanthree.Catelinetpersonallyfeltthatthistempo
wastoofast,andthatthepremiereperformancewouldhavebeenbetterhadthe
conductornotinsistedontakingitatthattempo.9
Fromatheoreticalstandpoint,parallelscanbedrawnbetweenthetuba
concertoandsomeofVaughanWilliams’spreviousworks,atleastonasuperficial
7MichaelAFischer,“RalphVaughanWilliams:AninterpretiveanalysisofConcertoforBassTuba,”UniversityofNorthTexas(1999)7.8Fischer,(1999)7.9Catelinet,(1986).
6
level.Anexampleofthisisthemotivicmaterialintheopeningofthefirst
movement,thewaythemelodiclineresemblestherecurringmotiveinhis1921
work,TheLarkAscending.Itiscertainlynotunusualforcomposerssubconsciously
torecycletheirownmaterial,butperhapsthiswasadeliberateattemptonVaughan
Williams’sparttoprovethatthetubacouldbeeverybitasgracefulastheviolin.
CliffordBevanalsodrawsaparallelbetweentheopeningmelodiclineinthesecond
movementtothetenortubasoloin“Bydlo”fromMauriceRavel’sorchestrationof
Mussorgsky’sPicturesatanExhibition.10VaughanWilliamsstudiedcompositionin
PariswithRavel,famedorchestratorofthepianowork,forafewmonthsin1909,
butmostofhismusicseemedtoshowfewsignsofRavel’sinfluence.Bevanposesan
importantquestion,“Notewhatoccursatthepeakofeachphrase.Whileworkingon
theunfamiliartaskofdevisingasoaringmelodyforsolotuba,didVaughanWilliams
subconsciouslytreadthepathpreviouslytraveledbyhismentor?”11Fromthis,it
couldbeinferredthatperhapsMauriceRavelwithhisarrangementofPicturesatan
ExhibitioninspiredVaughanWilliamstowriteforthetuba.
10CliffordBevan,“VaughanWilliams’sTubaConcerto:CompositionandFirstPerformance,”ITEAJournal35,no.2(2008)62.11Bevan,(2008)62.
7
Example1a:RalphVaughanWilliams,ConcertoforBassTuba.Movement2,mm.9-1112
Example1b:ModestMussorgskyarr.MauriceRavel,PicturesatanExhibition“Bydlo”mm.1-4
Anothergenrethatmighthavehadsignificantinfluenceonthetubaconcerto
wastheBritishbrassbandtradition,atraditionassociatedwiththeSalvationArmy,
workingclassplayersinthevariousvillagesandcoalminesinthenineteenth
century,andwithmilitarybands.Bevannotes:“Thesolopartoftheconcertolies
beautifullyontheFtuba,butthereisalsoanotherEnglishinfluenceonthewriting.
Itwasthedexterityofeuphoniumplayersturnedorchestraltubaplayersthat
inspiredthetechnically-demandingorchestraltubapartsofElgar,andlater
12RalphVaughanWilliams,ConcertoforBassTuba(London:OxfordUniversityPress,1954).
8
VaughanWilliams,Walton,Britten,andothers.”13Indeed,PhilipCatelinethad
himselfbeenaeuphoniumplayerwiththeSalvationArmybrassband.TheBritish
stylebrassbandanditsinfluenceonBritishcomposersperhapsexplainswhythe
firsttubaconcertocameaboutintheUnitedKingdom,ratherthanthetuba’snative
Germany,theUnitedStates,oranyothercountrythatwasmakingsignificant
contributionstoWesternartmusicatthetime.TheVaughanWilliamstuba
concertoremainsastapleintherepertoiretothisday,anditsinfluenceintherealm
oftubaliteratureisfar-reaching.TheVaughanWilliamsConcertoinfluencedseveral
subsequentcomposersoftubaconcertosandsignificantworksforthetuba,
whetherdirectlythroughquotationoronasurfacelevel,throughasuperficial
comparisonofmotivicmaterial.
