Georg Kopprasch was born sometime before 1800, pursued a career as a horn player at least until 1832, and composed two sets of horn etudes which includes this set of 60 etudes, Op. 6. Most of the etudes focus on technical problems relating to the high range of the Horn. 46 pages.
Performance Guide: This etude provides the opportunity to display tone, phrasing, dynamics, and overall musicality. Count in 6 beats per measure (eighth note gets the beat) to aid in rhythmic accuracy and control of the tempo. Create as much dynamic contrast as possible throughout. Good air support is key so always take full, low breaths. With each breath, strive to expand the stomach and lower back. As you blow, stay expanded and keep focusing the support low by pushing down and out against your abdominal muscles and lower back. For the second turn in m. 26, use the 2nd RH side key to play the upper note D and return to the standard fingering for the D 64th note. One way to interpret the phrases marked inquieto (m. 9) and incalzando (m. 13) is to play each phrase with a crescendo and with a slight acceleration into the 32nd notes. Lean into the accented notes with your air to aid in making the crescendo. In m. 18 be sure to rearticulate the second E in beat three. The trill in m. 25 should be played by fingering the B-flat and trilling with the top 2 RH side keys. Measure 37 is a cadenza so play this with a sense of freedom to create musical interest. Re-establish tempo for the repeated C quarter notes in the second to last measure and try to imitate the sound of a large bell that decays on each note as you die away to the end.
Trumpet Etude Kopprasch 34
Performance Guide: This etude contains a variety of articulation patterns. Treatment of note lengths throughout the entire etude should be consistent, even if some tongued passages are not marked staccato (example mm. 36 and 37). All sixteenth note passages should be performed like the opening phrase with staccato notes tongued lightly and with separation. All eighth notes should be played short and lifted even though they do not contain staccato markings. Sixteenth notes should stay even and consistent in pulse at all times. Do not let articulation affect the rhythmic integrity of the performance.There are two ways to finger clarion C-sharp, either in the left or right hand, depending upon the surrounding notes. Choosing the correct fingering will help students avoid sliding their right or left hand pinkies to connect notes in the same hand. Use of right-hand clarion B is encouraged in arpeggiated sequences to facilitate technique. Use of side fingering for chalumeau D-sharps is a must in measures 11, 13, and 14, etc. Use of side fingering for chalumeau F-sharp in measure 4 is encouraged rather than flipping. Forked low B can be used in measure 22 to more easily facilitate the jump to clarion F. The breath marks provided in the etude are good suggestions, but breaths could be moved to other locations depending on your phrasing choices. For example, many performances choose to breathe at the end of measure 9, rather than measure 10, because they feel it fits the phrase change better. Dynamic markings are limited in this etude. Students are encouraged to create musical phrases by adding crescendos and decrescendos to ascending or descending lines. Observe sudden dynamics shifts in mm. 23-24. Also take notice of the few accents that are included. Remember that, although this is a technical etude, is should be played with expression, good phrasing, direction, and musicality.
Performance Guide: This slow etude offers many opportunities for musical playing. The utmost attention should be given by dynamic and style markings while not limiting the performance to only what is written on the page. The character instructions given at the beginning, "pleasingly and with taste", describe very well how this etude should be approached. Phrasing and musicality should be top priority.Measure 7 indicates a slide needed between the D-sharp and C-sharp in beat one. This can be done on the right hand side, or the left D-sharp can be used (if available on the instrument) which makes it possible to play beat one and two without sliding. Side F-sharps should be used in anywhere they are juxtaposed with an E-sharp with the possible exception of mm. 19-20. Measure 10, beats 2 and 3, require that the student use right-hand B and left-hand C-sharp in order to get to the G-sharp in beat 3 easily. The use of fork B should be considered in m. 24 and 37 when next to an A-sharp.The turn in m. 31 happens on the upbeat of count four and includes the following notes: E, F-sharp, E, D-sharp, E. Likewise, the turn in m.32 happens on the upbeat of count four and includes the following notes: F-sharp, G-sharp, F-sharp, E, F-sharp. In facilitating this turn, use as little wrist movement as possible.
