tommy tycho's trumpet concerto

TOMMY TYCHO’S TRUMPET CONCERTO :

A HISTORY AND ANALYSISSAMUEL COTTELL MUSIC DEPARTMENT

UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

TOMMY TYCHO

RHAPSODY FOR TRUMPET & ORCHESTRA (1968)

“He’s the ‘Instant Music’ Man. People. February 14, 1968

TRUMPET RHAPSODY?

JOHN ROBERTSON – TRUMPETER

JOHN ROBERTSON CONT’D…

• ONE OF THEIR NUMBERS HAD EACH MUSICIAN PLAYING SOME NOVELTY TRICK... ROBBO'S GIMMICK WAS TO HOLD A HIGH C FOR 16 BARS REVOLVING THE TRUMPET ON HIS LIPS, WHILE THE BAND PLAYED CHORDS UNDERNEATH. APPARENTLY ALL THE SYDNEY MUSICIANS WOULD CROWD IN TO SEE HIM DO THIS ACT - COULDN'T BELIEVE THE LACK OF MOUTHPIECE PRESSURE. AND [TRUMPETER] GEORGE DOBSON COMMENTED LATER ABOUT THESE DAYS SAYING EACH NIGHT HE (STILL SEATED) WOULD BE COVERED IN 'A FINE SPRAY OF SPITTLE AS ROBBIE (STANDING) WENT INTO ACT'!

RAYMOND HANSON TRUMPET CONCERTO (1948)

• RECORDING WAS ISSUED ON THE RCA LABEL IN 1969 • RAYMOND HANSON WAS AN AUSTRALIAN COMPOSER

AND TAUGHT AT SYDNEY CONSERVATORIUM OF MUSIC.

• MUSIC WAS INFLUENCED BY HINDEMITH’S STYLE• COMPOSED HIS TRUMPET CONCERTO IN 1948• FIRST PERFORMANCE: BY JOHN ROBERTSON,

SYDNEY SYMPHONY, EUGENE GOOSSENS — 16 APR 52.

THE TRUMPET CONCERTO YOU HAVE ALSO WRITTEN A CONCERTO FOR TRUMPET? “YES, I WROTE IT FOR DICK MONTZ, WHO IS NOW THE HEAD OF THE JAZZ FACULTY OF THE NSW CONSERVATORIUM. HE PLAYED IT WITH JOHN HOPKINS CONDUCTING THE ORCHESTRA IN SYDNEY SIX OR SEVEN YEARS AGO. IT HAS A MORE CONTEMPORARY FEEL THAN THE OTHER TWO WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING (VIOLIN AND PIANO CONCERTOS). THE SECOND MOVEMENT HAS A BLUESY KIND OF MELODY , THE THIRD MOVEMENT IS A FAST SCHERZO AND THE FIRST MOVEMENT (DON’T ASK ME WHY) HAPPENS TO BE IN 7/4- BUT IT WORKS.”

JOHN A MEYER. “PROFILE-TOMMY TYCHO”, GREAT CLASSICS PROGRAM. WASO 2003.

RICHARD (DICK) MONTZ

“TENS of thousands of Australians knew the Dick Montz sound. Polished, piercing and brilliant, it was the basis of the slick, energised fanfare that introduced ABC television news and the ABC sports report during the 1980s, finishing with a high note snatched from well out of the trumpet's natural habitat.” (Peter McCallum, SMH )

STRUCTURAL CHANGES AT THE ‘CON’• MONTZ COMPLETES A MASTERS DEGREE IN PERFORMANCE• FOUR YEARS LATER THE CON MERGES WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

(1990). MONTZ DEVELOPS THE JAZZ PROGRAM DURING THIS PERIOD AND BY 1994 DEGREE AND RESEARCH OPTIONS ARE OFFERED TO JAZZ STUDENTS

• RICHARD MONTZ, THE BRASS SECTION OF THE SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA : A SURVEY OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PLAYERS FROM 1927 TO 1986

MONTZ’S MASTER’S RECITAL

Program from Montz’s performance of the Trumpet Concerto (1986)

TRUMPET CONCERTO (1986)

MOVEMENT II – ANDANTE

MOVEMENT III – ALLEGRO MODERATO

ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE