Kleinsinger Comments on his "Tubby"


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Posted by Steve Marcus on January 05, 2001 at 22:27:08:

I came across an old monophonic LP on the Peter Pan label of a recording of Tubby the Tuba. The liner notes by the composer, George Kleinsinger, are humorous:

"All fantasy has some basis in fact. 'Tubby' is no exception, for Tubby came out of a real-life happening. While attending a rehearsal of a work of mine performed by the NBC Symphony, a sad and curious event occurred. The conductor, Milton Katims, kept admonishing the tuba to play his oompahs softer, time after time. You see, it was summer, and some of the basses were on vacation; so this tuba (Herbert Jenkel) was endeavoring to fill in for the missing bass players. Eventually, the tuba was asked not to play at all. No one disputed that Mr. Jenkel is not a great tubist; but it was Mozart they were playing, and the oompahs were a bit heavy."

Kleinsinger goes on to explain that a frustrated Jenkel asked him to write a concerto for solo tuba and orchestra. Coincidentally, Jenkel was hired to play the very first recording of Tubby.

Unfortunately and incredibly, the tuba player, orchestra, and conductor are not credited on this recording. Does anyone know who they are?

What else does anyone know about Herbert Jenkel?


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