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A favourite of the late, great John Fletcher, and one of my own favourite recital pieces, the Courante from J. S. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G major is a wonderful test of a tuba player’s technique, agility and musicianship.
In this arrangement, I have added an accompaniment to Bach’s original solo line, presenting the piece as a feature for solo tuba with brass quintet. The tuba remains very much the star of the show, while the accompanying parts provide a sympathetic harmonic and rhythmic setting without detracting from the character of the original.
I have given the arrangement a difficulty rating of 3/4, reflecting the demands of the tuba part. The remaining brass parts are considerably less challenging and should be comfortably within the reach of Grade 1 players.
The tuba part is an exact transcription of Bach’s original cello part, so it also works perfectly well as an unaccompanied solo. This makes the arrangement equally useful as a recital feature with brass quintet or simply as an opportunity to explore one of Bach’s great solo works on the tuba.
