Posted by Rick Denney on August 02, 2001 at 08:27:17:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Besson BBb tuba for sale posted by Chuck Jackson on August 02, 2001 at 01:40:00:
Oh, I agree, and you bring up a good point. 50 years ago, British orchestral trombone players used much smaller-bore trombones than they use today, and likewise trumpeters. The smaller compensating EEb tuba would go well with the pea-shooter brass. The predominance of the tuba in the sound of the orchestra has as much to do with what the tubist is competing with as with the tuba itself. But if the other brass are stepping up their dynamic range, then the tuba player has to do something to keep up.
The same was true of French orchestras whose tuba players used a six-valved C tenor tuba.
And we should also remember that for most of the 20th century, the standard British orchestral horn was a small five-valved Barlow F tuba, most of which were not compensated. Compared to a tiny Barlow F, the EEb is a BAT, and Fletcher was striking a blow for a larger sound when he adopted that "band" instrument.
But it is also true that orchestras such as Berlin, who were widely recorded, had as much to do with the establishment of a large sound as did orchestras such as Chicago. The recordings of the British orchestras from those times cannot begin to match the lushness of the sound of the top German orchestras. These differences were not apparent until the advent of recorded music with good enough fidelity to demonstrate this lushness. So, the BBb kaiserbass seems as much an influence as an American CC BAT. That old picture of George Wall didn't show him playing a BAT, and in the 60's when that picture was taken, the Alexander rotary tuba was the most coveted orchestral instrument here, too.
Rick "suggesting that orchestral tubas used to be small everywhere" Denney