The title tells the story: this is aimed not at the brass historian so much as the professional or academic low-brass player. Still, many of us are that too, and it offers an absorbing and comprehensive view of our instruments and their craft and lore. Douglas Yeo’s definitions and explanations are clear and concise, and the drawings, most of them from photographs by Lennie Peterson, are elegant and surprisingly instructive.
This excellent reference book by Doug Yeo provides exactly what the title promises; it is a dictionary, and the words, names and phrases are carefully topical, giving enough insight into peripheral topics (e.g. serpents and ophicleides) to be of certain interest to players of the titular instruments without causing bloat.
An Illustrated Dictionary for the Modern Trombone, Euphonium, and Tuba Player is grounded, comprehensive, and easily digestible throughout. Particularly notable is Yeo’s head-on approach to recognizing areas and individuals previously neglected by general scholarship.
Douglas Yeo has hit a home run by crafting the most comprehensive one-volume compendium of information near and dear to low brass performers, teachers, and enthusiasts. His knowledge, experience, and expertise on the subjects are nonpareil.
Of all the people that could have been chosen for the task of creating a dictionary for the modern lowbrass player, Yeo is perhaps the most appropriate to undertake such a project. As a performer – having served as bass trombonist in the Boston Symphony Orchestra for nearly 30 years – and pedagogue – having held faculty positions at the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston University, the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, Arizona State University, and Wheaton College - his name is recognized and respected in the world of modern low brass. Additionally, he is a well-known champion for and practitioner of historical lowbrass instruments, which, with his practiced eye and knowledge of the history of these instruments, serves the dictionary and its readers well. "is interest and yearning for knowledge are clearly the driving forces behind the volume’s success, making it an invaluable resource for any modern low-brass practitioners, students and teachers, amateurs and professionals.
The Galpin Society Journal
I am thrilled to add this resource to my collection. I believe that it is a mandatory addition to the library of any low brass player and will be invaluable to any performer, educator, or student who is interested in taking a deep dive into the history and development of the tuba, euphonium, or trombone.
International Tuba Euphonium Association Journal
This is a reference that encompasses everything one needs to know as a low brass player—plus more. The illustrations are well crafted and helpful, and the book is conveniently organized in such a way that anyone can easily navigate the information.
This is an excellent first step for reference or research. There are exhaustive references to outside sources for further study and the 13-page bibliography is perhaps the most comprehensive resource available. This is one of the books that should be on every teacher’s shelf and in every academic library.
International Trombone Association Journal
For this volume on low brass instruments in its "Dictionaries for the Modern Musician" series, Rowman & Littlefield turned to Douglas Yeo, a leading US trombone performer/scholar. Formerly bass trombonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Yeo currently teaches trombone at Wheaton College. Like other titles in the series, e.g., Elisa Koehler's Dictionary for the Modern Trumpet Player, this slender volume provides brief, well-researched entries covering myriad aspects of the history and playing techniques of the instruments along with brief biographies of individuals deemed to have "significantly changed the path of [an] instrument's performance, pedagogy, repertoire, research, or manufacturing" (p. 2). Yeo made a particular effort to highlight women, African Americans, and persons of color who contributed in important ways to low brass. No photos are included, but excellent illustrations created by Lennie Peterson, an award-winning artist and educator and a professional trombonist, enhance many entries. All in all, a fine overview of low brass instruments that will be valuable to novices and professionals alike. Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.
Not simply a re-telling of past voices, but strong, new stories and insight, this book presents an honest look at past societal missteps and biases, and provides a way forward for reconciliation, as an example of how musicians today can honor our past while recognizing a better future.
For this volume on low brass instruments in its "Dictionaries for the Modern Musician" series, Rowman & Littlefield turned to Douglas Yeo, a leading US trombone performer/scholar. Formerly bass trombonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Yeo currently teaches trombone at Wheaton College. Like other titles in the series, e.g., Elisa Koehler's Dictionary for the Modern Trumpet Player, this slender volume provides brief, well-researched entries covering myriad aspects of the history and playing techniques of the instruments along with brief biographies of individuals deemed to have "significantly changed the path of [an] instrument's performance, pedagogy, repertoire, research, or manufacturing" (p. 2). Yeo made a particular effort to highlight women, African Americans, and persons of color who contributed in important ways to low brass. No photos are included, but excellent illustrations created by Lennie Peterson, an award-winning artist and educator and a professional trombonist, enhance many entries. All in all, a fine overview of low brass instruments that will be valuable to novices and professionals alike. Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.
