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Music from Windsong Press
Frederic Chopin
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Arr. Steve Marcus |
Nocturne in E-flat
Major, Op.9, No. 2
transcribed for tuba
and piano |
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$10.00
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Steve
Marcus
STEVE MARCUS began piano
lessons at the age of five, and taught himself
tuba while in high school. He graduated summa
cum laude from Temple University Boyer College
of Music in Philadelphia, PA, earning his
Bachelor of Music Education (with Performance
Concentration in Piano) and Master in Music (ABT)
Degrees, the President’s Scholar Award, and a
Fellowship in Music Theory. As a member of the
Temple University Concert Choir, Steve sang with
the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction
of Eugene Ormandy, Robert Shaw, Carlo Maria
Giulini, and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos.
Steve studied tuba with Rex Martin at
Northwestern University, and has performed in
Master Classes for Arnold Jacobs, R. Winston
Morris, and Sam Pilafian
At recent NABBA (www.nabba.org) Competitions,
Steve has been a prize winner in the Solo
Competition, tuba player for the Chicago Brass
Band Players (first prize winners of the Small
Ensemble Competition), and an accompanist for
several other soloists.
Steve is currently Principal Tuba in City
Symphony of Chicago and Wheaton Symphony
Orchestra. He is a co-founder of Chicago Brass
Band (www.chicagobrassband.org), serves on its
Board of Directors, and plays BBb Bass. Steve is
also a member of the Barrington Brass Quintet ,
Chicago Brass Band Players, and freelances
throughout the Chicago area. Steve is Tenor
Soloist at North Shore Unitarian Church in
Deerfield, IL, and Choir Director at
Congregation Kol Emeth in Skokie, IL.
While a member of Chicago Master Singers under
the direction of Alan Heatherington for 10
years, one of Steve’s compositions appeared on
their CD, “Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs.”
Steve met his wife, Tricia, while they were both
singing in a professional 12-voice madrigal
ensemble. Their two children enjoy music, but
neither plays a brass instrument (what went
wrong?).
“People often comment how much fun I must have
playing Steinways all day at my store,” says
Steve. “But my job is to get OTHER people in to
play Steinways
www.geocities.com/semarcus1/Steve_Marcus
REVIEWED IN THIS ISSUE:
Tuba
Nocturne in E-flat Major,
Op.9, No. 2 by Frederic Chopin
transcribed for tuba and piano by Steven
Eric Marcus (see review for Nocturne
by Frederic Chopin arranged for
euphonium and piano by Harold Brasch
under the euphonium reviews)
Nocturne
by
Frederic Chopin arranged for euphonium
and piano by Harold Brasch. Tuba
Euphonium Press. David Miles, editor.
3811 Ridge Road, Annandale, Va. 22003.
(703) 916-0711;
www.tubaeuphoniumpress.com; dymiles@verizon.net.
$12.
Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op.9, No. 2
by Frederic Chopin transcribed for
tuba and piano by Steven Eric Marcus.
WindSong Press Limited, P.O. Box 146
Gurnee, Il. 60031. www.WindSongPress.com.
$12.
These are arrangements of the same
piece, but, besides being for different
instruments, there are other big
differences between them. For the sake
of comparison, I ignored the fact that
one is written for tuba and the other
for euphonium. After all, don't tuba
players steal a lot of euphonium and
trombone music? I wonder how much of the
theft goes the other way, but here I
would advise the euphonium players to
work on taking things up the octave and
get the Marcus arrangement of this
Nocturne.
The biggest difference is that Mr.
Marcus has transcribed the complete
original piece as Chopin wrote it. Mr.
Brasch leaves out eleven measures,
mostly the repeat of the B section that
is in the original, and leaves out the
transition to the mini-cadenza and the
small coda. There are almost no
ornaments at all in Brasch's
arrangement, although since it is marked
as being for euphonium (or trombone),
this may be a concession to those
handicapped slide players. Mr. Marcus'
transcription of course leaves in all
the markings of the original, with just
a few differences where things are
written out for the sake of clarity.
Finally, Mr. Marcus leaves this
Nocturne in the original key,
E-flat. Mr. Brasch trasnscribes it into
the key of G-flat. Of course, I don't
know the reason he did this, but it
would make it sound darker, and that key
has a sound on the trombone all its own
(and I do mean to be complimentary with
that statement).
All in all, although Mr. Brasch's
arrangement does not really have fatal
flaws, I find Mr. Marcus' transcription
much more satisfying to play. The
pianists and purists in the audience
will complain either way. The range of
Mr. Marcus' transcription is EE-flat to
e-flat 1; in Mr. Brasch's
arrangement, G-flat to b-flat1.
Mr. Brasch also includes a treble clef
version of the arrangement.
~Michael Short, Drake University
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