Tuba and CD

ALIEN LOOP DE LOOPS for solo instrument and electronic recording by Howard J. Buss is a playful and capricious fantasy piece designed to appeal to a wide range of audiences. The title refers to both programmatic and technical elements in the composition. The composer envisioned a performer outside in an open area during an air show by an alien craft. During the opening section he/she is playing unaccompanied, but then is joined by the recording which contains sounds generated by traditional instruments as well as an "alien" voice, the spacecraft, and various electronic effects. Technically, the title refers to how the recording was made. It consists of numerous sound loops combined to form an imaginative and picturesque sonic tapestry. The publication includes the sheet music and a CD (attached to the inside of the back cover) that contains a performance track and the accompaniment track. Learn More

In Bessy’s Voyage to Space, Matthew Owen tells the story of a girl whose only mission in life is to craft her own means of leaving planet Earth, which is on the brink of becoming completely destroyed due to increasingly devastating nuclear warfare. Says Owen, “In this piece, the hi-hat symbolizes Bessy’s intense construction on her spaceship. The droning of the atmospheric pads and the tuba pedal tones symbolize the initial ignition of the engines and the increasing paranoia that Bessy begins to feel as the spacecraft warms in preparation for departure. The moment that the piercing synthesizer melody enters is the moment of liftoff from Earth.”

Electronics Needed: Microphone, Sizzling Hi-Hat, Synthesizer, Loop Pedal with two banks. Instructions and a setup diagram are included.

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with downloadable backing track

As its title implies, Concerto a la mode was composed both as a journey in exploring different styles and as a treat for the audience and performer. After a slow, lyrical introduction, the first movement, “Flan de Queso”, erupts into a Spanish march that pushes the performer to his or her limits. Percussion acts as a motor throughout the movement, which ends with a lyrical transition to “Crepe Suzette”. The solo tuba line sings throughout the second movement, backed by the lush harmonies of the accompaniment. Drum set kicks off the final movement, which features a driving rock/jazz style throughout. Influenced by its American popular music roots, “Apple Pie” has an improvisatory feel in the solo tuba line and a “tonality with bite” harmonic vocabulary.

– Ben Miles

Recording is from the Orchestral version

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In Conquer the World, Matthew Owen conveys the struggles and accomplishments of everyday life.The major melodies symbolize happiness and complete worry-free bliss, and the minor, gritty sections outline the struggles and battles of life. Much like the overpowering struggles and feelings of happiness are constantly flip-flopping in our daily lives, the major and minor sections of this piece are constantly at odds with one another, struggling to find a middle ground.

Electronics Needed: Microphone, Hi-Hat, Snare Drum, Synthesizer with Rhodes or electric piano patch, Loop Pedal with two banks. Instructions and a setup diagram are included.

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From the composer:

Exit the Foundry was originally commissioned for euphonium by Matthew Turek, a University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire student completing a research project that explored the psychological experience of composition. Turek commissioned works from seven student composers, offering them very few guidelines save the inclusion of his instrument, euphonium. Hase’s contribution, Exit the Foundry, incorporates three contrasting sonic elements. The first element, recorded and sampled mechanical sounds, includes various metallic hits, blowtorches, saws, fans, and other industrial noises. The second element, synthetic electronic instruments, consists of synth pads, leads, arpeggios, and an electronic drum ket. The third element is a low/mid register acoustic instrument that offers a contrastingly natural tone and lyrical voice. Hase produced the accompaniment track for Exit the Foundry in a computer based digital audio workstation, and included a multiphonic passage in the live instrument line to offer an aural bridge between the smooth timbre of a live instrument and the sometimes rough and piercing wanderings of the synthetic and mechanical sounds. At the start of the piece, each element battles for its place in the foreground, but inevitably a compromise is reached and all three elements meld into one coherent musical voice.

• Ben Hase

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with CD or MP3 download

HoUsE miX was composed in September-October of 1995 at the request of tubist Jeffrey Funderburk. The recording of the electronics part provides the first three beats of measure one and then the tubist begins – in time – on the second eighth note of the fourth beat in measure one (marked * in the score).  As to the title, it was my intention in writing this piece to emphasize the electronic nature of the accompaniment rather than to try and disguise it.  In borrowing materials and gestures from the language of 1990s techno dance music, I also sought to borrow one of its structural conceits: the sharp juxtaposition of diverse materials (represented by the mash-up of upper- and lower-case letters in the title). Jeffrey Funderburk has recorded HoUsE miX on his second solo CD, Journeys (Mark Records #3176).

 

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Rock drums, symphony orchestra, epic themes. Easy to play with a well produced synth track. Learn More

with downloadable backing track

From the composer:

Monolith was composed during the most tempestuous year in my lifetime. Daily headlines were something out of a dystopian or science fiction movie.

One such headline addressed Monoliths mysteriously appearing around the world. Some speculated aliens and others, vigilante artists. Either way, it was the rare headline that brought a bit of wonder and brevity to a emotionally draining year of pandemics and social unrest. My former colleague and friend, Kyle Millsap approached me in the fall of 2020 about writing a piece for an upcoming album of his that would feature music for solo trumpet with fixed media. Because of the pandemic, I had spent many more hours than usual in front of a computer with new, to me, software like Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro so I thought, “sure, why not?”

