Posted by Rick Denney on May 15, 2001 at 13:44:37:
In Reply to: French C Tuba vs Euphonium posted by Steve C on May 14, 2001 at 21:29:38:
I've seen one French C tuba up close, and it was a C euphonium with six valves. No more, no less. About the same bore (perhaps less than the modern big euphs), and about the same taper and bell dimensions. In case it wasn't typical, I've asked if others have seen them in a larger bore, and nobody had.
A question I've never had answered is what sort of mouthpiece was used on them. This is, it seems to me, critical. When I put a tuba mouthpiece in my euphonium, it sounds like a flat, stuffy, small tuba--but a tuba nonetheless. With proper practice, the sound could be better, I'm sure. So, did the French players who used the C tuba use a mouthpiece of euphonium size, or a mouthpiece of tuba size, or something in between?
I also know that Tony Clements owns a Doug Elliott mouthpiece for doubling on euphonium that has a tuba-sized rim. Tony, do you use that mouthpiece for this sort of application? What's the result?
What size mouthpiece is used on the Alexander large tenor tuba?
If a tuba-sized mouthpiece was used on the French C tuba, then that would move the instrument between the euphonium and the F tuba in sound, it seems to me, making the choice more of a tossup.
Rick "who believes that musical integrity requires an understanding of history, even if it is abandoned" Denney