Bell Canto for Brass - Frits Damrow
Bel Canto is Italian and means "beautiful singing". It is also
the
name of the most famous of all vocal schools dating back to the 16th
century. It is still in practice today. The relationship between the
Bel Canto techniques and brass playing can be applied to the
development of skills of any instrumentalist. The methods by vocal
teachers
like Guiseppe Concone or Marco Bordogni, have been popular and in use
among brass players for a long time. The short melodius etudes found in
Concone and Bordogni's books are called vocalises, since the singer have no
text to the melody, but sing with a vowel.
Frits Damrow is Principal Trumpet with
The Royal Concertgebouw
Orchestra in Holland. In 2003, together
with pianist Clara Rullman, he
recorded 20
selected
vocalises by Concone, Bordogni, Mathilde Marchesi and
Francesco Paolo Tosti.
A book
containing these 20 vocalises and a demo / play along CD is now
available from publisher De Haske.
In the forword of the book, Damrow says:
These
vocalises are first of all meant to develop a musical and melodic way
of playing. The human voice should, as it were, stand for the goal that
brass players wish to achieve with the help of these singing etudes.
Jazz players have always educated
themselves by playing along
with recordings. Playing along with Frits Damrow, listening to his
great
sound and phrasing will make you a
better player. The basic idea
would be to listen carefully to Damrow and then play along on the next
track with the piano only. By doing that, you get a good rest
between each vocalise. Also use your voice when listening to
Damrow - sing along - then pick up your
horn and play with the same "singing feeling"!
Damrow uses a Bb trumpet for the
recording. All brass in Bb can play along with the CD, using the
written music in the book. Other brass (in C, F, Eb etc.) will have to
transpose.
Also available from the publisher is a book
with the piano accompaniment.
Recommended
!
Facts:
Publisher: de haske
ISBN:
90-431-1809-5
Release
Date: 2003
Trumpet: Frits Damrow
Piano: Clara Rullman
CD number DHR 13.257-3
o.j.
2004
