Salutations - Tuba Ensemble (EEETTT)

Salutations was written in the fall of 2018 for the “Young At Heart” massed tuba & euphonium choir at the 2019 International Tuba & Euphonium Conference held in late May on the campus of the University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA. The music is in 6 parts and is intended for lots of players with numbers equally balanced among the parts. It will also work just fine with one on a part. Dynamics and articulations should be very literally observed as the music weaves its way from special “wind” effects into actual playing. The fact of the music being a concert fanfare is only actually musically revealed when we reach bar 56. All music before that should always be played with a leading/forecasting quality - especially beginning at bar 46 and the next 10 bars of music. Bar 56 is marked “Brassy!” and should contrast very much from the preceding music. Bar 60 opens up wide and should be played broadly. A tutti unison, more counterpoint and changes of key also need a terraced ramping up of energy as the music approaches a sort of awe-inspired “Young At Heart” theme (sing those words in your mind and you’ll know what I mean!) which is heard at bar 88 (we first hear it at bar 31). More fanfare gesturing and a brief recap of the introduction bring the piece to a grand conclusion!