Day 210: I’m playing Bruckner; Brothers
36yearsago.com
Vienna 1971—A Student Journal
A year of music, study, travel, sightseeing &
friends.
Day
210 — I’m playing Bruckner; Brothers
28-February-1972
(Montag–Mon.)
TRANSCRIPT
Extremely good day. With
piano, horn and German, also. Managed to practice
horn and even got a few hours of El. Musik work in.
Something exciting for me has happened. Prof. Gabler
said that one of the horns might not be able to make
a rehearsal for the 8th Bruckner
Symphonie—great-to-play piece of music. I said, sure,
it would be great. Well, when I returned I found out
that the other horn student couldn’t play at all—and
so I am actually going to play. Not extremely hard
music, but loud. I think I’ll even be able to do a
good job.
The wildest part is that—I will also be playing a
Wagner tuba. Wild. It reminds me so much of a
baritone horn, except with better range and facility.
(Seems like a good instrument to institute into a
band.)
Got home, feeling somewhat good and excited. Had
several letters. Some weird things happening at home,
like brother Steve dropping out of school.
REFLECTIONS
Exciting
invitation. I don’t
exactly remember the circumstances of this, but my
horn professor, Frederick Gabler, invited me to play
in the Wagner tuba section of the student orchestra
because another student couldn’t make it. We will
perform the symphony in a major symphonic hall. How
exciting. I will be playing the Wagner tuba.
Bruckner
Symphony No. 8. Bruckner
is another late romantic composer with a big sound
and great horn parts. The horn section is large—8
horns, with 4 of the horn players, playing Wagner
tubas. We horn players like to play fortissimo
passages, loud. It will be fun. I wish I had a
recording of it. What a great experience this is
going to be. The opening photo is of Bruckner in 1894
(thanks to Wikimedia Commons.)
Bruckner and Symphony No. 8 links:
Bruckner in
Wikipedia
Bruckner Symphony No. 8 in
Wikipedia
Bruckner in The Classical Music
Hompages.com (Groves Concise
Dictionary)
YouTube video
Guilini – Mvt 4, Finale, Symphonie
No. 8
Carlo
Mario Guilini, conductor. Good example of fortissimo
brass. 3:22 has some Wagner tuba action.
Brother
Steve. It is sad
that when you don’t have the financial backing of a
family—my mother supported five of us boys working
nights in a factory—that it is much harder to do the
things that others do easily. I would say these “life
lessons” build character, but nonetheless, it is not
easy for those family members. My brother Steve sends
me a letter saying he dropped out of school
(college). Steve, as with all my brothers, is very
smart and the only reason for him to drop out of
school would be because of money. Brother Steve did
eventually return to college and graduate. He is a
good brother with a wonderful wife and family.
Brother
Frank. The only
brother I haven’t mentioned so far is brother Frank.
Frank has always been a caring guy, a lover of dogs,
the outdoors and nature, and an expert home-builder
and carpenter. He was the first brother to venture
west and settle there. I remember when he built an
authentic log cabin from felled trees by himself. I
haven’t seen Frank, or my nephew Jacob, in a while. I
need to get in touch.
Five
Boys. That
brings the total in our family to five boys. My poor
mother.
John
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