Re: Re: Re: Tenor tuba ?


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Posted by Rick Denney on November 12, 2001 at 17:52:18:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Tenor tuba ? posted by Matt Good on November 11, 2001 at 10:06:28:

Matt, could you measure the bore and bell of the instrument, and maybe even post a picture?

We've heard of this tenor tuba before, but always in ethereal terms from a few great players such as yourself. I'd like to see a concrete example--one picture resolves much.

It seems to me from my limited knowledge that the difference between this instrument and, say, a Besson Sovereign euphonium is analogous to the difference between a Besson 983 and a Willson Eb, or a Yamaha 621 and a Willson F tuba. Or, for that matter, between piston tubas and rotary tubas.

While I have no doubt as to the special sound produced by your tenor tuba (especially with you playing it), I also have no doubt that a good 6/4 Yorkalike produces a special sound, or that a classic Alexander produces a special sound, in both case unlike each other and unlike other tubas. Yet we don't have a special name for them, being content to append the qualifier "really good" or "really big" to the general term "contrabass tuba." From a purely taxonomical perspective, I'd hope that the general term "tenor tuba" remain general, including all instruments from American baritone through euphonium to Alexander Bariton-tuba. Thus, the latter would be a "really big and really good tenor tuba" as opposed to being radically different from a euphonium. Otherwise, we lose the useful gradation in categories of pitch offered by contrabass tuba, bass tuba, and tenor tuba, despite the large variations contained within each of these categories.

For example, while I don't know what Holst had in mind for The Planets, I strongly suspect that it was not an Alexander #151 Bariton-tuba, though he wrote "tenor tuba" in the part all the same.

Rick "hoping to someday get a few toots on one of these" Denney


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