The result of that collaboration was “Monolith.” Kyle is a towering figure in his own right standing at an impressive 6 feet 8 inches tall and a fan of popular science fiction shows like Dr. Who and Star Trek. Monolith is programmatic in nature and meant to depict towering Monoliths falling from the sky and crash landing on Earth and asking the age-old question: does extraterrestrial life exist? If so, can it co-exist with humanity?

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“Mutation for Tuba and Electronics” was composed for Dr. Chris Combest, who requested a solo tuba work with recorded accompaniment. His only requirement was to include the “charm” of video game music. Inspired by other solo tuba works with electronics and classic video games, Mutation’s accompaniment features basic 8-bit sounds to unify the slow-fast sections and to capture the feel of the 80’s and early 90’s. The overall theme of the work, much like many games, is essentially a hero’s journey through dark and light, eventually saving the day or the world. The piece is intended to challenge the tubist and excite the audience. Learn More

with CD; A Melodrama for Tuba and CD/Theme and Variations for Tuba and CD or downloaded sounds Learn More

This is a challenging work for Tuba and Fixed Media. Learn More

Composer Matthew Owen says that “Serenata de Medianoche is dedicated to ‘The Love Pit’, a beautiful group of people from all over the world who promote the artistic advancement of the human race using the most powerful tool possible, love”. This creative piece is unique in that it incorporates modern electronics and requires the tubist to step outside of their comfort zone and play multiple instruments in order to bring the piece to life.

Electronics/Equipment Needed: Microphone, Congas, Acoustic Guitar, Loop Pedal with two banks. Instructions and a setup diagram are included.

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with downloadable backing track

Composer Alice Gomez says, “Shaman Returns was commissioned by the internationally acclaimed tuba soloist, Deanna Swoboda. Deanna asked me to write something that would be Native American in style, but that would also somehow include the Aboriginal didgeridoo, and some funk! Initially, I had no idea how I was going to combine these vastly different musical styles.

Once I got past the obvious drumming, pentatonic Native American flute melodies, and rhythmic qualities of the didgeridoo, I decided to focus on spirituality. Not specifically the spirituality of these two cultures, but the spirituality of all cultures. As I composed this piece I felt like I was on my own spiritual journey, perhaps, guided by an ancient Shaman!”

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with downloadable backing track

Josh Oxford says, “This Is My House is a musical depiction of the feeling of walking into a bar or club and having everyone look at you and cheer. This is the type of situation where you obviously don’t have to pay for your food or drinks! You’re the epitome of cool – the reason for the Miles Davis quote throughout. This piece was written to work well in the dance club as well as the concert hall… No matter what venue or dimension one performs in, the musician always has to have the feeling of being ‘in the house’ – the commanding presence and audacity that a performance demands.”

Solo Parts Included: Tuba

This is My House… has been recorded by Aaron Tindall.

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with downloadable backing track

A predecessor and companion piece to “Tomes of the Wanderer,” this was my first serious attempt to use a pre-recorded accompaniment with live solo. Initially I wasn’t intending to use create an orchestral sound, but the more I played around with the germs of ideas the more I found it leaning towards an epic fantasy film score. In three movements, Across the Plains, Fountain of Dusklight, and Juggernaut. Though the titles suggest a vague story, but I prefer to leave the specifics up to the listener.

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with Electronics

The music of "Tomes of Redemption" uses themes and leitmotifs from the previous two installments in the “Tomes” saga to tell the story envisioned by the composer. The hero from "Tomes of Hardened Steel" became king. He has let his kingdom slowly go to ruin because of several misfortunes. The kingdom’s allies have not contacted them for a long period, so he decides to go on one last quest. After sailing to the island kingdom and finding it deserted, he has a spiritual encounter with ghosts to learn a fierce dragon, Tugarin, has wiped out the kingdom. The hero knows he must fight Tugarin to make it right, resulting in an epic battle to the death.

"Tomes of Redemption" was a a project that came about when James M. Green spoke with Ben McMillan about his previous tuba and electronic pieces. Ben asked James to commission the third installment of "Tomes". James jumped at the opportunity, became the lead commissioner, and put together a consortium that was made up of:

Bo Atlas, David Bisson, Douglas Black, Phillip Black, Josh Calkin, Wiatt Cariveau, Chris Combest, David Earll, Bryan Gozdowski, Preston Light, Tracy Luna, Kevin Madden, Winston Morris, Robert Munson, Jesse Orth, Allen Parrish, Richard Perry, Patrick Rettger, Gabriel Sears, Andy Smith, Adam Stevens, Matthew Tatz, Chris Vivio, Randy Westmoreland and Jarrod Williams

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with downloadable backing track

Benjamin McMillan says, “Tomes of the Wanderer was commissioned by tubist Patrick Curry in August of 2013, and was premiered at the University of Akron in March of 2014. It is an exciting sequel to Tomes of Hardened Steel, and expands on previously established thematic material while introducing entirely new themes. Evoking the sound and imagery of a fantasy film score, the piece is divided into three movements: I. Over the Mountains, II. The Old Forest and III. The Cursed Mire & Leviathan.”

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