Posted by Mark Heter on August 23, 2003 at 20:27:19:
In Reply to: Music for Double Bell Euphonium? posted by Scott R. on August 21, 2003 at 10:06:11:
There may have been soloists who actually used the small bell for effects, like "echoes", or "call and response" effects, generally in cadenzas.
Henry Crespi, who played a Conn double-bell for over sixty years in the Allentown Band (and they play EVERYTHING)could recall no occasion which actually called for the small bell's use.
BUT - they LOOK great!
In my personal band library, which currently numbers somewhere around 1300 pieces of vintage concert band music, both American and foreign editions, I have one or two pieces - von Suppe overtures arranged by Henry Fillmore, which are annotated "Use Small Bell" on the reprise of the opening fanfares of these overtures. And that's about it. Let us remember Fillmore was an irrepressable jokester.
Although I have looked through just about every Simone Mantia solo, and have examined several solos composed by noted Conn double-bell euphonium soloists, none of them notate anything about using that little bell.
When I wrote to Karl King in the 1960s, and asked him what baritone he played on the old circus bands, it was - you guessed it - the Conn. Mostly because it offered a larger, freer-blowing bore and scale of instrument than the old "tenor horns" (mostly mail order instruments in those days) many of the old timers had had to contend with. Those old concert and circus bands played a working schedule that would leave most of today's musicians slackjawed in horror. A free blowing horn, even with the intonation anomalies many of them had, was preferable to a stuffy axe.
Hey, why not use your imagination and make something up?
If you DO find a solo which actually requires the small bell, I'd love to have a copy for my friend who solos with the Goldman Memorial Band. In addition to his Hirsburnner, he does own one of these Conn beasts, we would, of course put him up to it.