Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Who's Copying Whom? (Long)


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Posted by What the heck... on June 14, 2003 at 12:01:39:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Who's Copying Whom? (Long) posted by js on June 14, 2003 at 09:27:13:

I think it's very instructive that if you pick up Arthur Olaf Andersen's 1929 "Practical Orchestration" (with its very grainy photo of the Chicago Symphony under Frederick Stock), the section on tuba starts out with an engraving of a 3-valve Eb tuba and a 5-valve double-belled euphonium. A subsequent plate shows a 4-valve (single bell) euphonium and a 3 valve BBb tuba. He briefly describes the various tubas available (never mentions CC, by the way) and goes on:

Of these four instruments (the euphonium, BBb tuba, Eb and F tubas) all of which are non-transposing, the tuba in F is most commonly used in the concert hall. This instrument, when fitted with a fourth, or compensating piston has an added range similar to that of the BBb tuba. As all the newer instruments are fitted with this fourth valve, the range need not be restricted to that of the three-valved tuba.

So there you have it, no six-valved F tubas, 5 valved CCs--all from the time of Donatelli. My suspicion is that tubas were selected primarily for the way they played, not for some idea of "German" or "American" sound, whatever that is at 50 yards distance.

BTW, the Andersen section on the tuba is an interesting read regarding what tubas can do, and their suitability.



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