trumpetnick

Hi, Manny!

Yesterday I was going through my orchestral excerpts book and everything was OK till I get to the E flat cornet part....which was starting the big cantus firmus on the high a (above the staff) going up to the C# which is kind of high for orchestral music...and then there was this soli a 2 in crochets going up to the top e which is g in concert pitch. I am transposing up..or should I transpose down? I remember this Schostakovitch Sym. 1 3rd trumpet part in F where the conductor asked me to transpose down...What is the case in the fantastic symphony? Even if played on the soprano cornet top e is kind of high, right? And getting played it by two cornets will create also some intonation troubles...it is not that easy to control intonation up there...Do you have any tips for this? It is hard enough to get the notes and yet how do you get 2 people to play unisson up there?

cornetguy

Looking in Berlioz Treatise On Instrumentation the Eb parts woudl be transposed down. I think in the current editions of the piece, the parts are for Bb cornet.

Manny Laureano

I've never played that part written for Eb cornet. The edition we use is for Bb cornets and two C trumpets.

The part you are talking about, the Dies Irae, should begin on the Concert C in the staff. You should get a recording and all will be clear.

ML