This piece is scored for tenor Wagner Tuba in Bb (or optionally for horn) and piano. While it can be performed on a single Wagner Tuba in Bb, it is ideally suited for a compensated or double tuba, as the written cadenza includes notes that are not accessible on a single instrument. Additionally, the cadenza requires the use of multiphonics, which may fall outside the player’s vocal range. Therefore, the cadenza can be simplified, adapted, or even rewritten by the performers to suit their instrument, vocal range, and technical abilities. As the piece was composed with a Bb instrument in mind, certain technical passages may be more challenging if played on the F side. Between letters D and G, there are written improvisations for both instruments, accompanied by chord symbols, allowing for these sections to be transformed into live improvisations.
—Ricardo Matosinhos
You can practise Song Without Words, Op. 80a, with the piano accompaniment in this video. From time to time, there are cues in the video to mark your entrance.
Song without words op.80a - for tenor wagner tuba (or horn in F) and piano