Wayne Preusker - Kumbaya

Topic: Instrumental Versions
Brass bands developed outside the hymn aesthetic dictated by the Anglo-Scots Reformation. They did not exist until the 1830s, and then emerged as part of Prussia’s militarization after its defeat by Napoléon in 1806. Prussian generals were shocked by how easily they were defeated at Jena-Auerstedt. Friedrich Wilhelm III was appalled so few of his subjects cared. [1]

Under restrictions imposed by France, Prussia began rebuilding its army by freeing the serfs and rotating the new pool of commoners through local units every few months to build a systematically trained reserve and develop a sense of patriotism. [2] Friedrich Wilhelm extended the quest for uniformity by asking all the brigade bands play the same music the same way. [3]

As mentioned in the post for 7 September 2017, much western music before the perfection of modern keyboard instruments was based on natural harmonies of fifths and octaves. Military music was learned aurally and varied from place to place. Soon after Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier appeared in 1722, Ferdinand Hase published the first collection for calvary bands in the Holy Roman Empire in 1753. [4]

The diffusion of harpsichords, virginals, and other keyboard instruments led to a desire for military instruments to play similar music with half-tones. The limitations in trumpets were addressed by adding valves. It took time spent in experimentation and acquiring greater knowledge of acoustics for men to create reliable ones that could be reproduced. Wilhelm Wieprecht introduced chromatic brasses to Prussia calvaries around 1828. [5] James Walker suggested the first civilian brass band was founded in 1835. [6]

One reason for the adoption of valved instruments by Wieprech was they allowed mounted calvary bands to play 6/8 to match the gait of the horses. [7] Once printed arrangements were available, the repertoire expanded for both military and civilian groups to include hymns, anthems, and other music required to open or close public functions.

The trombone quintet version of "Kumbaya" uploaded to YouTube in 2010 was arranged by an able seaman in the Royal Australian Navy. [8] By then Wayne Preusker probably was in the reserve. He played and composed for baritone horns, euphoniums and tubas. [9]

Instrumental quintets usually featured one instrument with a basic quartet. [10] With brasses, that typically meant two trumpets, one French horn, one trombone, and one tuba. [11] Preusker’s arrangement featured three soloists and an ensemble. While the slow tempo was within the hymn tradition, his harmonies were more complex.

The first of the four iterations was a solo. Another, slightly lower instrument began the second repetition and was joined by the others on the "kumbaya" phrase of the first line. They played chords with the soloist, and runs in the rests. They continued alternating parts through the rest of the stanza.

A much lower instrument played the melody the third time, while the others played accompanying chords and countermelodies. They finished by playing the entire tune in chordal harmony.

Although Presuker was from Melbourne, Australia, he used the standard melody, not the one popularized by The Seekers.

Performers
Preusker’s Silver Cornet Band Trombone Quintet

Credits
arr. Wayne Preusker

Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: 1-3-5
Tempo: slow

Basic Structure: four repetitions with variations in instrumentation

Harmonic Structure: parallel chords

Notes on Performance
Preusker noted it was "recorded with a laptop and a Yamaha Silent Brass trombone mute."

Availability
YouTube: uploaded by silvercornetrecords, 30 May 2010.

End Notes
1. Mitch Williamson. "Prussian Reforms 1806-15." Weapons and Warfare website. 20 December 2016.

2. Williamson.

3. Bruce P. Gleason. Sound the Trumpet, Beat the Drums. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2016. 18-19.

4. Gleason. 18.

5. Gleason. 16.

6. James Walker. "Brass band." 105 in Harvard Dictionary of Music. Edited by Willi Apel. Cambridge: Belnap Press, 1969 edition.

7. Gleason. 19.

8. John Thompson. "The Power and the Passion." RAN Navy Daily website. 2 September 2017. Preusker was the photographer.

9. Concert videos of his compositions on YouTube include "Euphoism" and "Frantique." One uploaded by Ozwinds on 26 May 2011 to promote a new model euphonium showed Preusker demonstrating the instrument by playing two passages: one slow, the other requiring quick valve changes.

10. Willi Appel. "Quintet." 712 in Harvard Dictionary.

11. Wikipedia. "Brass Quintet." Variations existed for each voice: cornets and flugelhorns could be used in place of trumpets; alto horns could play French horn parts; baritones or euphoniums could be substituted for trombones; bass trombones and sousaphones could replace tubas.