Category: composers, conductors, performers

The Lebedev Concerto for tuba (or bass trombone): clearing up some questions

The Lebedev Concerto for tuba (or bass trombone): clearing up some questions

by Douglas Yeo (September 10, 2026)

The first Concerto for Tuba and Piano by A. Lebedev is one of the most popular pieces in the repertoire for tuba and bass trombone players. I have performed it on many occasions, in recitals in the United States, Europe, and Asia, and I recorded it on my compact disc recording, Two of a Mind (link to Hickeys Music Center). Despite its popularity, Lebedev’s concerto raises a lot of questions, especially for bass trombone players.

Recently, my friend Brad Edwards—Professor of Trombone at Arizona State University—asked me some of those questions. With Brad’s questions fresh in my mind, I think this is a good time to do something I’ve thought about doing for many years—put together some of what I’ve learned about Lebedev’s concerto. Maybe what you read here will help answer some of your questions about the piece.

WHO WAS LEBEDEV?

First, we should straighten out the man’s name. In various publications and biographies, I have seen his name given as A. Lebedev, Alexej Lebedjew, Alexei Lebedev, and Alexey Konstantinovich Lebedev. The last one is a full, correct, English transliteration of his Russian name, and it is the way his name is spelled on the website of the Moscow Conservatory. That said, friends of mine who are native Russian speakers and readers have told me that Alexei is equally acceptable. “Lebedjew” has appeared on German editions of the concerto but that that’s a uniquely German rendering.

Alexey Lebedev (1924–1993) was a Russian tuba teacher, performer, and composer. A full biography of Lebedev appears on the website of the Moscow Conservatory (in Russian). In 2001, when I went looking for biographical information about Lebedev, the Conservatory had an English version of Lebedev’s biography but, unfortunately, that does not seem to be available today, and it was different than the version that appears in Russian on the Conservatory’s website today. Here is a printout (below) I made of the Conservatory’s English biography of Lebedev as it appeared on its website in 2001 (if you try the URL at the bottom of the bio’s page, you will see the link is broken today):

Biography of Alexey Lebedev as it appeared on the Moscow Conservatory website, December 5, 2001.

In 1998, the Tubists Universal Brotherhood Association, or T.U.B.A. (in 2000, the Association was renamed the International Tuba Euphonium Association, or ITEA) posthumously awarded Alexey Lebedev its prestigious  lifetime achievement award. At that time, the T.U.B.A. Journal published a short article about him with some biographical information (ITEA Journal 26, no. 1, Fall 1998, 22), “T.U.B.A. Gives Lifetime Achievement Award to Lebedev.” Since then, the ITEA has published several other tributes to Lebedev, including “Alexei K. Lebedev: Tubist, Pedagogue, and Composer” (September 1, 2022), and  “Alexei Konstantinovich Lebedev’s 100th Birthday Celebration“ (January 8, 2025). None of these articles have an author attribution. These articles are available to ITEA members and membership in ITEA is required for access.  Join ITEA now for immediate access to these resources.

THE FIRST PUBLISHED EDITION (1950)

Among Lebedev’s many compositions are two tuba concertos and a Concert Allegro for tuba. They are among the most popular and frequently performed works ever written for tuba, and bass trombonists—who have always looked for excellent repertoire composed for other instruments that might lend themselves well to performance on bass trombone—also play them. It is one particular adaptation of Lebedev’s first Concerto for Tuba and Piano that has caused a great deal of confusion for bass trombonists, and that edition, by Allen Ostrander, is the primary focus of this discussion.

Lebedev composed his Concerto for Tuba and Piano in 1947 when he was a student at the Moscow Conservatory. It was first published in 1950 by the Soviet Union’s State Music Publishing House (Moscow and Leningrad, catalog 21014). It was only after the publication of Lebedev’s second tuba concerto that the first concerto was renamed Concerto No. 1, although that was not the only name the concerto has been known by, as discussed below. The 1950 first edition does not have measure numbers or rehearsal letters, and tempo markings are in both Italian and Russian, as seen on the first page of the piano score, below:

• • •

Title page and first page of Alexey Lebedev’s Concerto for Tuba and Piano (Moscow and Leningrad, 1950)

THE SECOND PUBLISHED EDITION (1954)

In 1954, the concerto was republished by Friedrich Hofmeister of Leipzig (catalog 30219) which, at the time, was in what was known as East Germany. In this edition measure numbers are still not given, but Lebedev’s name is given a German transliteration (Lebedjew). The Russian tempo markings have been removed:

• • •

Title page and first page of Alexey Lebedev’s Concerto for Tuba and Piano (Leipzig: Friedrich Hofmeister, 1954).

THE 1995 EDITION

Hofmeister issued a new engraving of the concerto in 1995 (catalog FH 2317), two years after Lebedev’s death. This publication states that this edition is  “revidierte Fassung 1980” (revised version 1980) and it is therefore reasonable—but not certain—to assume that Lebedev approved the several changes that appear therein. In this publication, the title was changed to Konzert Nr. 1 für Tuba/Baßposaune und Orchester (Concerto No. 1 for Tuba or Bass Trombone and Orchestra). A new, four-measure introduction was added (based on the concerto’s second theme), and measure numbers and the years of Lebedev’s birth and death were also included.

Title page and first page of Alexey Lebedev’s Concerto No. 1 for Tuba/Bass Trombone and Piano (Leipzig: Friedrich Hofmeister, 1995).

The 1995 edition also includes a significant change in the piano accompaniment in measure 30 of this edition compared to the parallel place, measure 26, in the 1950 and 1954 editions. Look at and compare these measures:

Alexey Lebedev Concerto for Tuba (1950), measures 24–27.

Alexey Lebedev Concerto No. 1 for Tuba/Bass Trombone (1995), measures 27–29).