TheGregsonConcerto
ThefirstBritishtubaconcertothattheVaughanWilliamsConcertohada
significantinfluenceonwaswrittenin1976byEdwardGregson(b.1945).Gregson
isaBritishcomposeroforchestral,instrumental,andvocalworks,aswellasmusic
fortheatreandtelevision.GregsonwrotehisTubaConcertofortheBesseso’th’
BarnBrassBand;itisdedicatedtoJohnFletcher,whogavetheinaugural
performanceonApril24,1976,inMiddletonCivicHallnearManchester,England.
JohnFletcherwasarenownedBritishtubistandteacherwhowasprincipaltuba
withtheBBCSymphonyOrchestrafrom1964-1966andwiththeLondonSymphony
from1966untilhisuntimelydeathin1987.Fletcherhimselfgaveanotable
13Bevan,(2008)63.
9
performanceoftheVaughanWilliamsConcertoin1972withtheLondonSymphony
andAndréPrevinconducting.FletcherplayedthepieceonanE-flatratherthanthe
FtubaforwhichtheVaughanWilliamswasoriginallywritten.Thiswasanother
directconnectiontotheBritishstylebrassbands,whichtypicallyconsistoftwoE-
flatandtwoBB-flatbasses.ThattheGregsonmighthavebeenstronglyinfluenced
bytheVaughanWilliamsConcertoisnotsurprising,consideringthatin1976that
tubaliteraturewasstillsomewhatinitsinfancy,andtheVaughanWilliamsConcerto
andTubaSonatabyPaulHindemithwerestilltheonlyworkswrittenbymajor
composersforthetuba.WhenconsideringthepossibleEnglishbrassbandinfluence
ontheVaughanWilliamsConcerto,itwouldseemonlyamatteroftimebeforea
tubaconcertowithbrassbandwouldeventuallybewritten.Indeed,theGregson
Concertoisnottheonlyconcertowrittenfortubaandbrassband,astheMartin
EllerbyTubaConcerto(1988)andtheRodneyNewtonCapriccioforTuba(2002),
bothbyBritishcomposers,wouldappearinthesubsequentdecades.TheGregson
Concertohasbeentranscribedfororchestral,windband,andpiano
accompaniment;JohnFletcheralsogavethepremiereoftheconcertowith
orchestralaccompanimentin1983withtheScottishNationalOrchestraandSir
AlexanderGibsonconducting.LiketheVaughanWilliams,theGregsonConcertohas
threemovements,andfollowsthestandardfast-slow-fastprotocol.Bothconcertos
areneo-romanticinstyle,anddonotincludeexperimentationwithunusual
harmonies,onlywiththerangeandtechniqueofthetuba.Bevandescribesthe
VaughanWilliamsandGregsonasbothincluding“melodiesthatcanbeunderstood
10
bythelistener.”14DouglasJosephShabe,inhisdissertationentitled“AStylisticand
ComparativeAnalysisofEdwardGregson’sTubaConcerto,”describesthesimilarity
oftheformandstructureofthetwoconcerti:
WhencomparingtheGregsonconcertototheonebyVaughanWilliams,the
firstthingthatstandsoutisthestrikingsimilarityofform.Thefirst
movementsofbothconcertiaresonataforms,althoughVaughanWilliams
takessomelibertieswiththeform.Thesecondmovementsarebasicallyarch
forms.GregsonlaysouttheABCBAformclearly,whileVaughanWilliams
treatstheformwithalittlemorefreedom–butthearchformispresent.
Bothfinalmovementsarerondosthatcontainamaintheme,twoepisodes
andacadenza.Clearly,GregsonhasusedtheoverallstructureoftheVaughan
Williamsconcertoasamodelforhiswork.15
Asidefromthesimilaritiesofform,towhatextentmelodicallyand
motivicallydidtheVaughanWilliamsConcertoinfluencetheGregsonConcerto?
Whatisapparentrightawayisthedirectquotationfromthefirstmovementofthe
VaughanWilliamsConcertocontainedwithinthefirstmovementoftheGregson.It
appearsnotatthebeginningofthemovementasintheVaughanWilliams,but
duringthedevelopmentsection.
