Posted by Jim Andrada on June 07, 2002 at 23:18:17:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: The world's largest tuba!! posted by Final time on June 07, 2002 at 19:43:29:
It's hard to see well, but I believe that the gentleman in the white jacket is Chester Schmitz and that these would have been taken just about the time he was getting ready to retire from the BSO.
I was in Cambridge for a Harvard Band reunion and attended the concert. He performed a Mozart horn concerto on the BBBb - and it sounded great.
About 45 years ago I played a solo on it as well. Chester sounded better. As I recall we played a summenr concert on the steps of the Widener Library in Harvard Yard- sort of a classic building with an acre of steps in front. I can remember being rather afraid that the two guys who were holding the horn up would lose their balance and we'd all go tumbling.
Mainly we dragged it around to football games and had small kids jump out and run around etc. It was considered more of a prop than an instrument back in those dark ages