THE ORCHESTRA ACCOMPANIMENT (1999)

In 1999, Hofmeister issued an orchestra accompaniment for Concerto No. 1 (FH 8234). It is faithful in all musical respects to the 1995 edition, which was, again, positioned as “revised version 1980.” No arranger of this orchestra accompaniment is listed. Did Lebedev himself create this accompaniment? We don’t know. This orchestra accompaniment is available for rental on the Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag website. and the full score is available for purchase (the link is to Hickeys Music Center).

First page of the orchestra accompaniment for Alexey Lebedev Konzert No. 1 for Tuba/Bass Trombone and Orchestra(Leipzig: Friedrich Hofmeister, 1999).

ALLEN E. OSTRANDER AND THE LEBEDEV “CONCERTO IN ONE MOVEMENT”

In 1960, Edition Musicus (New York) published the Lebedev Concerto for Tuba in an edition by Allen E. Ostrander. Ostrander’s edition was the first publication of the concerto outside the Soviet bloc and it quickly became its most frequently performed version. Among many changes Ostrander made (discussed below), is this: he changed the title of the concerto to Concerto in One Movement.

First page of A. Lebedev  Concerto in One Movement, rearranged and edited by Allen Ostrander (Edition Musucus, 1960).

Allen Ostrander (1909–1994) graduated from Ithaca College (then the Ithaca Conservatory of Music) with a B.S. in instrumental music education in 1932. He subsequently was a member of the National Orchestral Association in New York City and joined the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington D.C.) as its bass trombonist in 1935. He was a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony for one season (1937–1938), a member of the NBC Symphony from 1938–1946 (he served in the U.S. Army from 1942–1945), and then was bass trombonist of the New York Philharmonic from 1946–1975. Ostrander then joined the faculty at his alma mater, Ithaca College, where he served as its trombone professor for a short time.

I knew Allen Ostrander. I grew up in Queens and Valley Stream, New York (I lived there from 1955–1971), and heard many concerts by the New York Philharmonic during those years. In 1972, after my family moved to New Jersey, I had several lessons with Ostrander in a music store in Teaneck, New Jersey where he taught private lessons. In the early 1990s, I had some correspondence with Ostrander. I was interested in acquiring a number of his trombone ensemble publications that had gone out of print. I asked if he had plans to re-issue them again. Unfortunately, I received an angry letter from him in which he complained bitterly about the “pirates” who had cheated him by photocopying much of his music and depriving him of royalties, and that he would not publish anything again. He had done so much for the bass trombone; the several versions of his bass trombone method book were very important to the evolution of bass trombone pedagogy in the mid 20th-century. His bitterness was a sad coda to a very influential life.

[An aside: For some insight into Ostrander’s early bass trombone method and its place in modern bass trombone pedagogy, see Jeanette Velasco, “A Comparative Analysis of Bass Trombone Method Books,” DMA document, Texas Christian University, 2025.]

I had heard that Ostrander discovered a copy of the Lebedev Concerto for Tuba in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. However, while working on his Doctor of Musical Arts monograph, “The Life and Work of the Orchestral Bass Trombonist, Allen Ostrander, and the Development of His Bass Trombone Methods and Solos” (Louisiana State University, 1992), Ronald G. Smith interviewed Ostrander about many subjects. Citing a letter he received from Ostrander dated January 13, 1985 and his interview with Ostrander (conducted between January 13–16, 1990), Smith wrote:

Another solo which Ostrander edited for bass trombone was a piece originally written for tuba, Concerto in One Movement by A. Lebedev, also published by Edition Musicus in 1960. He purchased from a music store a copy of the Russian edition for the tuba several years before the United States publication. (Smith, 136)

This telling of the Concerto in One Movement’s origin story is not wholly accurate. Ostrander could not have purchased a piece by A. Lebedev titled Concerto in One Movement because Lebedev himself never used that title. That title was Ostrander’s creation. However, it is entirely plausible that Ostrander purchased a copy of a Russian edition of the concerto in a music store.  He would have been in New York City at the time and there were certainly several music stores that might have stocked some publications from the USSR. Ostrander’s account of how he first obtained a copy of the Concerto for Tuba puts to rest the Library of Congress story.

Ostrander subsequently edited the concerto and it was published by Edition Musicus in 1960. At that time, the Soviet Union did not recognize or respect international copyright conventions. The Universal Copyright Convention had been signed by most countries in 1952 but the Soviet Union did not sign it until 1973. Before 1973, publishing companies in both the East and West published—a less polite word would be “stole”—music that was under copyright in one country but that copyright was not respected in another. Subsequently, many USA publishing companies published dozens and dozens of works without paying royalties to composers from the Soviet bloc. Pirates. And the Soviets did the same thing with music by American and European composers. Pirates. Did Edition Musicus pay royalties to Lebedev for Concerto in One Movement? I don’t know. I haven’t seen the payment ledgers. But we do know that Edition Musicus put a copyright notice on the Concerto In One Movement. That was not legal; Ostrander did not “materially change” Lebedev’s concerto enough to qualify for it to appear under copyright. Edition Musicus could have published Ostrander’s edition under license from the USSR’s State Music Publishing House but it did not. Instead, it published the concerto in the wild west of the Cold War’s murky copyright reality.

There is another important aspect to Ostrander’s edition: its printing is identical to that of the 1950 Soviet editions. It is as if Edition Musicus used the same engraving plate for Ostrander’s version that had been used when the concerto was first published. Ostrander made some editorial changes to the piece (discussed below) but with two notable exceptions, the actual printing of the music in Ostrander’s edition is the same as the first published edition.

OSTRANDER’S CHANGES TO LEBEDEV’S CONCERTO FOR TUBA

In his interview with Allen Ostrander, Ronald Smith discussed Ostrander’s arrangement of Lebedev’s Concerto for Tuba:

After playing it [Lebedev’s Concerto for Tuba] and deciding that he [Ostrander]  liked it, he made a few changes in the music to fit the bass trombone. He felt that the notes were fine as they were for bass trombone, so he simply added some style markings, breath marks, and suggestions for using the valve. (Smith, 136)

Let’s look at the changes that Allen Ostrander made to Lebedev’s concerto.