14CliffordBevan,TheTubaFamily(Hampshire:FaberandFaberUnlimited,1978).15DouglasJosephShabe,“AStylisticandComparativeAnalysisofEdwardGregson’sTubaConcerto,”LongBeach:CaliforniaStateUniversity(1999)31.
11
Example2a:RalphVaughanWilliams,ConcertoforBassTuba,Movement1,mm.1-5
Example2b:EdwardGregson,TubaConcerto,Movement1,mm.82-8316
16EdwardGregson,TubaConcerto(London:NovellaPublishingLimited,1976).
12
Thequoteisbrief,butimmediatelyrecognizable,asitisalmostidenticalinboththe
melodyandtheaccompaniment,onlytransposedupastepinthemelody.This
directreferenceseemstobetongue-in-cheek,andahumoroushomagetoVaughan
Williamsabouthalfwaythroughthemovementbeforeintroducingnewmaterial.
Thefirstmovementismarked“Allegrodeciso”andquarternoteequals104,only
slightlyfasterthanthequarternoteequals96foundinthefirstmovementofthe
VaughanWilliams,andcertainlywithintherangeofthetempiatwhichtubiststend
toplaythefirstmovementoftheVaughanWilliams.Theintroductorymotiveofthe
firstmovementoftheGregsonisalsosomewhatsimilartothatofthebeginningof
VaughanWilliams.Therhythmicstructureofthesemotivesisquitesimilar,both
featuringtwosixteenthnotesmovingtoalongnotethatlaststhreebeats.Theonly
differencebetweenthemrhythmicallyisthattheGregsonbeginswithaneighth
notefollowedbytwosixteenths,whereastheVaughanWilliamsopenswithfour
sixteenths.Harmonically,bothmotivesstronglyemphasizeaperfectfourthleap
fromCtoF,althoughGregsonapproachesthisleapdirectly,unlikeVaughan
Williams,whoaddedE-flatasapassingtonebetweenthem.TheGregsonmotiveis
alsodownoneoctavefromtheVaughanWilliams.Anotherparallelbetweenthetwo
concertoscanbedrawninthealternativecadenzasinthefirstmovementofthe
VaughanWilliamsandinthefinalmovementoftheGregson,bothofwhichare
optional.InthecadenzasectionoftheVaughanWilliamsfirstmovement,aftera
sequencegoingfromC2toF4,thenF1toF4,theplayermaytakeanotherleapofa
minorthirdtoA-flat4.TheGregsoncadenzaconsistsprimarilyoftripletsand
quarternotes,anddoesnotappeartobearanyresemblancetotheVaughan
13
Williams,asidefromperhapsthepacing.ThealternativecadenzaintheGregson
Concerto,however,featuresthreeminorthirdleapsfromD4toF4,andthoughitis
transposeddownaminorthird,aminorthirdleapinthatregisterisundeniably
reminiscentofVaughanWilliams.ThefamiliarA-flat4isalsopresentintheGregson
cadenza,followedbythesamegradualdescent,onlydowntoA-flat1ratherthanC2
intheVaughanWilliams.Thus,fromamotivicstandpoint,apartofthiscadenzais
similartotheVaughanWilliamscadenza,onlytransposeddownaminorthird.
Example3a:RalphVaughanWilliams,ConcertoforBassTuba,Movement1,cadenza
Example3b:EdwardGregson,TubaConcerto,Movement3,alternativecadenza
14
TheGregsonis,ofcourse,quitedifferentfromtheVaughanWilliamsinstyle,
character,andintheharmoniesthatituses,butthesimilaritybetweenthemis
enoughthatonefamiliarwiththeVaughanWilliamsConcertocouldreadilydetect
itsinfluence.
