Posted by Jay Bertolet on July 17, 2002 at 23:30:50:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Using BAT as All-Round Orchestral Horn posted by Ace on July 17, 2002 at 20:18:43:
The last time we played that concerto, I used my Rudy 4/4. That might not be such useful information though, I only owned the Rudy and a Boosey Eb (I didn't use much) at the time. I would venture to say that most professional tuba players wouldn't pull out the big gun for this work. It just doesn't fit.
Instead of trying to come up with a list (inevitably I'll leave certain works off) of works and what I'd use, perhaps a better approach would be to examine the decision process.
The first thing I'll do is research the piece historically. What did the composer expect? What was performance practice at the time & place the piece was written? What was the premiere performance like? The historical context of the piece will give many insights into what kind of horn I should use.
Next I'll look at the part itself. What role(s) does the tuba part play? What kind of writing is used for the tuba? What kind of ensemble is the piece written for? What kind of sound does the orchestration of the piece lend itself to? In my mind, Stravinsky is a good example of music that works best with a smaller CC tuba. Another is Poulenc. Usually a quick examination of the function and texture of the notes you play in a piece will yield lots of information about the kind of horn you need.
After that come the personal considerations. What will allow me to perform the work the best? Which horn will work best with the personnel I'll be performing with. Which horn should I choose that keeps me from lugging multiple tubas to every concert I play (just kidding!)? The personal issues don't usually tip the scales one way or the other but if the call is a close one, I'll look at those issues as well.
Lastly is good old trial and error. I make my choice, prepare the music, and come to the first rehearsal with my product. If it doesn't work, I make adjustments. This rarely happens but I have been ready in certain situations to do the work on one of several horns. Most recently I had this situation when I first tried an Eb tuba on Zarathustra. I didn't really know if this would work and I was prepared to switch to CC tuba if the Eb didn't work out.
Mostly this is just common sense. I wouldn't use a bright sounding tuba for Prokofiev anymore than I would use a huge dark one for Stravinsky. I have a concept of the sound I need from knowing each piece I am to perform. I choose whatever tuba gives me that sound. Hopefully I have enough tubas to make all the sounds I want! ;-)
My opinion for what it's worth...