A friend of mine has been asked to give a recital with a well known trumpet player.. Can anyone offer suggestions as to repertoire. (Of course the well known trumpet player will have lots of suggestions, but my friend wanted to at least have some idea before he meets him for the first time...)

Thanks.

I did some bits with a trumpeter the other week in a concert of other things. We had to play some VWilliams, so did an arrangement of Rhsoymedre with flugel (v effective and all pro tpters have a flugel), and then an unpublished Suite by Malcolm Archer which the audience really liked (even though it was what you might describe as 'light' music). The last movement quotes from the Archers theme tune.

There are loads of the usual trumpet tunes (Clarke/Purcell) that work really well with organ, have done a few for weddings etc. (like this sort of stuff)

I have other stuff at home, will see what I can find. I think I once played a Suite by Flor Peetersm, but it was a while ago. I think there is something by Langlais as well. Sorry to be a bit vague!

The 'Elegy' by G Thalben Ball is good for Trumpet and Organ and is on a CD played by Alison Bolsom

You and your "friend" are very close aren't you...

I've had to do the Charpentier. The main issue is how out of tune the organ is, and whether the trumpet can be adjusted sufficiently!

That takes me off thread slightly: Lots of orchestral people seem to be using these pocket tuner things that output an A440 for them to tune to. Why do they do this when the thing they need to tune to is the organ in the building?

A 440 is standard nowadays and few orchestral players realise that organs, especially old ones, are often sharp. Arundel Cathedral is a case in point. There is a church in Croydon where the organ pitch is about a quarter tone sharp. When singing in that choir my wife and another soprano (both with perfect pitch) tended to revert to A 440 in lengthy unaccompanied passages, making the singing sound slightly flat when the organ came in again.

Some organ advisers have 'restored' sharp pitch on old organs. The 'Father' Willis in Reading Town Hall is a case in point. It cannot now be used with an orchestra, which is a pity. Woodwind players always have a problem with sharp organs, as does the brass.

I agree that orchestral instruments should be tuned to the organ - if they can. With many organs it is simply not possible to get the instruments tuned up sufficiently.

Barry Williams

One of the issues here is which stop do you tune to? I've heard string players trying to tune to an open flute, and not being able to hear enough of the fundamental and unsympathetic organists only draw the celeste and salicional, stops which are intended to be 'out of tune'. Personally, I always go for either a medium no.2 diapason (where there is a choice!), or the swell diapason.

From what I understand you should draw the Gravissima 64' and put a smile on the lady violinists' faces...

Is that where the compliment of 'not a dry leg in the house' originates after a particularly 'moving' performance?

No, that's probably a commentary on our church which only has one loo and is insufficient for a concert audience of 100+

Send them into the churchyard and enjoy the bumper crop of primroses later in the year

Sorry,

Do let us have more details of the concert when they're available.

Me and a friend of mine have recently done some trumpet and organ recording of baroque sonatas by Viviani, Flanelli as well as the more standard trumpet tunes.

When i have the time, i can upload some for you if you want?

2 weddings this year where the trumpeters had the choice of trying to lip it up to the organ pitch or pull out and play a semitone above written! plus memories of a Britten St. Nicholas where we didn't know the church organ was (again) sharp until the dress rehearsal resulting in (1) a quick visit to the shop to borrow a pop electronic instrument for the quiet bit and (2) using the clavinova organ sound for the loud bit - a day to forget.

This concert is fast approaching and my friend has yet to hear from the soloist. Is less than 8 weeks prep time enough for 90 minutes worth of (possibly awkward) music?...

Yes, of course - if he's an FRCO.

Which he is not...

Seriously, it all depends on how quick a learner he is. If you've started wondering whether he's got long enough, then the chances are he probably hasn't!

Oh dear.

Part of the problem too is that he wants to play a solo organ piece in both halves, but without knowing the likely programme for the main soloist, how can one choose appropriate repertoire?

He finds it very frustrating.

If he wants any of my own arrangments, of pieces including the radetzky march, liberty bell march and the stars and stripes, I could provide them...

Sounds like it's high time this organist got in contact with the trumpet player and got it sorted out. It the trumpet player is a proper musician he will want to help ensure good standards all round, not just on his own part.

The (pro) trumpet player has recently departed for a month-long holiday. Frustrating, no?


Thanks for the offer, Dave. I will let my friend know.

Very, I should think. What I would suggest your friend does in future is to insist at the outset on having a definitive programme and the music X number of weeks in advance (whatever your friend thinks he needs). Not much help in the current situation, of course.