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The Classification of Avante Garde Works for Solo Tuba

By Carson Ross

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Introduction

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Research Question

  1. What is the definition Avante Garde music?
  2. What qualifications would classify a piece as Avant Garde?

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Goals and Greater Significance

  1. To create a starting off point for tubist looking for Avante Garde tuba literature
  2. To help give composers a list of references when creating a “Avante Garde” experience

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Design of the Study

  • Historical study
  • Literature Review

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Theoretical Framework

  1. Adorno - Aesthetic Theory
  2. Subjectivist Epistemological Perspective

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The Tuba & it’s Literature

  • 1835 the Tuba was invented
  • It did not receive its first concerto until 1954
  • Another important work was Hindemith’s Sonata for Bass Tuba

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Reasons Gap in Repertoire

  • Lack of composers knowing how to write for the instrument
  • Lack of interest in writing solo works for the instrument based on lack of familiarity.

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The Historical Context of the Avant Garde

  • Avante Garde comes from the French word for Vanguard
  • Refers to how artist would be at the forefront fighting against popular culture.

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Avante Garde Pt. 2

  1. Create “Avante Garde moments” for the audience
  2. Reject commercialization and work to move the audience in way that challenges their tonal palette.

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The Marriage of Tuba and Avante Garde

  • An eagerness of tubist around the world led to more Avant Garde works being written and commissioned for solo tuba
  • Kraft & Pendereki are model examples of early Avante Garde tuba composers

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How do we classify tuba literature as Avante Garde

  1. Subject material
  2. Extended technique used
  3. Other Performance Notes

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Subject

  • Requires the performer to know the composer’s intent
  • Interviews and performance notes are a great starting point.

From Monsters: Movement II by Saglietti, 2019

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Extended Technique

  • Technique outside of the idiomatic sound of the instrument.

Encounters II by William Kraft, 1964

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Other Performance Notes

Other aspects of performance that are used to draw a reaction from the audience

Six-Pack Movements I, II by James Meador, 2017

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Conclusion

  1. Compositions are still being written in attempts to invoke the Avante Garde.
  2. With a little bit of tweaking and collaboration we can have a more complete list of Avante Garde tuba literature.