Re: Samson et Delilah


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Posted by Jay Bertolet on January 27, 2003 at 10:12:59:

In Reply to: Samson et Delilah posted by tony on January 27, 2003 at 09:44:12:

Hey Tony! I hope all is well with you.

I've never done the complete opera Samson et Delilah by Saint Saens. We've only done the Bacchanale section in concert. That definitely has a tuba part. I checked my trusty Kalmus catalog and it confirms that there are 3 parts. It does not specify tuba or ophicliede. I have no idea if the parts are independent of each other or just unison. Considering my knowledge of the Bacchanale, I would guess that Saint Saens specified 3 ophicliedes to get the volume of sound he wanted, if he was compelled to use ophicliedes at all. Ironic, considering 1 tuba could have done that job easier and cheaper. There's no opus number listed in the catalog for this opera so I can't compare when it was written versus other works by the composer, like the 3rd Symphony, which have pretty characteristic tuba parts. Since the composer lived until 1921, he likely had access to a real tuba sound, or at the very least had heard it himself. The Bacchanale section is a very loud, very contrabass tuba-type part. No real low stuff but a big dark sound works well. I hope that helps you somewhat!

My opinion for what it's worth...


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