THE EUPHONIUM ARCHIVE

The ITEA Euphonium Literature Archive is the work of John Wyman. Below is a reprint of his article that appeared in the Summer 1996 issue of the T.U.B.A. Journal (volume 23). At the time the article was intended as part I of the project, so after eight years this ITEAonline Journal "Extra" represents part 2 or something to that effect.

Currently, the archive that John has compiled, which is huge by the way, is available for viewing as a 66-page pdf which you can download to your computer. It is hoped that this archive can be converted to a searchable database in the near future. If you have any questions regarding the archive please email John Wyman (euphonium@cox.net) directly.

Download ITEA Euphonium Literature Archive (large pdf file)

The Euphonium Literature Archive, Part I
A Report on its Inception, Growing Pains, and Future
ITEA Journal Volume 23 Number 4 Summer 1996
by John Wyman

After an initial acquisition period of four years, the Tuba/Euphonium Literature Archive is poised to directly benefit the members of TUBA and others. The Euphonium Literature Archivist position was created in May 1992, at the conference in Lexington, Kentucky, and I was appointed to the position. I submitted a draft outlining my duties that was approved in June 1992. To the present I have been primarily engaged in enlarging the archive. The archive consists of solo material, i.e., solos, duets, trios, quartets, and ensembles with concert band, brass band or orchestra accompaniment, dating from the 1870s to well into the 20th century. Many arrangements feature cornet or trumpet, but there are several hundred for euphonium and trombone. In the absence of a tuba literature archivist, I have collected over 50 works for that instrument. There are over 1,000 citations in the archive and, to my knowledge, it is the largest collection of solo material playable on the euphonium. In addition, although less effort was put forth, the archive now contains more than 800 solos with piano accompaniment. The archive also contains many hundreds of euphonium/baritone parts to standard band literature.

The Importance of the Archive

The immediate plan was to collect all the solo material for euphonium and archive it in one location, then, when the collection became substantial, make it available to our members. In 1992, the committee felt a sense of urgency in collecting the music before it was lost or discarded, particularly the libraries of soloists. The committee also felt there was a need for solo material with band accompaniment that could be performed by students and community band soloists. For advanced performers, we hoped to encourage a breaking away from the narrow spectrum of heritage works now being performed. How many times have you listened to Herbert L. Clarke's From the Shores of the Mighty Pacific, because the performer's instructor had performed it, or Arthur Pryor's Thoughts of Love, because it was the only solo in the band library? Initially, the executive committee hoped to provide early-American solos for those euphoniumists who could not locate them on their own. We initially thought that soloists with the service bands and well-known euphoniumists would have ready access to most of the music in our archive, but I found we were mistaken; a demand for our lesser-known works does exist. I also learned that the International Trumpet Guild (ITG) and the International Trombone Association (IT A) have no solo music for large ensembles. Therefore, the usefulness of the archive is much greater than it was first thought to be. Heritage music is also an alternative to modem music for the euphonium, though each has its place in the repertoire. TUBA eventually hopes to offer these heritage works at low cost, which will be attractive to many members.

Where the Solos Came From

The archive was created by bits and pieces. I started with the personal libraries of associates. Karl Humble, former euphonium soloist with the U.S. Marine Band, opened his extensive library to me, as did several others. Unfortunately, some retired players have their music in storage, or are not able to make it available. Secondly, I discovered collections of band music in such disparate places as the Utah Historical Society, Salt Lake City, and the turn-of-the-century Silverton Band Library, Silverton, Colorado, which I acquired. I suspect there are hundreds of musical enclaves throughout the United States containing solos of interest, perhaps one of a kind.

I have also exchanged material with major collectors of euphonium music in the United States and in Great Britain. While their collections are smaller, they are robust and appear to reflect the choice of works those collectors perform. The United States Coast Guard Band was kind enough to send a list of their brass solo holdings, but the other service libraries are reluctant to encourage public use of their libraries. In addition to copyright laws, possible unfair competition with music publishers, time and personnel restraints, it is understandable they would not encourage TUBA to reproduce their regular or special arrangements. The Navy Band in San Diego, however, generously gave me complete access to their library of early-American music. The Library of Congress and the American Bandmasters Association also have extensive libraries of solo material. If their holdings become more accessible, TUBA will maintain lists of solos contained therein, but will not duplicate their holdings. Some minor exchanges were initiated by advertisements in the ITG Journal and the ITA Journal. I now request contributions from TUBA members' personal libraries to further increase our holdings. Our archive is still missing some very common solos. For example, does anyone have the band arrangement to Clay Smith's Castles in the Air or Joseph Deluca's Sentimentale?

