Away, I’m Bound Away
a medley for solo with piano or band of “Shenandoah” and other nautical tunes
created by Neal Corwell
Instrumentation: solo tuba, euphonium or trombone with piano
or band-accompanied version for tuba solo*
*Please Specify if you want original low key (designed for tuba or bass trombone) OR alternate higher key (for euphonium, tenor trombone, or cello). The band accompaniment key is currently only available for low key. (If you have performance opportunity for higher key with band, please contact Dr. Corwell about possibility of creating a band accompaniment for you)
Copyright: 2013
Duration: 6:00
Range: F-sharp to e-1 for tuba or bass trombone low key
OR B-flat to a-flat1 for euphonium/trombone/cello alternate higher key
Difficulty: IV
Publisher: Nicolai Music
Price: $15 for piano accompanied versions
(or special deal! $20 for BOTH high and low key versions with piano accompaniment)
$55 for band-accompanied version (full score and parts - low key version only at this time)
Other Info: This piece is dedicated to the memory of Dave McFaddenc, Jr., a long-time member of the Hagerstown Municipal Band. On July 21, 2013 Dr. Corwell premiered the band-accompanied version with the Hagerstown Municipal Band in Hagerstown, Maryland.
As part of the Penn Alps Summer Concert Series in Grantsville, Maryland, the piano-accompanied version was premiered July 13, 2013, with Dr. Corwell playing tuba and Kathryn Sincell-Corwell playing piano.
TO PURCHASE
This medley begins and ends with expressive renditions of the famous and soulful tune Shenandoah. In contrast, the tunes that link the first and final statements of Shenandoah are light-hearted, irreverent, and are presented in a less than serious fashion. After all, what tuba player doesn’t love a good pirate drinking song? The sea shanties chosen for this piece are Sailing Sailing, The Sailor’s Hornpipe, Blow The Man Down, and What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor?
Although fun and exciting for the listener, this piece does not feature any extreme difficulties for the performer. The performer is given the opportunity to showcase his or her expressiveness and sensitivity during the opening and closing sections, and the central portion provides an opportunity to show off one’s dynamic range, solid technique, and capacity for having fun! The primary challenges are a few rapid sixteenth-note passages and the high sustained note at the end that brings the work to a quiet and moving conclusion.
This work was written as a tribute to the memory of Dave McFadden, a tuba player with the Hagerstown Municipal Band for over five decades. For about 35 years of those years, Neal Corwell played euphonium alongside Dave during the band’s summer concerts. Dave passed away in 2012 at the age of 91, but it is hoped that his spirit lives on in the pages of this medley. Although Dr. Corwell considers himself primarily a euphonium soloist, he premiered both versions of this piece (band-accompanied and piano accompanied) on tuba. To make the premieres extra special, the instrument used for both occasions was one previously owned by Mr. McFadden.