The Clarinet BBoard

Repertoire on-hand, so-to-speak.

Author: Robert Moody  Date:   2005-01-03 11:57 Attachment:  MUTSwithaudience.jpg (17k) Being in the Army as a musician, you are supposed to be ready 24/7 to support activities for troops and officers. There are some 8 or so marches and other pieces that are required to be memorized for last minute occasions as they arise. I am also in what the Army calls (or called, they are phasing this designation out) a MACOM band (Major Command Band). These bands are the "inbetweens" in the Army musical picture. We are a step below the (maybe a couple steps ) the D.C. bands and a step above the division bands intended to fulfill a more public relations role than the regular division band and support General Officers, etc. In this capacity we play a generally larger number of regular concerts and chamber music series performances. One of those series of performances here at Fort Monroe are the Music Under The Stars (MUTS) concerts. This series is actually rather historic having continued for over 100 years to my knowledge. Each Thursday evening through the summer the band performs an outdoor concert in the large gazebo overlooking a spacious kept lawn, the ocean and the historic Chamberlain Hotel. [I've included a picture.] The season ends with the 1812 Concert with live canons from the battery on post. Very exhilirating! All of that leads to this, the real purpose of my post. During the past season the Commander told the band on a Tuesday morning that he had to cut one of the pieces and needed a soloist to fill the spot on Thursday evening. Being the ham I am, I went to the Commander and told him I have a couple pieces ready. He asked if we (the band) had the music and I said yes (without even knowing for sure ) and it was passed out the next morning for our first rehearsal and then ran through Thursday afternoon before the concert (http://www.musix4me.com/html/body_music.html <-- a picture and clip of the ending of that performance). So I had the Weber "Concertino" and the JeanJean "Guisganderie" ready to perform on a moments notice simply because I've played them so often. I wanted to suggest to aspiring young clarinetists on the board to become familiar with a couple/few pieces like this that you can pull up at a moments notice if needed. I also wanted to open a question to everyone: What other pieces (showcase pieces, not monumental works like the Nielsen) have you enjoyed keeping around for just such occasions as the one described above? Take Care, Robert Moody http://www.musix4me.com Free Clarinet Lessons and Digital Library! Post Edited (2005-01-03 12:41)

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Re: Repertoire on-hand, so-to-speak.

Author: Ken Shaw ★2017 Date:   2005-01-04 14:03 Robert - Nice pix and excerpts. The MUTS concert looks gorgeous. You look spiffy, but if you ever get an old fashioned CO, he'll gig you for the missing metal bands on your barrel. Ken Shaw

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