WEBVTT 00:00:06.579 --> 00:00:10.580 Welcome to our podcast, Band BFFs. The podcast 00:00:10.580 --> 00:00:12.939 where we make your music selection less complicated. 00:00:13.599 --> 00:00:15.779 On today's episode, we're going to be discussing 00:00:15.779 --> 00:00:19.480 Tunbridge Meadows by Mark Williams. Cheers to 00:00:19.480 --> 00:00:23.399 starting the conversation. Okay, I have to apologize 00:00:23.399 --> 00:00:26.899 first for the quality of my voice today. The 00:00:26.899 --> 00:00:31.120 wind in Texas has been out of control lately, 00:00:31.120 --> 00:00:33.619 and I spent several hours outside yesterday, 00:00:33.939 --> 00:00:38.119 and my allergies have caught up with me all of 00:00:38.119 --> 00:00:40.179 that outside time. I told her she sounded like 00:00:40.179 --> 00:00:45.039 Eeyore. I promise I'm happier than my voice eludes. 00:00:46.020 --> 00:00:48.140 Okay, we're excited to be talking about Tumbridge 00:00:48.140 --> 00:00:51.560 Meadows today. This piece is a grade one on the 00:00:51.560 --> 00:00:54.899 Texas PML. It is in the key of concert E flat. 00:00:55.399 --> 00:00:58.219 It's about two and a half minutes long. It starts 00:00:58.219 --> 00:01:02.719 in 3 -4 and goes to 2 -4. It never changes key 00:01:02.719 --> 00:01:05.659 signatures. The 3 -4 stuff is a little bit slower 00:01:05.659 --> 00:01:09.000 and more lyrical in style. The 2 -4 is a little 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:13.340 faster and has a little bit more articulation 00:01:13.340 --> 00:01:17.019 in it. It does have split clarinet parts, split 00:01:17.019 --> 00:01:21.239 trumpet parts, and split trombone parts. Minimal 00:01:21.239 --> 00:01:25.519 percussion requirements for this and range considerations, 00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:28.400 even though it is a great one on the Texas PML, 00:01:29.359 --> 00:01:33.319 your clarinets, first clarinets play consistently 00:01:33.319 --> 00:01:38.239 over the high trumpets, same as well. Yeah. So 00:01:38.239 --> 00:01:41.760 definitely you need to have good saxophones, 00:01:41.879 --> 00:01:45.760 good clarinets, good horns for this piece, but 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:49.450 it has a lot to offer. So this piece again starts 00:01:49.450 --> 00:01:53.469 off a dagio and in three four with a clarinet 00:01:53.469 --> 00:01:58.329 solely they have pickups and they have one one 00:01:58.329 --> 00:02:03.769 and a two and three and one And one and a two 00:02:03.769 --> 00:02:06.269 that's the rhythm kind of at the beginning So 00:02:06.269 --> 00:02:09.030 it's got some 16th notes a little bit of trickier 00:02:09.030 --> 00:02:11.750 counting with some ties in there. I definitely 00:02:11.750 --> 00:02:14.419 think Laura and I agree this is more like a 1 00:02:14.419 --> 00:02:17.919 .75. Yeah, this is definitely a little bit of 00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:20.719 a trickier grade one, but it is beautiful. Everybody 00:02:20.719 --> 00:02:23.120 else, it's written beautifully so that they're 00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:25.020 going to play underneath the clarinet solely. 00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:28.280 There is a little a natural accidental in the 00:02:28.280 --> 00:02:30.520 trombone one part that you have to be aware of 00:02:30.520 --> 00:02:34.939 and make sure the tuning is okay. The bells and 00:02:34.939 --> 00:02:38.199 flute and oboe do not play the first time. The 00:02:38.199 --> 00:02:41.729 piece has a ds all coat up. So they play on the 00:02:41.729 --> 00:02:47.289 DS time only. There is a crescendo leading into 00:02:47.289 --> 00:02:53.400 measure... Five and then there's us the clarinets 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:56.500 keep going But now the clarinet one and the clarinet 00:02:56.500 --> 00:03:00.419 two are both above the break The lyrical nature 00:03:00.419 --> 00:03:03.099 of this beginning is a great opportunity if your 00:03:03.099 --> 00:03:07.139 band is ready for it to really Use this for phrasing 00:03:07.139 --> 00:03:10.900 purposes to teach shaping. It's got a real I 00:03:10.900 --> 00:03:13.240 think it just musically makes sense how you would 00:03:13.240 --> 00:03:16.219 shape the phrase for the melodic line and then 00:03:16.219 --> 00:03:18.860 in terms of where to breathe and where not