Re: bass trombone or tuba (EEB, BB, CC)


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Posted by Rick Denney on December 28, 2000 at 12:46:18:

In Reply to: bass trombone or tuba (EEB, BB, CC) posted by Jules Busslinger on December 27, 2000 at 23:10:03:

The arguments for tuba include the tonal core and balance of conical versus cylindrical instruments. The arguments against haven't been voiced, because this is a tuba forum!

If there is a distinction to be made, it ought to be based on the repertoire, but not on the composer's stated wishes. I have read a lot of brass quintet literature, ranging from the Renaissance to jazz, and most put "tuba" in the upper left-hand corner. The ones that put "trombone II" usually add "or tuba." So, composers' intentions are not clear in most cases.

But there are other clues. The horn was the only conical instrument in Baroque times, with trombones, natural horns and natural trumpets providing the brass sound. So, in transcriptions of Baroque music, a trombone on the bass part will probably provide a more authentic sound, for what that's worth.

But it can go the other way, too. I have a brass quintet arrangement of the Holst 2nd Suite, and it is marked for two cornets, fluegelhorn (optional horn in F), euphonium, and tuba. I've never heard it played with that instrumentation, though the idea has always intrigued me. I once played in a Civil War reenactment band, and many of our players substituted cornets, alto horns, baritone horns, and euphoniums for trumpets, horns, and trombones. It gave the music a mellowness and blend that seemed to fit with the American popular songs of the era that included strong elements of sadness and pathos.

But historical considerations are not as important as providing a good product to the audience. If you sound better and provide better entertainment on a trombone, then that is what you should play. That would not be true for me! I always have preferred my small F tuba for quintet, especially when the other players are at my level (that is--not making big orchestral sounds). That tuba has a brightness that provides clarity and improves the blend with the trombone, but still a bottom that lends variety to the group. And there is no doubt that the tuba is more entertaining to the audience, because it shatters their expectations and gets their attention.

I should probably mention that the most successful brass quintet in the world uses a tuba exclusively in the bass part, and for many years it was a small CC very similar to my F. In that group, even the trombone player switches to a euphonium when musically appropriate, but the tubist never goes the other way.

Rick "who can't move a slide to save his life" Denney


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