Performance Guide: This etude has a combination of both technical and lyrical lines. Students should aim to create contrast between these two styles by playing fast staccato passages cleanly and with separation between notes, and using good air support in lyrical sections to create smooth, connected phrases. Avoid rushing in slurred notes, especially in slur-2-tongue-2 phrases where it is most common. The turn in m.7 happens on the upbeat of count three and includes the following notes: F, G, F, E, F. Grace notes in m.33 should be placed just before the beat.Note the change in tempo and style in measure 20. Tempo here should be Quarter Note = 88-94. Take advantage of the slower tempo to accentuate the style of this section. Look up definitions of all Italian instructions given and adhere to these styles. Staccato notes should be played short and cleanly with the tip of the tongue touching the tip of the reed. Marcato notes in m. 18 should be played with a heavier tongue stroke and quick bursts of air to create short and accented notes. Articulated notes in m. 23 should be played with a legato tongue stroke using the syllable du" and deliberate pronunciation. All articulated sixteenth notes in mm. 48-49 should be played staccato.
Performance Guide: This etude has two very distinct sections. The first, mm 1-44, is light and bouncy. The second, mm45-108, is more lyrical and connected. There should be no tempo change or slowing down in the second section. The rhythm and lyricism create the feeling of a slower tempo on their own, The entire etude should be felt in one rather than three. Both sections should feel like a dance.The first section, mm1-44, is in the key of c-sharp minor. The articulation should be light. Rely more on the air to propel the tongue rather than forcing the tongue to move. While this section is marked staccato, this will be taken care of by the tempo. Do not overwork the tongue trying to achieve staccato. Ine this section, beat one is most important. Everything should always lead to beat one, creating a sense of forward motion.The second section is in the key of D-flat Major. In this section, the style is more connected and lyrical. The tempo should remain the same as the first section with no slowing down. To help with this, make sure you are subdividing the eighth notes accurately through the long notes and rests.There are several C-sharps and D-flats. You will want to make use of both the short and long fingerings. The short fingering will be used in more technical passages while the long fingering will be used in more lyrical passages. Both fingerings are provided below.
Performance Guide: This etude has a feeling of melancholy. At times, it feels like it is wandering through keys trying to find a tonal center. Use this to inform your musical interpretation. While the etude should feel expansive and never rushed, it is important to establish a steady pulse. Subdivide through long notes and rests.This etude is in the key of b minor. It is important that the tuning of your B-naturals and F-sharps are accurate. The first b-natural of the etude can be difficult, especially since the etude begins at a piano dynamic. Prepare your voicing, air, and support before you begin. Your voicing should be low, think an "ahhh" syllable and start your support before you start the note.There are several high F-sharps throughout this etude. For this etude, I recommend using the fingering provided below. This fingering will provide accurate tuning and ease of response whether tongued or slurred.M 10 and m 12 contain some grace notes that are important to discuss. It is important to create space to execute these grace notes so that they don't feel rushed. The grace notes in m 12 will be started earlier than those in m 10, but in both cases be sure that beat three is not delayed. There are two trills in this etude, one in m 15 and one in m 40. The trill in m 15 should be started on the A-natural and trill down to G-sharp. The trill in m 40 should be started in the F-sharp and trill up to G-natural. In both cases, stop the trill in time for the grace notes to occur before the next beat.
Performance Guide: In this etude, the rooftop accents should be seen more as an emphasis on the first note of each beat rather than a harsh accent. Although these accents are absent after the first measure, the emphasis on the first note of each beat should continue whenever this pattern appears.There are a lot of large leaps throughout this etude, specifically in mm 5-6 and mm 41-42. While these leaps are difficult, they can be helped by using what I refer to as "donkey calls". Think of the sound a donkey makes, "eeee ahhh, eeee ahhh". By employing these quick vowel syllable changes internally, response on the low notes will improve.Staccato on the sixteenth notes throughout this etude will be helped by the tempo. Avoid over working your tongue and focus on allowing the air to propel the the tongue rather than forcing the tongue to move.There are three trills and a mordent in this etude. The mordent in m 8 can be achieved by using the trill key between the first and second tone holes on the left hand. This is not a trill but rather a quick up and down, only once. The trills in m 32 are straightforward, C to D and E to F. For the F-sharp to G trill in m 45, start with the F-sharp fingering provided below then trill the second finger on the right hand. For all of the trills, stop the trill on the primary note before executing the grace notes. 2ff7e9595c
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