Solos for Cornet, Trombone and Tuba

Initially, I was to acquire unpublished, public domain and out of print music for euphonium. I quickly realized the scope was too narrow. Because euphoniumists were asking for comet and trombone solos, the scope was widened to include music performed on the euphonium. In addition, I expanded the search to include suitable bassoon and vocal solos; tuba solos were collected because they were available.

Where the Archive is Located

Initially, we thought all the material we collected could be archived at the TUBA Resource Library, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana. It is their policy, however, to acquire only original material with nine or less parts. Therefore, the Heritage Archive is physically located at my home in San Diego, California. The archive was created to provide music for performance, not for research. In that regard, the archive is inaccessible for inspection or perusing. All the collected material is the property of TUBA, and will be transferred to the euphonium coordinator when I relinquish my position.

How to Obtain a Solo

Any part to any arrangement may be requested, although the solo part and score are asked for most frequently. I reproduce material on 8 1/2 x 11 (letter size) paper. Although the final distribution channels have not been decided, interested parties can now obtain music from the Euphonium Literature Archive. For those who wish to contact me directly for specific music, my address is: 1066 Tarento Drive, San Diego, CA 92107. My telephone number is 619-222-8971, and I receive e-mail at wymanj @cts.com or KKTD55D@prodigy.com. I prefer exchanging copies of music, but this is not usually possible due to the individual or institution not having any music to exchange. Generally, I send out an individual solo with or without piano accompaniment, and absorb the cost. I don't ask for the return of materials. Most who want band arrangements, need them urgently, and agree to reimburse me for my costs of copying, mailer and postage (between $5-$10). As a rule, professionals cover the cost, while amateurs and students most often do not. As TUBA does not at present fund the project in any way, a catalogue is not available, although I do have a list of material in each category prepared on a word processor. At this time I also am not prepared to fill multiple requests. The good news is that I can usually reproduce and send music within 24 hours. The Euphonium Literature Library has no home page on the Internet, nor is there a list of titles available on the TUBA home page. I do scan the tuba/euphonium, trumpet, and trombone news groups daily, and personally contact individuals I believe I can help. I also refer inquiries to other sources since I maintain a limited number of music library lists. The archive has provided arrangements for two CDs (euphonium and cornet), music and information for advanced degree research, and 12 pages of entries in the forthcoming volume three of The Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music.

Other Sources of Solo Material

The Euphonium Archive was not established to compete with the leading publishers of brass solos with band accompaniment, Edwin F. Kalmus & Co., Inc. and The Detroit Concert Band, Inc. Nor does it want to undermine the efforts of other publishing concerns such as Carl Fischer or l.W. Pepper, who keep many solos in stock obviously at a loss. The Music Lending Library in Chatfield, Minnesota, has vast holdings of band music and complements our archive. Indeed, an early visit there inspired me to duplicate for the euphonium what they are doing for band music in general.

Limitations of the Archive

The Euphonium Literature Archive is not without its problems, As mentioned, the project is not funded and this limits travel to inspect collections, copying of music, and gratuitous packaging and mailing. Most of the music came from working libraries, and not only has missing parts to arrangements but marks, band stamps and numbers, tape and even personal comments obliterating the music; there is even some fire and water damage. In a very few cases, because so much music has to be reduced to fit the 8 x II-inch copy size, and through the negligence of others, entire lines of music are missing. Are the arrangements complete? It's difficult to say for the earlier ones, because there was no real standardization before the 1930s, and, as a rule, no list of instrumentation was provided. Are they playable? Generally the older the arrangement the less playable by a modem band, although some popular solos have gone through three or more revisions with instrumentation added each time. TUBA needs a band-music historian who can evaluate arrangements for musical worth and list instrumentation by period. I've categorized solos according to the instrument the publisher lists for performance, but it appears they were quite liberal, evidently to increase sales. A historian could also add information on composers and arrangers for much-needed program notes.

The Future of the Euphonium Literature Archive

TUBA needs to cooperate with ITA and ITG to give our members access to their resources. Most importantly, we need more members to contribute copies of their libraries, and to inform me of significant collections of brass solos. TUBA Journal can lend support to the project by publishing a list of holdings and new material when received, by reviewing selected arrangements, by occasionally including heritage solos for euphonium or tuba in the Journal and by providing information on how to purchase band arrangements. A cassette of promising solos with band should be recorded. Many of these numbers have to be heard to be appreciated. The Journal can also make readers aware of what music we need by publishing a wish list. This project has quickly exceeded my ability, energy and time. I hope others will step forward to supplement my work and carry on with this project. Comments and suggestions are welcome. .

Bio
John Wyman served 20 years with Marine Bands, and now resides in San Diego, California. He attended the Navy School of Music, and is a graduate of Chapman University, Orange, California, with a degree in history, He has also been the band director at Mira Costa College in Oceanside, California. He is presently the principal euphonium in the University of California San Diego wind ensemble, and euphonium soloist with the Kearny Mesa Concert Band.

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