• The cover of a piece of sheet music entitled "Symphony for Octet 'Portraits'", by Nathanael Kumar. The piece is #5 in the American Brass Press catalogue and is written for tuba-euphonium octet.
  • The first page of "Andante misterioso", the first movement of Nathanael Kumar's "Symphony for Octet". The symphony is subtitled "Portraits" and is dedicated to Justin Benavidez and the Eastman School of Music tuba-euphonium studio.
  • The first page of "Adagio espressivo", the second movement of Nathanael Kumar's "Symphony for Octet". This movement is for tuba quartet.
  • The first page of "Scherzo: Presto e leggiero", the third movement of Nathanael Kumar's "Symphony for Octet". This movement is for euphonium quartet.
  • The first page of "Allegro cantabile", the fourth movement of Nathanael Kumar's "Symphony for Octet". This movement is for tuba-euphonium octet.
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American Brass Press

Symphony for Octet “Portraits”

Symphony for Octet “Portraits”

$64.99 USD
$64.99 USD
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This symphony just so happens to be written for tuba-euphonium octet. Each of the four movements is a “portrait” of a different composer or style.

Symphony for Octet opens with an ominous, hushed melody in the lowest tubas, which recurs in a loose set of variations. The second movement is a tuba quartet inspired by Barber’s Adagio for Strings and orchestrated for solo bass tuba and three accompanying voices. The scherzo is a euphonium quartet rooted in rhythmic vocal improvisation; its pitch material is derived serially from the twelve- tone row stated in the first two measures. The final movement pays stylistic homage to two legendary composers: Ralph Vaughan Williams, who wrote the first tuba concerto, and J. S. Bach, whose chorales have touched every corner of Western music.

This symphony was written for Justin Benavidez and the tuba-euphonium studio at the Eastman School of Music, with gratitude for their infinite guidance and support.

— Nathanael Kumar

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