Tuba Concerto: Brass Band Score & Parts

Name: Tuba Concerto: Brass Band Score & Parts
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 12-0571564690
Price: 150.00 USD
Availability: OutOfStock

By Ralph Vaughan Williams / arr. Phillip Littlemore

Item: 12-0571564690

$150.00

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The Tuba Concerto was written in 1953/4 in response to an invitation to compose a work for the golden jubilee of the London Symphony Orchestra. Vaughan Williams was by then in is eighty-second year; an interest on unusual instrumental sonorities was a feature of his music in the latter part of his life. He had used saxophones in the masque Job, vibraphone and wind machine in the Sinfonia Antartica (Symphony No. 7) and even completed a concerto for harmonica, piano and strings for Larry Adler. So his choice of tuba as solo instrument was less surprising than it might have seemed, and he justified it by treating it seriously and poetically, emphasizing its lyrical capabilities rather than the more comic propensities. The work is dedicated to the London Symphony Orchestra and its then principal tuba player, Philip Catelinet, whom the composer consulted constantly throughout the writing of the work. The lively, outer movements both conclude with extended cadenzas, while the beautifully lyrical Romanza is Vaughan Williams at his best. The brass band arrangement is by Phillip Littlemore and is a welcome addition to the Faber's brass band repertoire.

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Series: Faber Edition

Publisher: Faber Music

ISBN10: 0-571-56469-0

ISBN13: 978-0-571-56469-9

SKU: 12-0571564690

Instrumentation: Brass Band

More about this title

About the Composer: Ralph Vaughan Williams

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was an English composer whose output ranged from symphonies and concerti to film scores and folk song arrangements. A student of Hubert Parry and Charles Villiers Stanford, he became one of the most significant British composers of the 20th century, drawing inspiration from English hymn traditions, modal harmony, and the landscape of the English countryside.

In his final decades, Vaughan Williams developed a distinctive interest in exploring the sonic possibilities of less conventional instruments. The Tuba Concerto, written when he was in his eighties, exemplifies this adventurous spirit. Rather than exploit the instrument's comic potential, he composed a work that reveals the tuba's capacity for lyrical expression and emotional depth, demonstrating that serious musical substance could be found in the instrument's character.

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Why we love this

Vaughan Williams elevated the tuba from novelty to nobility. This concerto demands that your soloist play with genuine lyricism in the Romanza and technical command in the outer movements, giving the best players in your band a chance to shine as a true soloist rather than a section foundation. The work fits perfectly into contest and festival programming because it combines historical weight with the sheer wow factor of a tuba featured front and center.

What to expect

The outer movements crackle with energy and daring technical display, with the tuba voice soaring fearlessly above the ensemble. The Romanza unfolds with profound lyricism and emotional generosity, inviting the listener into a world of unexpected beauty and warmth from an instrument often relegated to the background.

Who it's for

This concerto is for advanced brass bands with a strong tuba soloist who can handle both lyrical singing and virtuosic passage work. It works equally well for competition settings and concert programs where you want to program a major 20th-century work with serious artistic merit.

How to get the most out of it

Balance the solo line against the brass band accompaniment by ensuring your tuba soloist can project the lyrical material in the Romanza without the ensemble swallowing the tone. Rehearse tutti passages with restraint.
Give the cadenzas space and freedom. These extended passages are written to showcase the soloist's virtuosity and musical voice; resist the urge to conduct them metrically.
Shape the Romanza with rubato and phrase breathing. Vaughan Williams wrote this movement with vocal lyricism in mind, so encourage your tuba player to sing through long lines rather than play mechanically.
Support the outer movements' rhythmic energy by locking the lower brass section and ensuring clear articulation in accompanying figures. The soloist's pyrotechnics will shine only if the foundation is rock solid.

How to use it

Feature this at a spring concert or contest as your centerpiece work. It pairs well alongside other 20th-century British compositions or as part of a program exploring the evolution of the concerto form. The work's substantial length and artistic demands make it suitable as a major programming anchor rather than supporting filler.