Horn in G in concert pitch: Put in Baritone clef, sounds an octave higher) (To play Horn in G on Horn in F: Put in Alto clef, play octave higher. Though for me, it's easier to just transpose up a step.)
On Wed, Sep 14, 2011 at 12:48 PM, Steve Larsen <[email protected]> wrote: > I'm not a choirmaster, but an opera and orchestra conductor. There's a > simple and rational explanation for the tenors being assigned to treble clef > (with or without the 8 attached at the bottom). > > The question: WHY is this treble "8" clef used in printed music today when > it used to be printed in bass clef most of the time. > > There are two answers: 1) it's used in printed music today because it's been > done that way since the late 19th century, particularly in English choral > music (where much of American choral tradition derives) and 2) it was never > "printed in bass clef most of the time" in any period or choral tradition. > The shorthand of combining tenor and bass on the same staff was simply a > matter of convenience. > > Clefs were originally chosen to eliminate ledger lines and keep the music > within the confines of the staff as much as possible. Historically there > were three clefs: C clefs, G clefs and F clefs. By its placement on the > staff, each identifies that note for which it is named. Originally, all > three were movable. Today, only the C clefs are mobile. Middle C in the > soprano clef is on the second staff line from the bottom; today it is only > found in older choral editions. Alto clef, used for violas and some older > trombone writing, places middle C on the middle line. Tenor clef, used in > cello, trombone and bassoon literature, places it on the fourth line. Until > roughly the latter 19th century, choral music was notated using three C > clefs and one F clef: soprano, alto, tenor and bass clef. > > (Incidentally, the movable clefs are useful in learning to read transposing > instrumental parts at sight. Use soprano clef for instruments in A, tenor > clef for instruments in B flat, alto clef for instruments in D, bass clef > for treble clef instruments in E or E flat, and baritone clef for F > transpositions. You're on your own for Horn in G). > > The tenor voice is analogous to the soprano voice in its range, and their > common written literature is called "high voice" and used treble clef. Tenor > singers study voice formally and use the same Italian vocal studies > (Concone, Vaccai, Bordogni, etc.). Opera scores from the late baroque onward > inevitably notate tenor roles in treble clef. > > The treble clef, or G clef, was originally called the Violin clef, because > it was extensively used for instrumental music. During the early baroque, it > began to be used often for keyboard music also, and the tradition stuck. > Because much of the soprano voice's material is found in the top staff of > the accompaniment, it became common for the soprano part to use the treble > clef instead of the soprano clef. Optimization (shrinking) of printed score > pages meant that soprano and alto parts were often notated on the same > staff; likewise, tenor and bass were combined in the bass clef. > > I'm not aware of any time or place that notated the tenor part in bass clef > when using a separate staff. > > You're not going to change the tradition of notating tenor in the treble > clef, and frankly I don't think it would be a good idea. High tenor parts > would be a nightmare of ledger lines. My suggestion is to get comfortable > with the notation by learning to read open score more easily. There are > several good books teaching Score Reading at the Piano, the first of which > that comes to mind is Morris & Ferguson. They drill you in reading all the > clefs, starting on two lines and leading up to a full score. When you can > sightread four-part Bach chorales written in soprano, alto, tenor and bass > clefs, you feel close to God. > > Steve Larsen > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Patrick Sheehan [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2011 9:40 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [Finale] Clefs for Tenors in Choir > > To All Choirmasters out there: > > > > Part of my work for the past 10+ years has been accompanying for high school > choirs, where at times we will perform a mix classic and new serious > literature as well as some of the popular alternative choices that are in > the catalogs today. > > > > What bothers me in reading, is that now 75% of the time in the printed music > of today, the tenor staff (part) is in treble clef (with or without the 8 > below the clef). I personally think that that clef is absolutely > unpractical, and should never be used. When I play part summaries in > rehearsal (no accompaniment, just al the parts) in rehearsal, it bugs the > absolute hell out of me that the tenor part is in treble "8" clef, because I > expect to see two staves in treble (soprano, alto) and two in bass (tenor > and bass). My question is: WHY is this treble "8" clef used in printed > music today when it used to be printed in bass clef most of the time. And, > does this bother anyone else, and do you agree that it should be abolished? > > > > Patrick J. M. Sheehan > Music Director, Instructor: Woodlawn Arts Academy > > P. S. Music > > <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Finale mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale > _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
