Re: Re: Re: Besson BBb tuba for sale


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Posted by Rick Denney on August 01, 2001 at 11:17:49:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Besson BBb tuba for sale posted by frederick J. Young on July 31, 2001 at 22:47:04:

With all due respect, Dr. Young, many British players do not play compensating instruments in orchestras. The greatest British tuba player of all time, John Fletcher, played a large Holton of just the type that you complain about when he needed a large, orchestral sound. I have a photo of George Wall from many years ago playing a rotary BBb Alexander Kaiserbass, and a much more recent photo of Steven Wick playing a Hirsbrunner CC with no compensation. Finally, Bevan's latest edition includes a photo from some years ago of the author playing a B&S F tuba.

It is true that many British players in brass bands and other ensembles play the instruments they grew up with, and it is true that the best players play them in some situations. Their inherent superiority is probably not the reason, however. Bevan suggests that protectionist import laws in Britain made it extremely difficult for tubists to import non-British tubas. Many of the top British players circumvented these rules whenever they could, and they certainly did not uniformly choose to play compensating tubas when a large orchestral sound was required.

Rick "whose compensating Besson euphonium has as many tuning quirks as any of his non-compensated tubas" Denney


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