TheSteptoeConcerto
AthirdBritishtubaconcertothatshouldbediscussedinthiscomparisonis
ConcertoforTubaandStringsbyRogerSteptoe(b.1953).Theconcertobeganas
threeseparatepiecesfortubaandpianobeforethecomposerdecidedtoconsolidate
themintoaconcerto.SteptoeisanEnglishcomposerofchambermusic,songcycles,
concerti,andotherinstrumentalworks.Steptoewrotethetubaconcertoin1983for
JamesGourlay,arenownedplayerandconductorwhoiscurrentlythemusic
directoroftheRiverCityBrassBand,havingpreviouslybeenanactiveteacherand
performerinseveralofthemostprestigiousuniversitiesandorchestrasthroughout
theUnitedKingdom.TheRiverCityBrassBandisinfactaBritish-stylebrassband
basedinPittsburgh,Pennsylvaniathatiscurrentlytheworld’sonlyfull-time
professionalbandofitskind.TheSteptoeConcertoisoneoffourconcertosrecorded
byGourlay,withtheRoyalBalletSinfoniaandGavinSutherlandconducting,onhis
albumBritishTubaConcertos;theVaughanWilliamsandGregsonconcertosaretwo
oftheothers,andthefourthpieceisJohnGolland’sTubaConcertoOp.46.Thestring
orchestraaccompanimentintheSteptoeisscoredforthreefirstviolins,three
secondviolins,twoviolas,twocellos,andonebass,andaswiththeotherconcertos,
thereisapianotranscriptionoftheaccompaniment.
15
ThisconcertorepresentsamarkeddeparturefromtheVaughanWilliams
andGregsoninthatinmanyplacesSteptoeeschewstraditionalharmoniesinfavor
oftwelve-tonetechniques.Themusicismostlychromaticandatonal,althoughthere
isapervasivesenseofcantabilethroughoutallthreemovements.Ratherthan
followingthestandardfast-slow-fastarrangementofmovements,thesecond
movementisalively“giocoso”markedquarternoteequals116,andmovesattacca
throughalongsolotubacadenzaintoafinalslowmovementthatismarked“Molto
calmo”anddottedquarternoteequals58-60.Theendingofthepieceinthisquiet
slowmovementseemsanticlimacticcomparedtotheloudandpunctuatedendings
oftheVaughanWilliamsandGregson,andthelackoftonalcentercompoundsthat
fact.Thefirstmovementbeginswithamoderatelyslowlyricalsectionthatis
marked“Conpocomoto”andquarternoteequalscirca72,whichsoonprogresses
intoaslightlyfasterdevelopmentsectionmarked“pocopiúmosso,”quarternote
equalscirca80atrehearsal3,andalively“Allegro,”quarternoteequalscirca126-
132atrehearsal7.Followingthefasterdevelopmentsection,themusicreturnstoa
slower,lyricalsectioninrehearsal11thatissimilarinstyletothebeginningofthe
piece,andismarked“Pocopiúcalmo.”Despitehavingnokey,theconcertoincludes
numerousaccidentalsthroughout,andananalysisofpitchclasssetsfromthe
beginningofthepiecetorehearsal2inthefirstmovementalonerevealsthatthis
movementisserialandusesalltwelvetonesofthechromaticscaleinvarious
arrangementsofaprescribedorder.Thefirstrowpresentsthetwelvetonesofthe
chromaticscaleinthefollowingorder:F,G,B-flat,A,F-sharp,B,C-sharp,D-sharp,E,
D,C,andG-sharp,andthepiececontinuesonwithdifferentpermutationsofthe
16
row.Animageoftheopeningtorehearsal2ofthesolotubaparttotheSteptoe
Concertoisprovidedinexample4below.
Example4:RogerSteptoe,ConcertoforTubaandStrings,Movement.1,mm.1-1917
17RogerSteptoe,ConcertoforTubaandStrings(London:StainerandBellLimited,1983).
17
ThesimilarityandconnectionfromtheSteptoeConcertotoVaughan
WilliamsandGregsonfromatonalstandpointis,becauseofSteptoe’satonal
writing,notasreadilyapparentastheconnectionbetweentheGregsonand
VaughanWilliams,butparallelscanstillbedrawn.Inthebeginningofthesecond
movement,onecandetectrightawaytheinfluenceofVaughanWilliamswiththe
prominentuseofquartalharmonies,thistimetransposedupafourthwithF3toB-
flat3,andF-sharp3toB3.TheF-sharptoBisapproacheddirectly,whereastheFtoB-
flatisinterruptedbyamajorsecondtoG3andaminorthirdtoB-flat3,anindirect
approachusingaminorthirdisalsofrequentlyutilizedinthefirstmovementofthe
VaughanWilliams.Thisevolvesintolongsequencesofsixteenthnoterunswhere
theperfectfourthleapsremainprevalentthroughoutthemovement.
