Music For Two Big Instruments
Alex Shapiro
About this work:
(Tuba and Piano).
Total duration ca. 7 minutes (2000)
Published by Activist Music.
Commissioned in 2000 by tubist Norman Pearson
and pianist Cynthia Bauhof-Williams.
One movement work. 16 pages, 8.5" x 11".
Premiered in February 2001 in Los Angeles, CA.
by Norman Pearson, tuba and Cynthia Bauhof-Williams, piano.
"...lovely and delicately complex..."
— Peggy Hall Kaplan, Malibu Surfside News, October 2000
Whenever I mentioned to non-musician friends that I was composing a work for tuba and piano, the response was usually one of surprise and barely muffled laughter. The exclamation, "Tuba, eh? What a funny instrument!" was often accompanied by exaggerated hand and mouth gestures that somewhat resembled a trout attempting to inflate a balloon. I knew I had my work cut out for me. Thus, the arrival of Music for Two Big Instruments, borne of my desire to create good PR for a sometimes beleaguered and misunderstood instrument.
I realized that most people see only the orchestral tuba's gallant role in seating the pitch and rhythm for the rest of the band. Listeners know little of the tuba's gorgeous lyrical qualities, and I was delighted when Norm Pearson and Cindy Williams invited me to write this duet for them. The piece gave me the opportunity to explore the broad range of ability for the F tuba, and in addition to showcasing Norm's beautiful tone, I took care to give Cindy some fun things to keep her amazingly agile hands busy for seven minutes. The piece begins with a fast and rhythmic theme and edges its way toward a slow middle section that's exceptionally lyrical and melancholy, nodding to my love of jazz ballads. The pace resumes to a gallop and ends with the loud and definitive unison of a strong partnership.
Year composed: 2000
Duration: 00:07:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Other Combinations, 2-5 players
Instrumentation: 1 Tuba, 1 Piano