6 Roundabouts (Duets In Canonnic Succession)

Some years ago, I had transcribed Georg Philipp Telemann’s (1681-1767) famous «Six Canonic Duets» for tubas and/or euphoniums and really enjoyed seeing how they were put together. Realizing that there was no music of this contrapuntal style written specifically for low brass instruments, I decided to write these Six Roundabouts. The contrapuntal technique used in writing two lines of music that are identical yet staggered seemed overwhelming at first, and my initial sketches in the Baroque style turned out placid at best. However, as I approached this commission by Brian Kiser, I took advantage of the greater harmonic and rhythmic freedom that we have today and began to find my own compositional voice. Though these works are written for two bass tubas, they are also playable on (or in combinations with) euphoniums or trombones. Michael Forbes