Example5:RogerSteptoe,ConcertoforTubaandStrings,Movement.2,mm.1-3
Thetempoofthismovementatquarternoteequals116istwentyclicks
fasterthanVaughanWilliams’quarternoteequals96,butitisnotsomuchfaster
thattherecanbenoresemblanceincharacter.ArnoldJacobsalsoplayedthefirst
movementoftheVaughanWilliamsat116inhisrecording,whichputsthatlivelier
18
tempointherangeofacceptabletempiforVaughanWilliams,evenifitispushing
theboundaryofacceptability.ThesecondmovementoftheSteptoeConcertoends
withacadenzahavingabasicshapethatisreminiscentofthecadenzainthefirst
movementofVaughanWilliams,onlyabitmoreexpansive.Botharearchshaped,
beginninginthelowregisterwithalongnotefollowedbysixteenthnoterunsthat
peakataboutthreeoctavesabovethat:theVaughanWilliamsspanningfromF1to
F4withanoptionalA-flat4aboveit,andtheSteptoefromA1brieflytoA3,butending
withtheG-flat3anaugmentedsecondbelowA3.Aftergoingfromlowtohighin
sequencesofsixteenths,bothcadenzasreturnfromhightolowinsequencesof
tripletswhileincreasingintensitywithtempoandvolume.TheSteptoesequence
includessmallerintervals,utilizingmanyminorseconds,majorseconds,andminor
thirds,whereasVaughanWilliams’ssequencemakesuseofwiderintervalssuchas
fourths.ThealternativecadenzainthethirdmovementoftheGregsonalsotakesa
similarapproachtothatoftheVaughanWilliamsandSteptoeintermsofpacingand
movinginanarchshapefromalowtohighregisterandreturningtothelow
register.Ontheotherhand,whileVaughanWilliamsutilizesasequencethatrepeats
theopeningmotiveofthepieceandascendsdirectlyinintervalsoffourthsand
fifths,GregsonandSteptoearenotasdirectintheirapproach,andutilizeregister
jumpsthatmeanderaroundinthemiddleandlowregisterbeforeapproachingthe
highregistermoreabruptly.ThisisespeciallytrueoftheGregsoncadenza,which
includesamorethantwo-octaveskipfromB1heldbyafermatatoD4toF4aminor
thirdhigher.SuchawideleapisnotfoundinSteptoe’scadenza,butexample6
19
picturedbelowrevealsthatSteptoe’soverallapproachissomewhatsimilarto
Gregson’s.
Example6a:RalphVaughanWilliams,ConcertoforBassTuba,Movement.1,cadenza
Example6b:EdwardGregson,TubaConcerto,Movement3,alternativecadenza
20
Example6c:RogerSteptoe,ConcertoforTubaandStrings,Movement2,cadenza
Asidefromthesimilarityinthegeneralcontourofthelines,theSteptoe
cadenzaisalsomotivicallysimilartotheVaughanWilliamsandGregsoncadenzasin
itsprominentuseofminorthirds.TheSteptoecadenzafeaturesdescendingminor
thirdsmuchmoreprominently,asthelinesstartontheuppernotesratherthan
lower,butalsoalternatesdescendingandascendingminorthirdsinsixteenthnote
tripletsduringthemiddleofthecadenza,andineighthnotetripletsattheend.As
thecadenzahasgreatlypickeduppaceandessentiallyreacheditspeakinitsmiddle
sections,minorthirdsixteenthnotetripletsbeginalternatingbetweenE-flat4and
C4,thenmovingupahalfsteptoE4andC-sharp4,thendownaperfectfourthtoB3
andG-sharp3,beforethepatternisbrokeninthenexttripletfigurewithan
ascendingA3toC4.Theintervalsgraduallybecomesmallerthanminorthirdsasthe
linewindsitswaydown,becomingprogressivelymoreintense.Afterthecadenza
21
hasdescendeddowntothelowregisterfollowingitsclimax,twominorthird
sixteenthnotefiguresactasabriefecho,contrastingadiscreet,quietmotiveinthe
upperregisterwiththemainthemeinthelowregister.Thefirstfigureisa
descendingminorthirdgoingfromF4toD4,thesametwonotesthatappearinthe
Gregsoncadenza,onlyinreverse.Thesecondfigureistransposeddownahalfstep,
E4goingtoC-sharp4,andthethirdfiguredownanaugmentedfourthfromthattoB-
flat3andG3.Thecadenzaeventuallyendswithacalm,somewhatlyricalminorthird
motivethatisreminiscentofanechoofthepreviousminorthirdpatterns,andthis
motiveseguesattaccaintotheserenethirdmovement.