to 00:03:18.860 --> 00:03:21.719 breathe be really intentional about that is going 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:25.120 to help to make this as smooth and lyrical as 00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:28.099 possible. There is a little bit of movement in 00:03:28.099 --> 00:03:31.020 the low brass here in this section. They're just 00:03:31.020 --> 00:03:33.280 playing eighth notes but it's really important 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:36.740 to make sure that it's as legato as possible 00:03:36.740 --> 00:03:40.020 and doesn't sound bumpy at all. And the trombone 00:03:40.020 --> 00:03:43.000 two and euphonium and tuba have the same part 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:47.520 there along with bassoon and base clarinet but 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:50.960 the trombone one part mirrors the horn and alto 00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:54.259 part, tenor sax part. So it's just it is a little 00:03:54.259 --> 00:03:57.020 bit tricky if you don't have kids that can be 00:03:57.020 --> 00:03:59.960 independent of each other. You'd have to have 00:03:59.960 --> 00:04:02.360 a pretty good trombone section as I just mentioned 00:04:02.360 --> 00:04:05.120 with the two trombone parts moving totally differently. 00:04:05.960 --> 00:04:09.520 Then you've got the end of this first phrase 00:04:09.520 --> 00:04:11.699 going into measure nine with a little suspended 00:04:11.699 --> 00:04:15.020 cymbal roll and a crash right on measure nine 00:04:15.020 --> 00:04:17.660 and the trumpets come in with the same melody 00:04:17.660 --> 00:04:20.100 that the clarinets just had. So we pass it to 00:04:20.100 --> 00:04:22.420 flute and trumpet here right? Yeah the clarinets 00:04:22.420 --> 00:04:23.220 were by themselves. This is where flute nobo 00:04:23.220 --> 00:04:25.379 come in since they didn't play the first time. 00:04:25.939 --> 00:04:29.459 The bells also come in with them at this moment 00:04:29.459 --> 00:04:33.100 so everybody else is playing underneath them 00:04:33.100 --> 00:04:35.319 just a nice pretty little harmony clarinets get 00:04:35.319 --> 00:04:38.839 this cool little like counter melody line that's 00:04:38.839 --> 00:04:41.360 really pretty and they're under the break again. 00:04:42.339 --> 00:04:46.620 The trombone part goes up to a Cs and Ds in this 00:04:46.620 --> 00:04:53.399 section at measure 12 and 13 and then at measure 00:04:53.399 --> 00:04:56.899 12 to 13 the whole band is leading up to the 00:04:56.899 --> 00:05:01.040 impact point at 13. Flute, clarinet, one and 00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:05.060 oboe along with only trumpet one keep going on 00:05:05.060 --> 00:05:09.600 the melody. and oh and bells sorry and then we 00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:12.939 have that's a great moment too by the way to 00:05:12.939 --> 00:05:15.000 make sure that nobody's taking a breath there's 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:17.879 a big crescendo that's teaching those like phrasing 00:05:17.879 --> 00:05:20.579 skills to students giving them other places that 00:05:20.579 --> 00:05:25.269 they can take a breath and then at 14 the horns 00:05:25.269 --> 00:05:30.769 and the altos have like a little response to 00:05:30.769 --> 00:05:33.529 the melody and then the melody finishes out that 00:05:33.529 --> 00:05:36.430 phrase back all the way in all clarinets all 00:05:36.430 --> 00:05:39.110 trumpets flute and oboe everybody else again 00:05:39.110 --> 00:05:41.889 is just underneath them playing in chords with 00:05:41.889 --> 00:05:44.310 a little what I call a sigh whenever this is 00:05:44.310 --> 00:05:48.290 written in music and two three so it's just like 00:05:48.290 --> 00:05:52.120 getting softer and then we get to the two or... 00:05:52.170 --> 00:05:55.490 time signature change and it goes Allegro. So 00:05:55.490 --> 00:05:57.769 at the Allegro section here it's an immediate 00:05:57.769 --> 00:06:01.629 tempo change and we have xylophone and tambourine 00:06:01.629 --> 00:06:04.889 and clarinet that are laying down the pulse with 00:06:04.889 --> 00:06:06.889 eighth notes. It's going to be really important 00:06:06.889 --> 00:06:09.189 that the clarinets do their best to match the 00:06:09.189 --> 00:06:12.430 articulation of the xylophone and it's written 00:06:12.430 --> 00:06:16.509 on top line F for the first clarinets and a fourth 00:06:16.509 --> 00:06:19.269 line D for the second clarinets. So when you're 00:06:19.269 --> 00:06:21.389 over the break like that it's not always easy 00:06:21.480 --> 00:06:23.879 for young players to get that really crisp articulation. 