Jean-Baptiste Arban

Variations on 'The Carnival of Venice' (arr. euphonium)

The classic theme-and-variations showpiece, a display of multiple-tonguing, flexibility, and sheer bravura.

ComposerJean-Baptiste Arban
Composed1864
EraRomantic
Difficultyvirtuoso
AccompanimentBand
Duration~9 minutes
Clefbass, treble
PublisherVarious

Arban’s Carnival of Venice variations, borrowed from the cornet tradition, are the archetypal brass showpiece: a simple tune put through progressively more dazzling variations demanding rapid multiple-tonguing, wide slurs, and fearless agility. On euphonium it is pure crowd-pleasing display, the encore that proves the big dark instrument can be as nimble as any cornet.

Sources

  • Lloyd Bone & Eric Paull, Guide to the Euphonium Repertoire (2007)

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