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HORWITZ, Joseph, Concerto (1972)
Solo Euphonium with brass band accompaniment.
Performance levels College/Professional (V/V)
Performance times Sixteen minutes.
Range: Bb to c"
A major opus in the modern Euphoniumist's repertoire, Joseph Horovitz's Concerto is an unusually artfully-constructed piece that very successfully bridges the gap between the sophisticated musician and the amateur music lover in the audience. Highly listenable, with its strong references to English folk song, it is nonetheless very mature musically as well as a technical and tonal showpiece for the Euphonium.
Information on the premiere and commissioning of this place as well as a brief analysis can be found In the preface to the piano reduction.
Mr. Horovitz has pointed out to me that there is a mistake in the piano
accompaniment that occurs on page 18, line 2. bars 3 and 4, it concerns
the up-beat to "Tempo primo' and the first three beats of the "Tempo primo" measure
itself. Mr. Horovitz explains that that bit should be played twice, thus:
Joseph Horovitz's Concerto has been recorded by the noted Euphonium soloist of the Kettering (England) Salvation Army Band, Mr. Trevor Groom, with Mr. Horovitz conducting the G.U.S. Footwear Band on EMI Records TWOO418.
[EDITORS NOTE: there is also a recording of the Concerto with Robert
Childs, euphonium, and the Black Dyke Mills Band.]
The Concerto with a piano reduction, as well as information on rental
of the ensemble accompaniments is available from:
NOVELLO & COMPANY, INC.
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Joseph Horovitz was born in Vienna in 1926 and emigrated to England in 1938.
During the Second World War he began to read music and literature at Now College,
Oxford, and became official lecturer to the Forces in music appreciation, combining
this with piano recitals at army camps. He obtained the degrees of MA, BMus in
1948 under the professorship of Sir Jack Westrup, He then studied composition
with Gordon Jacob at the Royal College of Music in London, where he won the Farrer
prize. After a further year under the guidance of Nadia Boulanger in Paris, he
took up his first professional post as music director of the Bristol Old Vic,
where he composed, arranged and conducted the incidental music for two seasons.
The festival of Britain in 1951 brought him to London, as conductor of open-air
ballet and light classical concerts at the Festival Amphitheatre, Since then
he has made extensive tours in Great Britain and abroad, and has held positions
as conductor to the Ballets Russes, associate director of the Intimate Opera
Company, as guest composer and lecturer at Tanglewood Festival, and has conducted
the major London orchestras as well as on the BBC. Of interest to brass players
are his Concerto for trumpet, his Sinfonietta for brass band, his Music Hall
Suite for brass quintet and Adam-Blues for trombone and piano.
Still very active in composition, performance and conducting, Mr. Horovitz is
on the permanent composition and theory staff of the Royal College of Music.
NOTE: this article is reprinted from Euphonia magazine, January, 1979, with permission
of the publisher, Glenn Call.
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