Posted by Rick Denney on February 28, 2001 at 10:57:39:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: BB industry! posted by clarification? on February 28, 2001 at 09:51:44:
According to Bevan, the predominant instrument in German orchestras since Wieprecht's day has been the F tuba. It has been conventional practice in modern times for German players to use a BBb kaiserbass when earth-moving is required, though Bevan (nor any other sources I've read) states when this started.
Certainly Cerveny was making a CC by the 1850's, and Bevan pictures a Sander CC from the late 1800's and another Cerveny from the 1870's. So C instruments were available all through this time, but that doesn't clarify whether they were routinely used and by whom.
50 years ago, BBb tubas in American orchestras were far more common than they are today. My BBb York Master was first owned by Oscar Lagasse, presumably not because he needed something for the local community band. Stauffer shows pictures of at least one other symphony player in the 50's with a B&M BBb (similar to my York and made by the same hands). And Bevan has a picture of George Wall playing an Alexander BBb in the 60's. I think it is probably a safe guess that orchestral players did not used to worry so much about whether the instrument was a BBb or a CC, if it did the job, until more recent decades.
And "tuben" is just the German plural for "tube" or "tuba". You are correct that Wagnertuben are not tubas, but more related to horns in tone and function. I don't think one could draw any conclusions about Wagner's preference for a contrabass, and like most composers he probably didn't care as long as the effect was what he wanted. And the effect of a contrabass on his music is just as obtainable on both BBb and CC instruments, as judged by the great performances I've heard on both.
Rick "who takes nothing for granted about German practice 135 years ago" Denney
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