In addition to changing the concerto’s title to Concerto in One Movement, Ostrander added 30 breath marks. Lebedev had no breath marks in his original. To the opening phrase (measures 1–14) of the concerto, below, Ostrander added six breath marks, far more, in my opinion, than the musical idea supports (by comparison, I take 3 breaths in the same phrase):

Alexey Lebedev, Concerto in One Movement, rearranged and edited by Allen Ostrander (Edition Musicus, 1960), mm. 1–20.

Ostrander also added two suggested slide positions in measure 9, and he bracketed Lebedev’s trill marking in  measure 13 for tuba alone, not for bass trombone. [Bass trombonists, you can actually make this trill work really well if you play the B-natural in seventh position and then use the first valve—the F-attachment—for the C, also in seventh position. With a little practice, you can make this trill work nicely.]

Now, have a look at measure 17, above. Ostrander added a rit. (ritardando) on the third beat; he did the same thing in measure 58, below. Lebedev did not indicate a rit. in either of those instances. But this is an old trick for players: slow down the difficult parts.

Alexey Lebedev, Concerto in One Movement, rearranged and edited by Allen Ostrander (Edition Musicus, 1960), mm. 52–59.

Throughout Ostrander’s edition, he continued adding breath marks, making a few slide position suggestions (usually limited to suggesting that an individual play B-flat2 in third position using the F-attachment), marking the return of the trill in the recapitulation as for tuba only, and marking the pedal E1 as optional for bass trombone. All of these relatively minor editorial choices made sense to him and they can make sense to today’s players. However, Ostrander did make some radical changes to Lebedev’s concerto that dramatically changed the character and demands of the piece.

In measure 18–20, Lebedev dramatically interrupted the motion and contour of the melodic line by writing seven quarter and half notes for bass trombone and piano—in unison. This line is downward from its beginning at the second note of measure 18 (D-flat3) to its conclusion on the pedal E-flat1 (which both Lebedev and Ostrander marked as optional; a player can play the note an octave higher, an E-flat2). Here is what Lebedev wrote:

Alexey Lebedev Concerto for Tuba (1950), measures 17–21

Ostrander, on the other hand, changed the low C-flat1 to a pedal A-flat1 :

Alexey Lebedev, Concerto in One Movement, rearranged and edited by Allen Ostrander (Edition Musicus, 1960), mm. 17–21

As a result, Ostrander changed a descending line to a descending and then ascending line. When we look carefully at Ostrander’s edition, we can see that Edition Musicus did a crude “cut-and-paste job” to change the A-flat to a C-flat. The staff lines are not exactly lined up, and the flat symbol for the A-flat in the pianist’s right hand is slightly cut off. It’s not very elegant, but the intent is clear.

Ostrander made another significant change in measures 50, 51, and 52. In Lebedev’s own publications of the concerto, he wrote triplets on the first and third beats in each measure (only the first beat in measure 52):

Alexey Lebedev Concerto for Tuba (1950), measures 49–53

Ostrander changed the triplets to two sixteenth notes. Once more, like he did by adding rit. in several technical passages, Ostrander changed a difficult part to make it easier to play:

Alexey Lebedev, Concerto in One Movement, rearranged and edited by Allen Ostrander (Edition Musicus, 1960), mm. 49–53

These changes—changing the pitch of a note and changing the rhythm of several notes—are not small things. While Allen Ostrander is no longer with us and we cannot ask him to explain or defend his decisions, bass trombonists have asked this question over and over again, “Why did Ostrander make those changes?” We have some clues.

WHY DID OSTRANDER MAKE THOSE CHANGES?

Ronald Smith’s interview with Allen Ostrander addressed the changed C-flat:

He did change one note, a low C-flat to a pedal A-flat in the twentieth measure. Also, the accompaniment was changed in that particular measure because it played in octaves with the solo. (Smith, 136–137)

Ostrander did not, however, explain WHY he changed the note. But he alluded to “the low C-flat/B-natural problem”:

A low B was left in the last measure because Ostrander thought the bass trombonist had time to pull the valve tuning slide so it could be played in tune. (Smith, 137)

This sentence needs some unpacking and a little historical context.

Today’s double-valve bass trombone was born in 1938 when F. E. Olds Company of Fullerton, California, added a second valve to a single-valve bass trombone, thereby creating an instrument in B-flat (using no valves), F (using first valve alone), and E (using first and second valve together). This was a “dependent valve” bass trombone—the second valve had no impact on the pitch because it was dependent on the first valve being activated. This was the first double-valve bass trombone that was able to play a low B-natural 1 with the hand slide fully extended while using two valves.

F and E bass model (later named Super B-flat/F/E model, and still later, Model S-23) by F. E. Olds and Son, c. 1940. Collection of Jon Moyer; photo by Jon Moyer.

Olds was a niche market company on the West coast of the United States. As such, it was far from the large populations in the East and Midwest where most major orchestras in the country were found, such as Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, and Philadelphia. The Olds double-valve bass trombone was not widely adopted at the time of its invention; most bass trombonists of the first six decades of the twentieth century continued to use a single-valve bass trombone with an F-attachment.

With a single-valve bass trombone with an F-attachment, the lowest possible note with the hand slide fully extended (before playing pedal tones) is a low C2. It is not possible to play the low B-natural1 on a single valve bass trombone; the instruments’ tubing simply isn’t long enough. However, many manufacturers made their F-attachment tuning slide very long. By pulling the F-attachment tuning slide out, the F-attachment became an E-attachment (E2 played in first position when activating the valve) and—voilá!—the low B-natural could be played with the hand slide fully extended.

So, the B-natural WAS available on a single valve bass trombone, but you needed time to pull the F-attachment slide out, and then you needed to remember a new set of positions for any notes on the former F-attachment which was now an E-attachment. It worked, but it was cumbersome.

