USA (symphonic use) bass-tuba-phobia (a nonsensical rant)

[Mary Ann]

I've only seen a little speculation about what a bass tuba actually was when Heldenleben was written, and further speculation on the difference between the original scribbled parts and what editors have done since then. If I were curious enough to try to nail down the composer's intention, that's where I would go. But also a consideration is what the composer would like to hear given today's instruments. I have been astonished at what has been done in performances of the very few things I have out there, that took off in directions that had nothing whatsoever to do with the original intent, so I wonder how many dead composers are spinning in their graves. I think a composition is a bit like a Facebook post, which is worse than a post here -- people just take off in directions that the OP cannot fathom.

[bloke]

I understand liberal interpretations of "tuba".
I'm not the most rigid in that regard, but I have retreated to using an instrument like a compensating euphonium to play most Berlioz works (unless it isn't my choice)...and unless it's just going to be crazy loud and I just can't make enough racket with that thing. I also use that instrument to play most French composer's works, unless I think it's really going to raise eyebrows in the low brass and from the podium.

I feel like wind bands are more rigid and military-ish (after all, they march), which is why I think it's important for there to be two B-flat English style compensating tubas and two E-flat English style compensating tubas - and preferably with 15-in bells (not 19 on the E-flat tubas) in a British style brass band, as opposed to "whatever".

I'm sure there had to have been some huge (at that time) contrabass length tubas prior to Wagner having some built for his Ring cycle operas, but I believe that bookmark in orchestration was when orchestral composers started considering specifically requesting bass or contrabass tubas to play their compositions.
Certainly Bruckner seemed to understand the difference... and he also understood that it really doesn't have anything to do with the range of the part. His 4th symphony specifies bass tuba and he wrote a double low C (missing in most editions) in the slow movement.

Modern editions' parts - written by Verdi - whereby modern editions say "tuba"" at the top and everybody says "Don't play any of those on the tuba !!!"... Yet everyone shrugs their shoulders about not caring about whether they're bringing a big fat contrabass tuba to play a bass tuba part or bringing a front action C tuba to play a brass band E-flat tuba part... etc. etc.

Finally, bass tubas can play loud and heavy parts and probably with a little bit more audacity than yorkaphones and some of the other contrabass tubas. Bass tubas are not "parlor tubas". Sometimes I think that people don't actually know what they sound like out in their halls - playing their specific instruments.

Oh yeah:
I'm just as guilty as anyone of playing a contrabass tuba when a bass tuba would do, and maybe/probably do better.

[tubanh84]

Finally, bass tubas can play loud and heavy parts and probably with a little bit more audacity than yorkaphones and some of the other contrabass tubas. Bass tubas are not "parlor tubas". Sometimes I think that people don't actually know what they sound like out in their halls - playing their specific instruments.

When I was a junior in college, we played Rienzi one night at orchestral rep class. I had brought my PT10 to do it. The other (then-freshman) player brought his PT6 and scoffed that I would dare bring a "small" horn to do Wagner. I had a similar incident when I subbed in a quintet where that freshman had been playing (his PT6) and also brought my PT10. The rest of the quintet scoffed that I would dare insult them by not playing the largest horn possible. Because they were Serious Players who need someone who could Keep Up.

5 minutes into each rehearsal the scoffers stopped scoffing.

[bloke]

Finally, bass tubas can play loud and heavy parts and probably with a little bit more audacity than yorkaphones and some of the other contrabass tubas. Bass tubas are not "parlor tubas". Sometimes I think that people don't actually know what they sound like out in their halls - playing their specific instruments.

When I was a junior in college, we played Rienzi one night at orchestral rep class. I had brought my PT10 to do it. The other (then-freshman) player brought his PT6 and scoffed that I would dare bring a "small" horn to do Wagner. I had a similar incident when I subbed in a quintet where that freshman had been playing (his PT6) and also brought my PT10. The rest of the quintet scoffed that I would dare insult them by not playing the largest horn possible. Because they were Serious Players who need someone who could Keep Up.

5 minutes into each rehearsal the scoffers stopped scoffing.

Something I noticed about several graduate school brass decades ago is that they played quintet literature as loud and as fast as they could possibly play it - because they could.
Perhaps the level of musical sophistication at that age level has risen since that time...

[tubanh84]

Finally, bass tubas can play loud and heavy parts and probably with a little bit more audacity than yorkaphones and some of the other contrabass tubas. Bass tubas are not "parlor tubas". Sometimes I think that people don't actually know what they sound like out in their halls - playing their specific instruments.

When I was a junior in college, we played Rienzi one night at orchestral rep class. I had brought my PT10 to do it. The other (then-freshman) player brought his PT6 and scoffed that I would dare bring a "small" horn to do Wagner. I had a similar incident when I subbed in a quintet where that freshman had been playing (his PT6) and also brought my PT10. The rest of the quintet scoffed that I would dare insult them by not playing the largest horn possible. Because they were Serious Players who need someone who could Keep Up.

5 minutes into each rehearsal the scoffers stopped scoffing.

Something I noticed about several graduate school brass decades ago is that they played quintet literature as loud and as fast as they could possibly play it - because they could.
Perhaps the level of musical sophistication at that age level has risen since that time...

As someone who fell into it for a couple years, I can say that it was a couple things. First, I was in Pittsburgh at a time when the PSO brass were known for their volume.* It was the culture there. Second, it was the first time I'd been in a group with other good/competent/serious/however you want to think about it players. This was several steps up from groups I had played with in high school, and I think that was true for a lot of us. So it was exciting. We COULD make that sort of a sound, and none of us had ever been a part of that before. So we DID make that sound.

*And I will say this about the reputation Pittsburgh had at the time - we were challenged to play quietly as insistently as we were challenged to play loudly. But "listen to how quietly the brass is playing" never seems to seep into a reputation. The overarching theory was extremes, and having as big of a tonal arsenal as possible.

[bloke]

Posting about this has made me decide to be more critical of my own instrument choices when covering particular works.