00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:28.199 I make my clarinets practice it on low E. So 00:06:28.199 --> 00:06:31.259 we play low E and if they can play really crispy 00:06:31.259 --> 00:06:35.160 and nice and light staccato on that low E, it's 00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:39.220 the same type of air and articulation that they 00:06:39.220 --> 00:06:41.569 will use when they're over the break. but you 00:06:41.569 --> 00:06:42.870 want to make sure that they're really listening 00:06:42.870 --> 00:06:46.149 to the xylophone and the tambourine. Then the 00:06:46.149 --> 00:06:49.750 altos and horns get to have some fun melody here. 00:06:49.930 --> 00:06:52.250 It's a dotted eight sixteenth rhythm. It does 00:06:52.250 --> 00:06:54.449 have a pickup note. All of the melodic lines 00:06:54.449 --> 00:06:57.149 in here have a pickup note and one, two, and 00:06:57.149 --> 00:07:00.529 one, two. So again, the firmness of articulation 00:07:00.529 --> 00:07:03.490 on that dotted eight sixteenth needs to match 00:07:03.490 --> 00:07:05.170 what's happening in the clarinets and in the 00:07:05.170 --> 00:07:07.709 percussion and then making sure that the altos, 00:07:07.870 --> 00:07:12.259 tenor and horns align. perfectly on that rhythm. 00:07:12.660 --> 00:07:15.139 And they have an eight measure phrase so that's 00:07:15.139 --> 00:07:16.660 something that you would have to work on with 00:07:16.660 --> 00:07:18.199 them making sure that they don't breathe in the 00:07:18.199 --> 00:07:20.540 middle or find other sneaky spots to take a breath 00:07:20.540 --> 00:07:22.300 if they have to take a breath. And it's in two 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:24.279 four right so an eight measure phrase is not 00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:26.699 is not that big of a deal. Your brass with the 00:07:26.699 --> 00:07:28.779 exception of the horns are completely laying 00:07:28.779 --> 00:07:30.959 out right here so it's kind of a nice little 00:07:30.959 --> 00:07:34.899 face break for them. Then we have the melody 00:07:35.389 --> 00:07:38.910 getting picked up and added in on the flute and 00:07:38.910 --> 00:07:42.430 the trumpet. The flutes are on a high E flat 00:07:42.430 --> 00:07:46.250 above the staff. So I mean, that's pretty high 00:07:46.250 --> 00:07:48.490 when you think about it. The horns, by the way, 00:07:48.529 --> 00:07:52.689 and this melody are up to a D. So it's just a 00:07:52.689 --> 00:07:55.839 little bit more. Highly written in their range 00:07:55.839 --> 00:07:59.579 in my opinion So this is just first trumpet that 00:07:59.579 --> 00:08:02.220 comes in oboes join in with the clarinets on 00:08:02.220 --> 00:08:07.079 the ostinato 8th note part and then second trumpets 00:08:07.079 --> 00:08:11.079 add in To have them finish off the melody they 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:13.620 have a fun little accent It's the first time 00:08:13.620 --> 00:08:16.360 we've had an accent in the piece two and one 00:08:16.360 --> 00:08:19.199 and and one and two so they get to have a little 00:08:19.199 --> 00:08:21.860 syncopation There's a little real pretty cord 00:08:21.860 --> 00:08:25.199 in the clarinets above them and then they have 00:08:25.199 --> 00:08:27.379 the end of the melody and the whole band has 00:08:27.379 --> 00:08:30.699 and and one so another little syncopated moment 00:08:30.699 --> 00:08:33.799 again with an accent a staccato and then a house 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:35.740 top accent and then want to make sure you line 00:08:35.740 --> 00:08:37.899 up all those stylistic markings and where this 00:08:37.899 --> 00:08:40.679 happens this is two measures before 35 so measure 00:08:40.679 --> 00:08:45.139 33 the trumpets are the only ones who take the 00:08:45.139 --> 00:08:48.259 phrase all the way to beat one so like the clarinets 00:08:48.259 --> 00:08:49.779 what I have found when I've played this before 00:08:49.779 --> 00:08:51.899 the clarinets have a half