Alexey Lebedev, Concerto in One Movement, rearranged and edited by Allen Ostrander (Edition Musicus, 1960), mm. 98–120

Lebedev wrote a low B-natural1 in the last measure (measure 120) of his concerto (above).  Ostrander evidently felt that because a bass trombonist could pull out the F-attachment slide to make it an E-attachment and therefore play the low B-natural1, he would leave the note in, and not change it to something else like he did earlier in the piece. But just where would the player pull out his F-attachment tuning slide? Way back in the four-measure rest that began in measure 100. That would make for many notes played on the E-valve, and it would have been a bit of a brain twister for most bass trombonists to remember the new slide positions. But it could be done.

But we have to ask ourselves: Why was Allen Ostrander assuming that players would be using a single-valve bass trombone with an F-attachment? After all, with a double-valve bass trombone of any configuration (dependent or in-line), the low-B natural is quite easy to produce without any slide pulling gymnastics.

We learn the answer  by understanding the development of the double-valve bass trombone. When Olds developed and began marketing their double-valve dependent model bass trombone in 1938, most players didn’t notice. Meanwhile, on the east coast, bass trombonists Kauko Kahila (Boston Symphony Orchestra 1952–1972), Allen Ostrander (New York Philharmonic, 1946–1975), and Louis Counihan (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, 1944–1968) began working with the Roth-Reynolds Company (Cleveland, Ohio) to develop a dependent double-valve bass trombone in B-flat/F/E. That instrument, the Roth–Reynolds Stereophonic Contempora model 78-X (and model 72-X) was introduced in 1958. Here is an advertisement from 1959 that features Allen Ostrander endorsing his double-valve Roth–Reynolds bass trombone:

Roth–Reynolds trombone advertisement featuring Allen Ostrander, 1958. Courtesy of ElShaddai Edwards.

In 1960, when Ostrander published his edition of Lebedev’s concerto, the double-valve bass trombone was new, notwithstanding Olds’ mostly overlooked contribution over twenty years earlier. Most bass trombonists did not adopt Reynolds’ double-valve model right away; it wasn’t until the late 1960s that bass trombonists widely began embracing the double-valve bass trombone. In fact, Ostrander himself didn’t immediately use his Roth–Reynolds double-valve bass trombone much. In 1960, Ostrander, Kahila, and Counihan were featured in advertisement for Reynolds bass trombones, but this time, it was the Roth–Reynolds Contempora Philharmonic Model bass trombone—a SINGLE-VALVE bass trombone—they were endorsing. Even the players who worked with Roth–Reynolds to develop their double-valve bass trombone did not embrace it wholly in its early years.

Roth–Reynolds bass trombone advertisement featuring Kauko Kahila, Louis Counihan, and Allen Ostrander, 1960. Courtesy of ElShaddai Edwards.

Given that most bass trombonists in 1960 had probably never heard or, or seen, or much less played a double-valve bass trombone, Ostrander probably felt that changing the low C-flat1 in measure 18 of Lebedev’s concert was a very practical concession. If he had left that low C-flat 1 in the part, most bass trombonists of the era would have either taken the note up an octave (not, in my opinion, a viable option musically), or lipped a low C-2 with the hand slide fully extended down to pitch as a C-flat1 (another questionable decision). Hence, the note was changed to an A-flat1.

A quick aside: For more about the evolution of the double-valve bass trombone—including how today’s modern “in-line” double valve bass trombone came to be—have a look at my article, “Evolution: The Double-Valve Bass Trombone,” International Trombone Association Journal 43, no. 3 (July 2015), 34–43. You can read it HERE. It unpacks a great more about the development of the double-valve bass trombone including the invention of the earliest known trombone with in-line valves, a concept that was applied to a contrabass trombone (not a bass trombone) in Germany 1921. That it took until the 1970s for the in-line concept to be applied to bass trombones is a head-scratcher, and part of the story I tell in my article.

Back to Lebedev. . .

We still have to ask ourselves why Ostrander changed the triplets in measures 50 and 51 to two sixteenth notes. The same for his adding rit. on two technical passages. I can’t read his intentions, but my guess is that he concluded that most players would find the sixteenth notes easier to play than the faster triplets, and slowing a brisk technical passage was simply an easier way to make it work. Ostrander was not known for having a blistering technique; maybe he felt they were easier for himself, too.  We don’t know.

WHAT EDITION SHOULD WE PLAY NOW?

Today, two editions of the Lebedev Concerto for Tuba are available: the 1995 edition by Hofmeister (the link is to Hickey’s Music Center) or Ostrander’s 1960 adaptation as Concerto in One Movement (the link is to Hickey’s Music Center). For me, there’s no question that we should play the Hofmeister edition. It is faithful to Lebedev’s intentions in every respect. Ostrander’s arrangement was useful during a time when, in the West, the USSR and East German editions of the concerto were simply not widely available. With the modern advances in bass trombone development—both the instrument and the individuals who play it—today’s players have no reason to play Ostrander’s simplified version, unless one wants to play it “for old time’s sake.” I recorded the 1995 Hofmeister edition and I have always encouraged my students to play that edition ever since it was published. Thankfully, we longer have Cold War music distribution challenges. Acquiring Lebedev’s concerto in an edition he approved is now as simple as clicking a mouse.

Still, this conversation about Alexey Lebedev’s Concerto for Tuba provides us with a glimpse into Cold War musical politics, the development of the modern double-valve bass trombone, and how players (and arrangers) often make changes to a composer’s intentions for practical reasons.

Now you know the answers to some of your burning questions about the Lebedev concerto. You did have burning, questions, right?

 

 

 

100 years ago today – Rochut, Brahms 1, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra

100 years ago today – Rochut, Brahms 1, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra

by Douglas Yeo (October 9, 2025)

Readers of The Last Trombone know something about the life and work of the French trombonist, trombonist Joannès Rochut, who was principal trombonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1925–1930. I have written several articles about Rochut—who is best known for his influential books for trombone, Melodious Etudes for Trombone, arranged from the Vocalises of Marco Bordogni—here on The Last Trombone. You can find those articles here:

In addition, I wrote a 70 page article about Rochut’s life and work, “More than Bordogni: The Life, Work, and Influence of Joannès Rochut,” that appeared in the January 2025 International Trombone Association Journal.