Example7a:RogerSteptoe,ConcertoforTubaandStrings,Movement2,cadenza
22
Example7b:RogerSteptoe,ConcertoforTubaandStrings,Movement2,cadenza
TheSteptoeConcertorequiresagreatdealoftechnicalfacility,andis
arguablymoredifficultthantheVaughanWilliamsandGregsonConcertosinterms
ofrhythm,fast-movingarticulations,andintervallicrelationships,giventhatthereis
oftennotonalcenter.Intermsofoveralldifficultyandinitsuseofserialtechnique,
theSteptoeConcertocanthereforebeseenassomethingofanextdevelopmentin
theBritishtubaconcerto.
TheNewtonCapriccio
TheVaughanWilliamsandGregsonConcertoshaveprobablyalsoinfluenced
newermusicwrittenforthetuba,includingashorterwork,RodneyNewton’s2002
piece,CapriccioforTuba.Newton(b.1945)isaBritishcomposerandconductor.
LiketheSteptoeConcerto,theNewtonCapricciowasalsowrittenforJamesGourlay,
whowasatthetimeHeadofWindandPercussionattheRoyalNorthernCollegeof
MusicinManchester,England.LiketheGregson,theNewtonCapricciowas
originallywrittenforsolotubawithbrassbandaccompaniment,andwaslater
transcribedforband,piano,andothermediums.TheCapriccioisdifferentfromthe
otherthreeinthatitisnotaconcertointhreemovements,butratherinone
movement,andisabitshorterinduration,approximatelynineminutes.The
23
Capriccioincludesthreelarge-scalepresentationsofavirtuosicmaintheme
interspersedwithbriefcantabilelyricalthemes.Thefirstthemeisprecededbya
briefintroductionfromthebandfollowedbycadenza-liketubasolothatismarked
Senzamisura,meaningthatitistobeplayedfreelyandoutoftime.Lyricalsections
followthefirsttwooccurrencesofthemaintheme,thesecondoccurrenceofthe
lyricalsectionbeingonlyabriefreturntothematerialpresentedinthefirst.Inthe
finalsection,wheretheprimarymaterialreturnsonceagain,themainthemeis
elaborateduponuntilthemusicisbroughttoarousingconclusion.
TheinfluenceofboththeVaughanWilliamsandGregsonConcertoscanbe
readilydetectedinNewton’swriting.Theintroductionwiththebandfollowedby
theSenzamisuratubasoloiscertainlyreminiscentoftheintroductiontothe
GregsonConcerto.BothGregson’sandNewton’sinstrumentalintroductionssetthe
toneofthepieceswell.TheGregsonintroductionisslightlylongerthantheNewton,
andthequasi-cadenzatubasoloisbrieflyinterruptedintheaccompanimentbytwo
sixteenthnotesontheupbeatfollowedbyaneighthonthedownbeat,presumably
tohighlightitsfanfare-likecharacter.TheNewtonSenzamisurasectionisslightly
shorterthanthatoftheGregson,andisnotinterruptedbyaccompaniment,butthe
twoquasi-cadenzasaresimilarintheirfanfare-likecharacter,shape,andlikelyin
pacingaswell,dependingontheperformer’sinterpretation.
