Posted by Chuck(G) on July 25, 2002 at 12:50:36:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Cimbasso poll posted by David Mills on July 25, 2002 at 08:16:45:
I'll leave the bass/tenor issue to the trombone geeks out there. "Cimbasso" seems to refer in Italian literature to just about any bass- or contrabass brass instrument. Witness the old caribinieri bands identifying various bass-voiced valved trombones and tubas as "cimbassi". Of course, in Italian, "tuba" usually isn't "tuba"; it's "flicorno basso" or "bombardone" or some such.
I think it's kind of strange that by and large, what we today call cimbassi are largely manufactured by German firms. I think Orsi may have a point about the use of the more-or-less cylindrical bore upright valved bass, call it what you will.