Today, October 9, 2025, is the 100th anniversary of the first concert that Joannès Rochut played with the Boston Symphony. Here is the program and the list of orchestra personnel from the concert:

Program for the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s opening night concert of October 10, 1925

Boston Symphony Orchestra personnel as printed in the program for the concert of October 9, 1925

Here is a photograph of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, taken in fall 1925. Joannès Rochut is in the back row of the orchestra just in front of the right side of a doorway that’s in the center of the back wall of the stage. To his left are assistant principal trombonist Eugène Adam, second trombonist Lucien Hansotte, bass trombonist Leroy Kenfield, and tubist Paul Sidow.

Boston Symphony Orchestra on stage at Symphony Hall, Boston. Serge Koussevitzky, conductor. Fall, 1925. Courtesy Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.

Detail of the photo above. Back row, left to right: Joannès Rochut, Eugène Adam, Lucien Hansotte, Leroy Kenfield, Paul Sidow (tuba)

This anniversary means a little more to me than the fact that I have been fascinated with Rochut’s life and work for over 40 years. That’s because he and I share a connection to our first opening night programs as members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

On October 1, 1985, I played my first opening night concert as bass trombonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. I joined the BSO in May 1985 and played several weeks of the 1985 Boston Pops season and all of the orchestra’s 1985 summer season at Tanglewood. But opening night of each Boston Symphony season was always a special event. As you can see from the program below, Rochut’s first opening night concert with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and mine shared something: we both played Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 on the concert. He was conducted by Serge Koussevitzky; I was conducted by Seiji Ozawa.

Program of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s opening night concert of October 1, 1985

Boston Symphony Orchestra personnel as printed in the program for the concert of October 1, 1985

I don’t have a photograph of the Boston Symphony from my first full season with the orchestra, 1985–1986. But here is the earliest photo I have of the orchestra after I joined, taken in Symphony Hall during the 1987-1988 season.  The trumpets and trombones are along the back wall of the stage (left to right): assistant principal trumpeter Timothy Morrison, second trumpeter Peter Chapman, principal trumpeter Charles Schlueter, principal trombonist Ronald Barron, second trombonist Norman Bolter, bass trombonist Douglas Yeo, and tubist Chester Schmitz.

Boston Symphony Orchestra on stage at Symphony Hall, Boston. Seiji Ozawa, conductor. 1987–1988 season. Courtesy Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.

Detail of the photo above. Back row, left to right: Timothy Morrison, Peter Chapman, Charles Schlueter, Ronald Barron, Norman Bolter, Douglas Yeo, Chester Schmitz (tuba).

There you have it. Two opening night Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts, 65 years apart. Both concerts were in Symphony Hall, Boston. One common piece, the Symphony No. 1 in C minor of Johannes Brahms. And two new members of the trombone section, Joannès Rochut and me.

This makes me smile. 

[Header image: The trombone chorale from the 4th movement of Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1.]

Honoring Joannès Rochut in Paris

Honoring Joannès Rochut in Paris

by Douglas Yeo (September 12, 2025) — Cet article paraît en français ci-dessous.

Trombonists around the world are well acquainted with the life and work of Joannès Rochut (1881–1952). Readers of TheLastTrombone may remember the several articles I wrote about him here:

Since 1928, trombone players have relied on Rochut’s three volumes of Melodious Etudes for Trombone, adapted from the vocalises of Marco Bordogni, as important material for development of legato and expressive styles. In January 2025, the International Trombone Association Journal published its largest issue to date, which included my 70-page article, “More Than Bordogni: The Life, Work, and Influence of Joannès Rochut.” In the course of my research, I connected with Rochut’s great-granddaughter, Julie Rochut. From her home in Paris, Julie generously shared family photographs and information—much of it gleaned from conversations with her father, Bernard, and her uncle, Jean-Jacques—that greatly enriched my work.

The entrance to Bagneux Cemetery, France.

In August 2025, my wife, Patricia, and I traveled to Paris to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. The trip gave me the chance to meet Julie in person and thank her for her invaluable help. As our plans to meet unfolded, we agreed to gather at the final resting place of Joannès Rochut and his wife, Louise, in Bagneux Cemetery, just south of Paris.

Douglas Yeo with members of the Rochut family at Bagneux Cemetery, France. Left to right: Douglas Yeo, Sophie Rochut, Bernard Rochut, Arthur Allouti-Rochut, Inès Allouti-Rochut, Julie Rochut. August 23, 2025.

Benny Sluchin—my friend and colleague and co-recipient along with me of the International Trombone Association’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award—had previously visited the cemetery, photographing Rochut’s grave for my article. Benny joined Patricia and me on our visit, where we were welcomed by several members of the Rochut family: Bernard Rochut (grandson of Joannès), Julie and her sister Sophie (great-granddaughters), and Sophie’s children, Inès and Arthur Allouti-Rochut (great-great-grandchildren).

Commemorative plaque commissioned by Douglas Yeo for the grave of Joannès Rochut (2025).

Ahead of our trip, I commissioned a commemorative plaque for Rochut’s grave to honor his enduring influence. I installed on behalf of the ITA and the Boston Symphony Orchestra; the marker bears the following text:

Joannès Rochut

1881–1952

The International Trombone Association and

Boston Symphony Orchestra honor Joannès Rochut

For his lasting contributions to musical art.

 

L’Association Internationale du Trombone et

l’Orchestre Symphonique de Boston rendent hommage à Joannès Rochut

Pour ses contributions durables à l’art musical.

