Blue Bells of Scotland

Arthur Pryor and The Blue Bells of Scotland

“His execution set the prairies afire; his vibrating pedal tones  rattled the windows of the Theatre Theatre and killed the gold fishes and  stunned the canaries all the way way out to the packing plant where where even the iron gates trembled”.

So reads a newspaper report of the great man’s playing from Omaha, Nebraska, which prefaces the extremely comprehensive inlay notes by Daniel E Frizane inside Crystal Records’ original Pryor CD. This historic compilation provides a fascinating insight into the man, his compositions and distinctive manner of performance establishing him as one of the pillars of the trombone’s heritage.

Born in St Joseph, Missouri in 1870, Arthur Willard Pryor was brought up in a musical environment. His father ran his own military band and was also at one time music director of Lincoln Nebraska Opera, his mother played the piano while his elder brother became a fine cornetist later to be featured alongside the world famous Herbert L Clarke. The young Arthur studied violin, cornet, horn and bass viol before settling on the valve trombone on which he clearly exhibited a prodigious aptitude. He subsequently became obsessed with trying to master an old slide trombone acquired by his father in payment for a debt. It was in such a poor state of repair that ignorant of slide oil, he learned to play using just two positions, only sometime later

discovering the possibility of a further five. This may well go some to way to explaining his unique ease of execution and extraordinary ability to produce false tones, particularly in the pedal register.

Pryor played his first solo with the newly formed Sousa Band in 1892 arriving at the audition in New York with just a trombone and 35 cents. As the original recordings confirm, Pryor was very comfortable with multiple tongued passages demonstrating his mercurial slide technique but above all he excelled in slow lyrical melodies, which Sousa always insisted preceded the ‘pyrotechnics’. Readers may be interested in the compelling Pryor anthology of contrasting solos published in 1987 by Loren J Luper.

The ‘air and variations’ has traditionally served as a vehicle to display technique, ‘Blue Bells’ having assumed an iconic position within trombone solo literature. The main theme follows an extended ‘cadenza-like’ introduction, which is curiously not included on the original Pryor disc (probably due to recording time constraints of the period). With each ensuing variation requiring more and more virtuosic fluency, the soloist must first of all work towards a secure and well-prepared finale. To achieve maximum clarity and of course, the indicated tempo marking ( Vivace), the final variation demands a unique combination of slide control, double tonguing and flexibility of range. The co-ordination between tongue and slide is crucial, so I recommend slow laborious practice to acquire muscle memory and consolidate the use of alternate positions, so favoured by Pryor

himself. In my experience constant use of ‘home positions’ only draws attention to the ‘in-out pumping’ action of the slide where as a carefully prepared circular motion facilitates ease and fluency.

Fig. 1 To avoid over taxing the embouchure, practice to improve muscle memory and co-ordination can easily be undertaken away from the actual instrument. Beware unnecessary abuse of the ‘chops’ and sit down with a coffee and mime these passages or ‘tongue and thumb’ it as I regularly refer to it.

The other central challenge in this work is range and flexibility, combining clear, ringing and above all reliable high notes with a free but controlled and focussed low/pedal register, enhanced by full appreciation that high notes are achieved by a partnership between embouchure and breath support. To assist ascent, one should employ abdominal and diaphragm muscles to development air speed and intensity thus promoting an open throat and embouchure aperture and avoiding unwanted tension associated with ‘pressing on’. Try a regular programme of upward ‘ glissandi’ starting from concert F (short 4 th position); accelerating air-speed while pulling the corners of the mouth down and pushing the instrument slightly away from you.

Fig. 2 The final phrase together with the arpeggio features of the introduction can then be negotiated with a feeling of floating into the high register almost on the same embouchure. Additionally, moving seamlessly from low to high register either in a single leap or arpeggio can be further strengthened by experimenting with the exercise shown in Fig. 2a. For example, play the low C in bar 17 and then lift the mouthpiece off the bottom lip and start to ‘buzz’ with the embouchure while maintaining mouthpiece rim contact with the top lip. Use abdominal strength to increase air speed and ‘buzz’ up to top C (2 octaves) and then replace the mouthpiece properly on the embouchure resuming a normal tone.

Fig. 2a

Many players are concerned that they use a vastly different embouchure for the pedal range. In my experience this is acceptable provided that one avoids the tendency to over open the embouchure aperture as a response to the sight of ledger lines below the staff. Instead, try opening the throat or glottis as in

singing your lowest physical note while keeping the embouchure focussed. Excessive embouchure movement in obtaining pedals can, therefore, be controlled by practicing false harmonics starting by bending notes on the second harmonic ( ie low concert Bb) down a perfect 4 th while keeping the slide stationary. To facilitate this, try dropping the jaw down and forward and to encourage a pouting of the lips, pull the instrument subtly away from you. If you have an F attachment, continue from concert F in 1 st position with the trigger depressed. Note that the false low Bb in long 3 rd position should exhibit exactly the right shape and dimension to achieve a free and full pedal Bb in 1 st position on the open Bb trombone. It should be possible now to oscillate from low Bb to pedal Bb and back (either with the F or without if no F attachment is available) with smooth muscular and breath supported precision.

Fig. 3

Intonation while using the valve should be adjusted by an underatnding that the F trombone is longer (perfect 4 th lower), therefore, positions are extended with no actual 7 th (this being achieved by pulling the F attachment slide out fully to reach the additional semi-tone). A reliable guide is that by the time

one reaches low Db, one has slipped a whole position thus it can be obtained in the normal Bb trombone’s 6 th position with the trigger depressed.

This music poses a range of stylistic and interpretive choices. Listening to Pryor’s own recordings and indeed other artists from this era, one is struck by sometimes excessive ‘rubato’. Notable performances on CD exhibit wide range of readings from Ian Bousfield’s recent, most authentic account accompanied by the Black Dyke Band to Joseph Alessi’s technically spine chilling performance with the University of New Mexico Wind Symphony. However, in my opinion, one of the most satisfying accounts combining genuine musicality with technical assurance is from Ron Barron in 1977. On this splendid disc one also gets a fine selection of cornet solos performed with great panache by Gerard Schwartz plus the duet entitled Cousins, the album’s title.

Finally, if attempting this impressive and demanding solo, take every opportunity to prepare sensibly. You have to achieve near perfect precision while developing stamina to be assured of success when under performance conditions. Remember, seemingly innocent pieces like this can easily ‘bite back on the show’. Take the advice of several of today’s greatest exponents; even though they perform this solo regularly pre performance preparation still involves slow laborious practice to ensure co-ordinated muscle memory. Good luck !