chivalry

[jess the drummer girl!]

hey, just wondered if ne1 has played chivalry b4...

wot du think of it?....esp.what's the percussion part like?
(had herd that flowers used a water gong on stage wen they played it!!?? :roll: )....thnks

 

[Darth_Tuba]

Played it at the Masters last year. It's very similar in style to Tristan Encounters (if you heard that at the areas at all), but quite a lot easier with no real nasty cadenza sections. I quite liked it, although the returning romance theme can grate after a while if dragged out too much! As for the perc. parts, can't rightly remember. Can't remember them having to use anything weird and unusual though.

 

[jo]

I played it at the Masters last year with a different band. The percussion parts are all easy, not much in the way of running around or complicated stick and instrument changes but both of the non-timp parts have some tuned percussion (one has alot of vibes and glock from what I remember) so you need 2 players who can do tuned as well as all the standard stuff (although you can swap the parts around so that the tuned stuff is almost all covered by one player).
we found it all a bit dull and repetitive, but lots of other percs I know really enjoyed it.....hope you do!

 

[Naomi McFadyen]

Played at Masters last year and recently with the uni band.
Cracking piece full of atmosphere and different moods...

Percussion parts are brilliant... lots of heads screwed on for this one, esp. the timpani part... also SD part, and plenty of tuned percussion... defo needs 3 players at the back, 4 is safer as there's a few really tight changes.

You'll really enjoy it

 

[tsawyer]

Timp part is a nightmare, there's far too many changes. Rest of it is ok, though you are encouraged to experiment with various instruments at some points, and make atmospheric noises.

Definately an interesting percussion part, it's in the same vein as Tristan.

Tim.

 

[brasscrest]

Once saw an orchestra perform (not this piece, of course, but one with a lot of timp changes) with 2 sets of timps, and 2 players, so that quick changes could be done. Of course, this presupposes that you have 2 players and enough room for all the timps . . .

 

[jess the drummer girl!]

hey! thnks evry1 for your replies...it sounds like a gd piece!

thnkfully weve got 4 percussionists so its sounds like we shld b ok 4 the changes etc..etc...

2 sets of timps sounds a bit OTT!! tho i spose if that woz the easiest way 2 do it..lol :roll:

 

[nickjones]

loads of perc..

played with 4 perc at the area , and used 5 timps...made it easier for the team at the back...
Chivalry is a good piece...
2 sets of timps.... I Played at the Radio Wales Band of the Year final in 1992 with Point Of Ayr we played " March to the Scaffold " ( Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique) with 2 sets of timps..one set on each side of the band...sounded great..I know it's a bit off topic but loads of perc sounds great...

 

[jess the drummer girl!]

Re: loads of perc..

I know it's a bit off topic but loads of perc sounds great...

Totally agree wiv u! Percussion seems 2 add so much and really compliments the brass sounds!

(P.S. only got involoved in brass banding really recently (asked by my perc. teacher to help out the areas in march!) but have been asked to stay and am loving it!! lol )

 

[fartycat]

Once saw an orchestra perform (not this piece, of course, but one with a lot of timp changes) with 2 sets of timps, and 2 players, so that quick changes could be done..

Lots of pieces need 2 timpanists...Mahler 1 and 2, The Planets, Alpine Symphony, Nielson's fourth, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique (which needs 4 players at one point) and of course his Mass which you can get away with 6 timpanists (but more is usual)...oh and John Golland's Sounds needs two sets either side of the stage for parts of it - brilliant writing.

Anyway, back to the subject in hand, Chivalry - I found the timp part a lot easier than Tristan but it's still one of the hardest out there. Was never quite sure what the triangle beater on bell noise was supposed to come out like. If we had had more players we might have experimented a bit more by dipping the bell in a bucket of water (to get a glissando) or combining it with tuned gongs.

 

[nickjones]

perc effects

An example of a tam tam or gong dropped into water can be heard in the Nigel Clarke concerto for Euphonium " the city beneath the sea " it's a great effect.....really weird and hard to describe..
have to say Nigel Clarke brings some great effects in his scoring try and get hold of the radio 3 broadcast of the "Pendle witches "....cornets blowing down the bottom of the valves....odd but really effective in the scoring...am sorry off thread a bit...

 

[Steve Marcus]

Chivalry is the Test Piece for the Championship Section at next week's NABBA Competition in Charleston, West Virginia. It's definitely not as technically demanding as previous Test Pieces, so the judges will probably be listening even more intently for ensemble issues, musicality, etc.