 

Principal trombonist, Boston Symphony Orchestra, 1925–1930

Arranger, “Melodious Etudes for Trombone,” 1928

Recipient, ITA Legacy Circle Award, 2021

This is the second commemoration of Rochut’s work that appears at his grave. The grave also includes a tribute to Rochut from his colleagues at Radiodifussion-télévision française (R.T.F.), where he served as Régisseur général des Orchestres (general manager) from 1935 until his death in 1952. This beautiful tribute—carved in stone in the shape of an open book—reads:

SOUVENIR

REGIE DES ORCHESTRAS DE LA R.T.F.

(A remembrance from the Management of the Orchestras of the R.T.F.)

 

Tribute to Joannès Rochut by his colleagues at Radiodiffusion-télévision française.

At the gravesite, Bernard Rochut brought forth several photographs of Joannès, a photograph of a valve trombone Rochut had owned, and an eight-page hand-written letter Rochut sent in 1930 to his son, Robert, just before Joannès concluded his tenure with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Joannès Rochut riding motorcycle with his son Robert. Undated photo from Bernard Rochut.

The Rochut family also holds additional music manuscripts in Rochut’s hand which they plan to share with me for possible future publication. These materials will form the basis of a forthcoming update to my earlier article.

Inscription on the grave of Joannès Rochut.

As we look ahead to the 150th anniversary of Rochut’s birth in 2031, it is especially meaningful to see his great-great-grandchildren continuing in his path: Inès (trombone) and Arthur (percussion) are members of the Paris Opera’s first youth orchestra, Apprentissage de l’orchestre. Their love of music reminds us that Rochut’s legacy is not only preserved in print and performance but is also alive in the next generation of musicians who carry his name—and his influence—into the future.

The grave of Joannès and Louise Rochut, Bagneux Cemetery, France.

• • • • •

Honorer Joannès Rochut à Paris

par Douglas Yeo (12 septembre 2025)

Les trombonistes du monde entier connaissent bien la vie et l’œuvre de Joannès Rochut (1881–1952). Les lecteurs de TheLastTrombone se souviendront peut-être des plusieurs articles que j’ai écrits à son sujet:

Depuis 1928, les trombonistes s’appuient sur les trois volumes des Melodious Etudes for Trombone de Rochut, adaptés des vocalises de Marco Bordogni, comme matériel essentiel pour développer le style legato et expressif. En janvier 2025, le International Trombone Association Journal a publié son plus grand numéro à ce jour, comprenant mon article de 70 pages “More Than Bordogni: The life, work, and influence of Joannès Rochut.” Au cours de mes recherches, j’ai établi un lien avec l’arrière-petite-fille de Rochut, Julie Rochut. Depuis son domicile parisien, Julie a généreusement partagé des photographies de famille et des informations—dont une grande partie recueillie lors de conversations avec son père, Bernard, et son oncle, Jean-Jacques—qui ont considérablement enrichi mon travail.

En août 2025, mon épouse Patricia et moi nous sommes rendus à Paris pour célébrer notre 50e anniversaire de mariage. Ce voyage m’a donné l’occasion de rencontrer Julie en personne et de la remercier pour son aide inestimable. Au fil de nos conversations, nous avons convenu de nous rassembler au lieu de repos final de Joannès et de son épouse, Louise, au cimetière de Bagneux, juste au sud de Paris.

Benny Sluchin—mon ami, collègue et co-récipiendaire avec moi du Prix pour Lifetime Achievement Award par l’International Trombone Association en 2024—avait déjà visité le cimetière, photographiant la tombe de Rochut pour mon article. Benny s’est joint à Patricia et moi lors de notre visite, où nous avons été accueillis par plusieurs membres de la famille Rochut: Bernard Rochut (petit-fils de Joannès), Julie et sa sœur Sophie (arrière-petites-filles), et les enfants de Sophie, Inès et Arthur Allouti-Rochut (arrière-arrière-petits-enfants).

Avant notre voyage, j’avais commandé une plaque commémorative pour la tombe de Rochut afin d’honorer son influence durable. Je l’ai installée au nom de l’Association Internationale du Trombone et du Boston Symphony Orchestra ; elle porte l’inscription suivante:

Joannès Rochut

1881–1952

The International Trombone Association and

Boston Symphony Orchestra honor Joannès Rochut

For his lasting contributions to musical art.

 

L’Association Internationale du Trombone et

l’Orchestre Symphonique de Boston rendent hommage à Joannès Rochut

Pour ses contributions durables à l’art musical.

 

Principal trombonist, Boston Symphony Orchestra, 1925–1930

Arranger, “Melodious Etudes for Trombone,” 1928

Recipient, ITA Legacy Circle Award, 2021

Il s’agit de la deuxième commémoration de l’œuvre de Rochut figurant sur sa tombe. Elle comporte également un hommage de ses collègues de la Radiodiffusion-télévision française (R.T.F.), où il fut Régisseur général des Orchestres de 1935 jusqu’à sa mort. Ce bel hommage—gravé dans la pierre en forme de livre ouvert—porte l’inscription:

SOUVENIR

RÉGIE DES ORCHESTRES DE LA R.T.F.

Au cimetière, Bernard Rochut a présenté plusieurs photographies de Joannès, une photo d’un trombone à pistons lui ayant appartenu, ainsi qu’une lettre manuscrite de huit pages que Rochut envoya en 1930 à son fils Robert, juste avant de conclure son mandat avec le Boston Symphony Orchestra.

La famille Rochut conserve également d’autres manuscrits musicaux de sa main qu’elle prévoit de partager avec moi pour une éventuelle publication future. Ces documents formeront la base d’une prochaine mise à jour de mon article précédent.

Alors que nous nous tournons vers le 150e anniversaire de la naissance de Rochut en 2031, il est particulièrement émouvant de voir ses arrière-arrière-petits-enfants marcher dans ses pas: Inès (trombone) et Arthur (percussions) sont membres du premier orchestre de jeunes de l’Opéra de Paris, Apprentissage de l’orchestre. Leur amour de la musique nous rappelle que l’héritage de Rochut ne se conserve pas seulement dans les partitions et les concerts, mais qu’il vit également à travers la nouvelle génération de musiciens qui portent son nom—et son influence—vers l’avenir.