note and measure 32 00:08:51.899 --> 00:08:54.690 and then when they do not wanna hold that note 00:08:54.690 --> 00:08:57.409 long enough, it needs to touch the silence, sound 00:08:57.409 --> 00:09:00.830 to silence. In measure 33, where the entire band, 00:09:00.870 --> 00:09:04.669 except trumpets, have a rest on beat one. And 00:09:04.669 --> 00:09:06.789 then they finish out that syncopated phrase, 00:09:07.169 --> 00:09:09.929 and, and one. The whole ensemble comes in at 00:09:09.929 --> 00:09:12.710 that point on that syncopation. And the trumpets 00:09:12.710 --> 00:09:15.029 are holding a D below the staff. So make sure 00:09:15.029 --> 00:09:17.190 you're kicking and tuning it to make sure you're 00:09:17.190 --> 00:09:20.230 ending the phrase in a nice way. Then we have 00:09:20.230 --> 00:09:23.350 pickups on beat two going. into measure 35 and 00:09:23.350 --> 00:09:25.789 we're back to the lyrical style even though we're 00:09:25.789 --> 00:09:28.870 in 2 -4. And it's faster. And it's faster. We're 00:09:28.870 --> 00:09:31.210 having flute, oboe and clarinet. They have the 00:09:31.210 --> 00:09:33.509 same type of melody that the trumpets just kind 00:09:33.509 --> 00:09:37.009 of gave us beforehand. Everybody else needs to 00:09:37.009 --> 00:09:40.110 play softer underneath them. We have a little 00:09:40.110 --> 00:09:43.350 bit more excitement in the percussion coming 00:09:43.350 --> 00:09:46.210 up and then the trumpets take over and join the 00:09:46.210 --> 00:09:48.690 upper woodwinds with the end of the melody. The 00:09:48.690 --> 00:09:53.559 whole band has some accents in measure 40 and 00:09:53.559 --> 00:09:58.080 then we have a sports on the piano at 41 so that's 00:09:58.080 --> 00:10:00.500 really important to practice everybody hitting 00:10:00.500 --> 00:10:03.559 it quickly right away strong and then going all 00:10:03.559 --> 00:10:06.320 the way down to a level 2 dynamic so that you 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:08.539 can build it up again I frequently will tell 00:10:08.539 --> 00:10:11.759 my upper people like the clarinet one is on a 00:10:11.759 --> 00:10:15.789 high C I don't think I would actually have anybody 00:10:15.789 --> 00:10:19.169 play a high C here. I would rewrite that so that 00:10:19.169 --> 00:10:22.909 the clarinets were playing the same thing under 00:10:22.909 --> 00:10:26.129 the break. And then just going up to a regular 00:10:26.129 --> 00:10:29.070 third space C But either way what I was about 00:10:29.070 --> 00:10:32.029 to say is I usually just tell my upper woodwinds 00:10:32.029 --> 00:10:34.929 not to do a crescendo at all and Rely upon the 00:10:34.929 --> 00:10:37.529 lower voices to really carry through that crescendo 00:10:37.529 --> 00:10:39.710 Yes, so that's a good way to make it sound full 00:10:39.710 --> 00:10:42.590 without it sounding top -heavy and right and 00:10:42.590 --> 00:10:46.649 bright Yes, everybody releases on beat two and 00:10:46.649 --> 00:10:49.230 then we have another and pickup going into 43 00:10:49.230 --> 00:10:54.049 we're back to Alto horn tenor sax with the melody 00:10:54.049 --> 00:11:00.269 it's the same as before With the xyloh and the 00:11:00.269 --> 00:11:02.870 clarinets holding down the fort underneath them 00:11:02.870 --> 00:11:05.889 the trumpets take over with the melody again, 00:11:05.889 --> 00:11:10.470 but this time At 49 the trumpets just had the 00:11:10.470 --> 00:11:13.210 end of the melody and then at 49 the low voices 00:11:13.210 --> 00:11:16.509 have a little echo of it And they're getting 00:11:16.509 --> 00:11:20.090 softer and softer and we're getting slower than 00:11:20.090 --> 00:11:22.450 the flute have an echo of it for two measures. 00:11:23.090 --> 00:11:25.649 Then the sax and the horn have it again. So we're 00:11:25.649 --> 00:11:27.809 getting slower and slower, but we're having these 00:11:27.809 --> 00:11:29.669 little echoes and everybody else is just holding 00:11:29.669 --> 00:11:32.909 long chords. So this would be a part where you'd 00:11:32.909 --> 00:11:35.450 really have to make sure tuning is really set 00:11:35.450 --> 00:11:41.289 and quiet underneath these little two -bar phrase 00:11:41.289 --> 00:11:44.309 echoes because it's not that many kids playing 00:11:44.309 --> 00:11:47.200 it. So that would be a part where you might need 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:49.659 