Johntpt

Soldier's Tale is one of the gems in our rep. Just a couple of thoughts:

1. Get a good recording or two. Now that you have the part in C, you can follow along and start to get a feel for how the cornet part fits into the texture. I would highly recommend the Boulez-Cleveland recording of the Suite featuring Michael Sachs.

2. Practice your soft playing. For me, the most difficult movement to play well is the Great Chorale. You'd be amazed at how softly you'll have to play in order to balance with the group.

3. Try to get a cornet. It will make some of the multiple tonguing passages easier, and it has a color that blends better with the other instruments. Several makers make good cornets in C - my favorite is the Schilke A2C.

Have fun!

JU

Johntpt

For the complete Histoire I'd recommend a recording on the CBC label featuring members of the Montreal Symphony with Jim Thompson, although I'm not sure if it's still available. Also an old LP with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players with Armando Ghitalla. That one needs to be released on CD!!

JU

Johntpt

A couple more things:

1. I play TTKTT KTTKT TKTTK, in other words, straight triple tonguing with accents on the appropriate notes. That's just the way I worked it out for me when I learned the part in college, and I find it much less clumsy than most combinations.

2. For that lick in the last movement, stick your third valve slide out all the way and finger it 0-12-2-23-2-12-0.

JU

hornblatt

John-
Thanks for the recordings. I'll look those up. Though I would absolutly love to go buy a C cornet, I don't really have the cash... I have a Bb cornet but I don't know how that would work with this piece. My soft playing and blend are some of the better aspects of my playing so I think I can make it work on trumpet.

Thanks again,

Annie

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Annie Lemieux
2006 ITG youth competition WINNER

ecarroll

Annie,

L'histoire du Soldat is right up your alley. You'll be great.

Best from Los Angeles,
EC

Khora

Annie-

Depending on when the performance is, I might be able to loan to you my C cornet. You could certainly borrow it for a few weeks to see how it feels. Let me know; maybe we can hook up in NYC.

Best,

Sandy

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Sandy

ilikethetrumpet

Amen! I have the privilege of playing the Strav. Octet again right now (2nd part, a great part) that brings up many of the same rhythmic issues, and one of the things that can add to the laying down of the rhythm is to find opportunities to "feel" duples when everyone else is feeling triples. Practice playing with absolutely no accent, like you're speaking Japanese. If you encounter a 5/8 going into a 3/8 of eighth notes (I can't recall if this exact figure is in Historie, but I think it is) phrase it like 4/4 for a week or two and then add Stravinsky's perfect accents. It will keep the group's counterpoint honest. They will tell you you are rushing because you don't lose ten beats per minute at every triple measure.

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Professional Student, Amateur rest-counter

CGUM

How you figure?

I honestly don't understand what you mean.

Thanks!

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hornblatt

Hey I know this is an old thread but I figured I'd put it here. The recording of the Royal March from our first performance(just a few movements--the real one is in May) is here:
http://www.lemieuxtrumpet.com/music/Histoire3.wma. The other movements are on my website at Annie Lemieux Trumpet Recording Page

the balance isn't perfect because of the way we were set up but I'd say it went well.

Thanks for listening!
Annie

__________________
Annie Lemieux
2006 ITG youth competition WINNER