La famille de Robert Rochut, Marseille, France, v. 1942.

Rang arrière: Joannès Rochut, Robert Rochut (fils de Joannès). Rang avant: Jean-Jacques (fils de Robert et Arlette), Arlette (épouse de Robert), Philippe (fils de Robert et Arlette), Louise (épouse de Joannès), Bernard (fils de Robert et Arlette). Collection de la famille Rochut.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few Olympic Games surprises: Miracle and Bugler’s Dream.

A few Olympic Games surprises: Miracle and Bugler’s Dream.

by Douglas Yeo (July 29, 2025)

During my long career as bass trombonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1985–2012), I participated in hundreds of recording sessions that resulted in commercially available records, CDs, and streaming. Works by Brahms (the symphonies and Ein Deutsches Requiem), Mahler (Symphonies 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10), Ravel (a dozen works), Franck (Symphonie in d minor), and many other great composers, plus dozens of recordings with the Boston Pops Orchestra. In addition, I played on three film scores recorded by the Boston Symphony Orchestra: Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan (music by John Williams) and Mystic River (music by Clint Eastwood—sort of—but there’s a story behind that for another time. . .). The recording sessions for these films remain very memorable to me.

Covers to soundtrack albums recorded by the Boston Symphony Orchestra: Schindler’s List (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), and Mystic River (2003)

Work rules and payments for recording sessions are governed by agreements made between orchestras and their players, and the players are represented by the American Federation of Musicians (AFM). These agreements cover working conditions for the sessions (how long they are, when and how long a break in a session occurs), and payment. I always looked at recording sessions as one of the great benefits of playing in the BSO, because not only was playing great music that would be enjoyed by the public over and over and I was  being paid my regular weekly salary as a member of the orchestra, but I received an additional payment for playing the actual recording sessions. Then, it came as a surprise to me after my first season with the BSO that every year thereafter, I received a check—usually in the summer—that represented royalty, residual, and secondary market payments for those same sessions. Recording sessions were—and are—the gift that keeps on giving to this present day.

Those annual royalty payments fluctuate up and down, and each year, I receive a detailed statement that explains the amount I am paid for each film score or orchestral recording I made. A few years ago, I noticed a new entry on my annual Film Musicians and Secondary Markets Fund statement. In addition to entries for Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, and Mystic River, there was another movie listed: Miracle.

Promotional poster for Miracle (2004)

I didn’t remember playing any recording sessions for Miracle—a movie about the 1980 United States Winter Olympics men’s hockey team that defeated the Soviet Union’s team in the semi-final round and went on to defeat Finland to win the gold medal. But I certainly remember those Olympic games, and I had a vague recollection that a movie had been made about the team and their stunning victory. I don’t go to many movies, so it’s not surprising that I missed it.

But why was Miracle appearing on my annual film payments statement? I asked the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s manager about this and there was a simple explanation: the producers of Miracle wanted to use some music from a Boston Pops Orchestra recording in the film’s soundtrack. They didn’t need to convene a new recording session to do so. They just needed to get permission and pay royalties to the players who were on the original recording session.

As it turned out, the music that Miracle wanted to use was Bugler’s Dream by Leo Arnaud. Arnaud—who was a trombonist and successful composer and arranger who, after moving to the United States from his native France in 1931, worked on more than 160 films. Bugler’s Dream was composed in 1959. It was not “official music” for the Olympics but it was picked up and used by ABC television for their broadcast of the 1968 Winter Olympics (Grenoble, Switzerland). Since then, it has become an iconic piece that’s associated with the Olympic games.

Now, a quick aside. Since 1896, the International Olympic Committee has commissioned music for each Olympics. While Bugler’s Dream was not officially composed for the Olympics, the story of the music that was written for the games is told in William K. Guegold’s book, 100 years of Olympic Music: Music and Musicians of the Modern Olympic Games 1896–1996 (Mantua, Ohio: Golden Clef Publishing, 1996). The book, which is out of print but used copies are readily available, opens with an interview of John Williams and contains detailed commentary about music written for the Olympics including many samples of scores and other images. It’s a fascinating book.

Cover to William K. Guegold’s 100 Years of Olympic Music: Music and Musicians of the Modern Olympic Games 1896–1996

In 1996, the Boston Pops Orchestra made the official album of music for the 1996 Olympics (Atlanta, Georgia). John Williams was commissioned to write the theme music for those Olympic games, and that piece turned out to be Summon the Heroes; that was also the title of the compact disc recording that also included several other Olympic themed selections. Williams had previously written theme music for two other Olympic games: Olympic Fanfare and Theme (1984 Olympic Games, Los Angeles, California), and The Olympic Spirit ( 1988 Olympic Games, Seoul, Korea; this theme was composed for NBC’s television coverage), and in 2002, Williams wrote Call of the Champions (2002 Olympic Games, Salt Lake City, Utah).

For the broadcast of the 1996 Olympic games on NBC, John Williams created a medley that began with Arnaud’s Bugler’s Dream and continued with Williams’ own Olympic Fanfare and Theme. This mashup of two familiar Olympic related pieces proved to be very popular. So popular that many people now assume that Williams wrote Bugler’s Dream. But the recording makes clear who wrote what; there are two pieces with two composers clearly identified on the printed notes to the recording.

Page from the accompanying booklet to the CD recording, Summon the Heroes (Boston Pops Orchestra, John Williams, conductor)

You can hear this recording of the medley of  Bugler’s Dream and John Williams’ Olympic Fanfare and Theme recorded by the Boston Pops Orchestra with John Williams conducting on the 1996 recording, Summon the Heroes, HERE.