to also say like only one on a part place here 00:11:49.659 --> 00:11:52.559 while the you know the flutes and the oboes have 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:56.120 the echo. And then we're getting slower and slower 00:11:56.120 --> 00:11:59.360 because we're about to de -s back to the beginning 00:11:59.360 --> 00:12:02.480 basically. So we go back to that adagio three 00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:07.399 four and one and two and three and one but now 00:12:07.399 --> 00:12:10.659 we add the counter melody in in the flute and 00:12:10.659 --> 00:12:13.879 oboe that was not there the first time in the 00:12:13.879 --> 00:12:16.000 bells that was not there the first time so it's 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:18.980 a little different but what I like about this 00:12:18.980 --> 00:12:22.879 is it's relatively easy to teach because of the 00:12:23.080 --> 00:12:26.320 there's a lot of repeated rhythms and things 00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:29.480 in it so that part is really nice but you know 00:12:29.480 --> 00:12:32.799 the phrasing and the maturity of sound especially 00:12:32.799 --> 00:12:35.519 the ranges I think are ultimately what makes 00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:39.149 this challenging. Yep. Then the flutes and the 00:12:39.149 --> 00:12:41.629 oboes as she mentioned had that counter melody 00:12:41.629 --> 00:12:43.889 they go back to having the melody at nine just 00:12:43.889 --> 00:12:47.190 like the first time and then at measure 14 we 00:12:47.190 --> 00:12:51.669 go to the coda and it ends out in this lyrical 00:12:51.669 --> 00:12:57.929 manner it's pretty um thickly scored here so 00:12:57.929 --> 00:13:01.759 the like flute flute trumpet oboe and clarinet 00:13:01.759 --> 00:13:04.799 one have the end of the phrase horn and alto 00:13:04.799 --> 00:13:08.059 have a response to that then the trumpets end 00:13:08.059 --> 00:13:10.679 up having the end of the phrase together everybody 00:13:10.679 --> 00:13:13.220 else is playing chords and then there's like 00:13:13.220 --> 00:13:16.440 a little suspended suspension chord on beat three 00:13:16.440 --> 00:13:20.620 of the third measure of the coda and then horn 00:13:20.620 --> 00:13:23.639 and alto end will not end it but they are about 00:13:23.639 --> 00:13:26.740 to end it with the one and a two and three and 00:13:26.740 --> 00:13:29.500 then we have a four four measure the trumpets 00:13:29.500 --> 00:13:33.559 play the melody one last time one and a two and 00:13:33.559 --> 00:13:38.019 three four one and then we end with a really 00:13:38.019 --> 00:13:41.860 nice chord nobody's up high in this case and 00:13:41.860 --> 00:13:45.940 I thought it sounded really nice on the recording 00:13:45.940 --> 00:13:48.679 that I heard so probably don't have to rebalance 00:13:48.679 --> 00:13:50.879 it or anything and it ends really really quietly 00:13:51.399 --> 00:13:55.320 So there's just not a lot of like pulse stuff 00:13:55.320 --> 00:13:57.340 to help you in this piece like there's not a 00:13:57.340 --> 00:13:59.820 snare drum very often Right, there's not a lot. 00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:02.240 There's a tambourine and the clarinet but like 00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:04.620 your kids have to have a really good sense of 00:14:04.620 --> 00:14:07.720 pulse They have to be willing to work on mature 00:14:07.720 --> 00:14:11.240 beautiful music and and really work on phrasing 00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:14.100 and some a little bit trickier counting because 00:14:14.100 --> 00:14:19.720 of ties dotted eighth notes 16th notes not compressing 00:14:19.720 --> 00:14:24.259 that one and at that adagio tempo that's right 00:14:24.259 --> 00:14:27.139 and slurred, that's real easy for them to do. 00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:29.720 So this is definitely one of those pieces that 00:14:29.720 --> 00:14:32.820 will stretch your band, but that we both think 00:14:32.820 --> 00:14:35.759 is just absolutely gorgeous and we hope that 00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:37.899 you will find a way to program at Tunbridge Meadows 00:14:37.899 --> 00:14:40.379 in the future. Thanks for joining us on this 00:14:40.379 --> 00:14:50.279 episode of Band BFFs!