24
Example8a:RodneyNewton,CapriccioforTuba,mm.618
Example8b:EdwardGregson,TubaConcerto,Movement1,mm.18
ThemotivicmaterialinthemainthemeoftheNewtonCapriccioalsobearsa
strikingsimilaritytothatoftheVaughanWilliams.TheintroductionoftheNewton
includesamotivethatisfoundinterspersedthroughoutthemainthemewhere
groupsoffoursixteenthnotestravelviaamajorsecondB-flat2toC3andaminor
thirdC3toE-flat3toaperfectfourthC3toF3.Example9revealsthatthenotes,
intervals,andrhythmintroducingthemainthemeatrehearsalAintheNewtonare
remarkablysimilartoVaughanWilliams’sopeningfigureinthefirstmovementof
hisConcerto(seeExample2a),andthismotivereturnsseveraltimesthroughoutthe
piece,wheneverthemainthemeispresented.Certainly,thetwofiguresarenot
exactlythesame.Newton’smotivebeginswithB-flat2onthedownbeatofrehearsal
18RodneyNewton,CapriccioforTuba(Bicester:RosehillMusicPublishingCompanyLimited,2002).
25
AandmovesaperfectfifthtoF3onbeattwo,whileVaughanWilliamsmovesonlya
fourthfromConthedownbeatofbeattwoinmeasure4.Thisistheresultofthe
intervallicrelationshipsintheNewtonfigurebeingtheoppositeofVaughan
Williams:anascendingmajorsecondfollowedbyadescendingminorthirdas
opposedtoVaughanWilliams’sascendingminorthirdfollowedbyadescending
majorsecond.NotonlyaretheintervallicrelationshipsintheNewtonfigure
oppositetothatofVaughanWilliams,thearticulationpatternisoppositeaswell:a
slur-two,tongue-twopatternratherthantongue-two,slur-two.Thetempoof
quarternoteequals108atrehearsalAisalsofasterthanVaughanWilliams’s
quarternoteequals96,butonlyslightlyfaster,andcertainlywithintherangeof
acceptabletempiatwhichtheVaughanWilliamscouldbeperformed.Theminute
differencesinarticulationandintervallicrelationshipsbetweenthetwofiguresare
enoughtodistinguishthemandmakeaninterestingcontrast,yetalistenerfamiliar
withtheVaughanWilliamsConcertowouldalmostcertainlybeabletodetecthis
influenceonNewton’swriting.TheNewtonfigureispicturedinexample9below.
26
Example9:RodneyNewton,CapriccioforTuba,mm.7-8
ItseemsunlikelythatNewton,inwritinghisCapriccio,wouldbepaying
directhomageeithertoVaughanWilliamsorGregson,buttheirinfluenceis
certainlyfelt,asthisintroductorysectionandmainthemeseemstobesomewhatof
anamalgamationofsomeofthebest-knownmusicalcharacteristicsoftheVaughan
WilliamsandGregson.Theresemblanceofapiecethatwaswrittenseveraldecades
latertotheVaughanWilliamsandGregsonConcertosisfurtherevidencethatthe
influenceoftheseseminalworksisstillfelt,eveninthetwenty-firstcentury.
Conclusion
ThetraditionandevolutionofBritishtubaliteraturehaditsrootsinthe
orchestralworld,andintheBritish-stylebrassbandtradition.RalphVaughan
WilliamswaslikelyinspiredbytheBritishbrassbandtradition,andperhapseven
theorchestralmusicofhisformerteacher,MauriceRavel,towritetheworld’sfirst
tubaconcerto,andfromthisagreatnewtraditionwasforged.TheVaughan
WilliamsConcertoclearlyhadsomeinfluenceonEdwardGregson’sdecisionto
27
writeatubaconcertoforJohnFletcherandbrassband,andbothpiecesinfluenced
moremodernworksbyBritishcomposerssuchasRogerSteptoeandRodney
Newton.Whiletherearemanyconcertosandsoloworksforthetubatodaywritten
bycomposersfromanumberofcountries,theBritishtraditiontypifiedbythe
VaughanWilliamsandGregsonConcertosrepresentastrongnationalidentitythat
wasseminalintheworldoftubasolorepertoireandremainsanintegralpartofthe
literaturetothisday.
28
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