Back to Miracle. The movie about the 1980 US Olympic hockey team wanted to use Arnaud’s Bugler’s Dream, so all of a sudden, I was listed as a performer on the movie’s soundtrack. My contribution: 53 seconds of music. So, each year since 2005, I’ve received a small payment for Miracle in my annual royalty check. The other day, my wife and I finally got around to watching Miracle. It’s a terrific story that’s well told. And there it was: at the beginning of the scene where the US Olympic team gets off the bus in Lake Placid, New York (images below), you can hear the Boston Pops Orchestra playing Bugler’s Dream.

Images from the movie Miracle, showing the moment when Bugler’s Dream is heard, and the end credits.

By the way, if you purchase the soundtrack recording to Miracle, you won’t find the Boston Pops Orchestra track there. The soundtrack album only includes some original music  for the movie composed by Mark Isham (four tracks), and songs by Blue Öyster Cult, J. Geils Band, and Jay Ferguson that were used in the movie. If you want the Bugler’s Dream recording that appears on Miracle, you can purchase the Summon The Heroes recording on amazon.com; you’ll find it there as an LP, CD, or streaming on amazon music.

That’s the first Olympic Games surprise to share with you. At least it was a surprise to me to find myself with credit as a performer on another movie. But here’s another Olympic Games surprise.

A few years ago, I began researching Maurice Ravel’s iconic composition, Bolero. The result of that research will be told in my forthcoming article, “Maurice Ravel’s Bolero: A Fresh Look at a Familiar Masterpiece.” The article will be published in two parts, in the October 2025 and January 2026 issues of the International Trombone Association Journal. In the article, I discuss the origin of Bolero, its premiere and other early performances, and I offer insights and discoveries about Bolero’s famous trombone solo. I’m not going to spoil the story here—you’ll have to read the article for yourself when it comes out—but one of the things I researched were the many claims that Leo Arnaud made about Ravel and Bolero. Arnaud often told stories about his friendship with Ravel, so I wanted to investigate them.

Among the things I researched was Arnaud’s Bugler’s Dream. I wanted to mention Arnaud’s most famous composition when I wrote about him in my Bolero article, but as I always do when I write about history, I do my due diligence to verify everything I read before I write about it. As I was investigating Bugler’s Dream, I learned a lot about the piece that was new to me. And it’s probably new to you, too.

I had known about and performed Bugler’s Dreams for many years. Those 53 seconds of music are an indelible part of our Olympic  Games consciousness. During my research, I learned that Bugler’s Dream was commissioned by conductor Felix Slatkin (father of conductor Leonard Slatkin) in 1959 for the LP recording, Charge! Side 1 of the record has three compositions listed as composed by Arnaud (Charge!, Drummer Boys, and Bugler’s Dream), and side 2 has three arrangements by Arnaud (Fifes and Drums, Bagpipes and Drums, and When Johnny Comes Marching Home).

Front and back covers to Charge! (1959), conducted by Felix Slatkin

I purchased a copy of the Charge! LP and when I listened to it, there were more surprises. The 53 seconds of Bugler’s Dream that we all know and love is only the first part of the composition with that title. Bugler’s Dream is actually 3:55 long. There are five other sections to the piece, and the opening theme is not reprised. So, when we hear Bugler’s Dream on Olympic Games broadcasts, we’re hearing just the first part of the whole piece. Have a listen, below, to the complete Bugler’s Dream, the first 3:55 of this recording on YouTube:

But wait, there’s more.

As I continued researching Bugler’s Dream, there was another surprise waiting for me. Those first 53 seconds of Bugler’s Dream were not COMPOSED by Leo Arnaud. They were ARRANGED by him. While the label of the disc credits Arnaud as the composer of Bugler’s Dream—and every time the piece is recorded or played in concert, Arnaud is credited as the composer—the liner notes to Charge! tell a different story: 

Incipit about Bugler’s Dream from the back cover of Charge!

Bugler’s Dream was “derived from various bugle calls,” and is a “fantasy of classical fanfares and radically modern cadenzas.” Bugler’s Dream is an arrangement. But of what?

I dug around some more and found the source for the famous theme that is credited to Arnaud and heard by millions of people at Olympic Games. The opening theme of Bugler’s Dream was written by Joseph-David Buhl (1781–1860). Buhl was a French trumpeter and composer who revised and wrote many bugle calls for the French Military under Napoleon Bonaparte and Louis XVIII. He published a method for trumpet in 1825, and in his time was highly regarded as a player, band leader, and composer.  

One of Buhl’s bugle calls was Salut aux étendards (sonnerie triumphal) — Salute to the Standards (Triumphal Fanfare). It was recorded on the 1986 LP, Glorie à la Cavalerie, with Les Trompettes du “boute-selle” and La Fanfare du 2e Régiment de hussars, conducted by Éric Conrad. Have a listen to Buhl’s fanfare, above. You’ll immediately recognize it as the source for Bugler’s Dream.

Front and back covers to Gloire à la Cavalerie (1986), conducted by Éric Conrad

Leo Arnaud’s Bugler’s Dream begins with an arrangement of Joseph-David Buhl’s Salut aux étendards, and then moves to several more themes. I have not researched the source of these other themes but given what the liner notes to Charge! say about Bugler’s Dream — that it was “derived from various bugle calls” —  I would not be surprised if the other themes in Bugler’s Dream were composed by someone other than Arnaud, too. And wouldn’t be surprised at all  if the rest of Bugler’s Dream was also composed by Buhl. I’ll keep looking. It’s time to research French bugle calls.

Joseph-David Buhl died 165 years ago. He is not here to claim his rightful credit (and royalties, which must be considerable) for a piece that has become an iconic part of the modern Olympic Games. But the next time you hear Bugler’s Dream, tip your hat to Buhl. We can be grateful to Leo Arnaud for making Buhl’s fanfare famous to today’s ears. But we give Arnaud too much credit if we say Bugler’s Dream was composed by him. It was not. Arnaud should have given Buhl credit. Here’s how we should refer to the piece:

Joseph-David Buhl: Salut aux étendards. Arranged and adopted by Leo Arnaud as Bugler’s Dream.

Let’s give credit where credit is due.