Re: Re: european tubas+ American(style) tubas


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Posted by Lee Stofer on January 23, 2002 at 12:42:15:

In Reply to: Re: european tubas+ American(style) tubas posted by Lew on January 21, 2002 at 10:31:35:

Lew,
I think that you are getting to the heart of the matter. During a lesson with Robert Tucci, we discussed the difference in what he called the "Anglo-Saxon" concept of sound and instruments, and that of the "Germanic" sound. I think the Alexander most truly represents the German tradition, as they have been in business since 1782, and adhering to their tradition has worked for them. The British brass is also highly steeped in tradition, and after hitting upon a design that worked for them, stayed with it. As Americans, we have a heritage of being explorers & pioneers, trying something new. Although we freely borrowed from the traditions of our ancestor nations, in the early 20th Century american came into it's own musically. We experimented until we produced instruments unlike anything available anywhere else. To give you an idea how advanced our tuba production was, Conn was hydraulically forming branches while Ford was still building the model T. european companies started this later, Wenzel Meinl (Meinl-Weston) winning an award in 1954 for his work in this area. We were not bound by tradition, and had tremendous manufacturing ability, and the imagination to build such things as "Monster Basses". My $0.02.
-Lee Stofer


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