Re: Is the Tuba a Solo Instrument??????


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Posted by Mike Solms on January 12, 2000 at 15:23:22:

In Reply to: Is the Tuba a Solo Instrument?????? posted by Erik on January 11, 2000 at 07:33:46:

Some of the most thoughtful musings on this topic are the pieces
John Fletcher wrote for "Sounding Brass". These. along with a
number of his other essays are available in the book "A Celebration-
John Fletcher, Tuba Extraordinary". I recommend this book highly.
In the US,you can get a copy through Bernel Music. A summary of
Fletcher's answer to whether the tuba is a solo instrument is a very
guarded yes- in small doses and providing that there is some musical
merit in what's being played. He is particularly leery of the
attitude he perceived in a number of tubists. There are those among
us who are conviced that the failure of audiences to throng to tuba recitals is entirely the public's fault. If only we could tie them to a chair and cram two hours of Thomas Stevens down their throats, they too would see the light. Since most concert halls lack the requisite amount of rope, to succeed we have to entertain the audience (my dictionary defines entertainment as "to hold the attention of". My wife is a music lover with an extensive education and wide-ranging musical tastes. We own 30+ recordings of tuba solos and the only one she has ever ASKED to hear is Pat Sheridan's "Lollipops". This is a recording that conveys a tremendous sense of fun. It also seems to me to not only accept that large numbers of the public find aspects of the tuba's sound humorous, but embrace that fact. I think Mr. Sheridan is on the right track. If the tuba is to become an accepted solo instrument we have to go out, find the audience, win them over and bring them along with us. If not, we fail.


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