Arnold Jacobs and Viennese tuba


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Posted by Zechmeister on November 08, 2000 at 15:55:18:

More details about the Wiener-pattern tubas and sources by Gerhard Zechmeister (Walter is my brother).

I studied the six valve Viennese Tuba with Prof. Leopold Kolar (a former Tuba-player of the Vienna Philharmonic) at the Vienna University of Music.
After some years playing the traditional small Viennese tuba (like Arnold Jacobs' Viennese tuba) I instigated the development of the 'Viennese Concert Tuba', in collaboration with the Austro-Czech instrument factory Musica (contact: UMI Austria), the prototype had been in production since 1983 and I played this prototype in the past as a member of the Oculus Brass Quintet (now well-known under the name Art of Brass Vienna) and as the tuba player of the United Philharmonic Vienna.
In 1998 the Viennese publisher Doblinger presented my "Systematic embouchure development training and review programme for the Viennese six valve Bass tuba in F". There you can find all details about handling this instrument.
In 1997 I developed in collaboration with the Viennese intrument maker Ankerl und the Viennese mouth-piece expert Karl Breslmair a six valve Contrabass trombone in F with the Viennese Tuba fingering system.
The Viennese tuba's design and its fingering system derive directly from the Moritz/Wieprecht 'Chromatic Basstuba' of 1835 (Berlin). V 1 (left): 1 whole tone, V 2 (left): 1 semitone, V 3 (left): short whole tone (intonation valve for contra range).
Holding down the fourth valve (V 3 of the right hand) turns the bass tuba in F into a contrabass tuba in C (without altering ist sound!). A sixth valve (V 3 of the left hand) was added later for intonation and auxiliary fingering.
V 2 (right) = V 5 diminishes the new base key of C (fourth valve pressed) by 1 semitone to B 1 or the base key of F (without the fourth valve) by a long semitone to E (auxiliary fingering).
V 1 (right) = V 4 diminishes the new base key of C (fourth valve pressed) by 1 whole tone to B flat 1 or the base key of F (without the fourth valve) by a short 1,5 whole tone to D+ (auxiliary fingering).
V 1 (right) and V 2 (right) = V 4 und V 5:
diminish the new base key of C (fourth valve pressed) by 1,5 whole tones to A 1 or the base key of F (without the fourth valve) by 2 whole tones to D flat (closing the gap between the left-hand F system and the right-hand C-system).
In theory it seems complicated, but it is very easy, when you use the instrument.
The instrument was first used in the ranks of the Vienna Court Opera Orchestra (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) in 1875 by the 16-year-old Berlin 'Tuba prodigy' Waldemar Otto Brucks (whom Richard Wagner requested to play the Contrabass tuba at the premiere of the 'Ring of the Nibelung' during the inaugural Bayreuth Festival 1 year later). Ever since then the Viennese Concert Tuba has been an important component in the fostering of the 'Viennese sound'. Josef Hummel (from 1967 to 1995 tuba player of the Vienna Philharmonic) played the traditional small Viennese tuba (like Arnold Jacobs' Viennese Tuba). I play the new Viennese tuba model of the factory Musica. It is larger to get more volume, but with the same bright and direct Viennese tone.
Beeing an organist, Anton Bruckner tended to orchestrate in terms of registration. Although he came moved to Vienna in 1868, he did not add the tuba part to his fourth symphony until after the Viennese Concert Tuba had made in debut in the Court Opera Orchestra (second version, 1878-80).
Other composers who wrote for this instrument included Brahms, Mahler and Richard Strauss.
The instrument's smaller bore and its less flared bell lend it a bright sound rich in overtones. This produces an outstanding homogenity of sound in combination with other instruments, notably trombones. The use of a relatively large cup-shaped mouthpiece as prescribed by the Viennese tradition of brass playing gives the Viennese Concert tuba a bright, firmly anchored yet voluminous tone which loses nothing of its focus and fullness even in passages of more exposed dynamics.


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