Re: Re: Re: Tuba Orchestra History


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Posted by Rick Denney on April 29, 2003 at 23:26:44:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Tuba Orchestra History posted by Matt on April 29, 2003 at 15:01:34:

This seems like something true tuba geeks like me ought to know, but I'm not sure it has ever been ascertained.

Berlioz first saw the Wieprecht instrument at an international exhibition in 1854 or thereabouts, and started including it quickly, as I remember my reading. Wieprecht's patent was 1836, which postdates Symphonie Fantastique, but tradition suggests that Berlioz subsequently specified the basstuba. Even so, his introduction to it happened after some well-known Wagner works that include basstuba parts, including Tannheuser, composed in 1842-45, which has a tuba part for sure. Tannheuser is predated by The Flying Dutchman and Rienzi, but I'm not a real Wagnerian and don't recall which of these had tuba parts, and I'm not near my exerpt books. Rienzi was composed in 1837-40, so the Wieprecht instrument at least existed.

And Mendelssohn was working in the late 1830's and early 1840's, but again I'm on the road and can't look it up.

Rick "thinking either Wagner or Mendelssohn" Denney


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