Posted by JAC on November 26, 2003 at 10:20:45:
In Reply to: Brahms Requiem horn choice? posted by JAC on November 24, 2003 at 12:18:31:
Thanks for the replies to my little "survey." I do agree that Brahms had a small horn in mind (not an "F"--Brahms, as most composers, probably wouldn't have know an "F tuba" if it bit him on the ass!). But it was good to see that at least someone had been in the quandary I found myself in this last week.
[As an aside, I had to make some mouthpiece adjustments, too: I usually use a Perantucci 10 (88) for orchestral work on my Rudi 4/4 CC--for this gig I used a &much* Perantucci 9 (64). I *would* have used my old (and beautiful) Alex F, had it not departed for pastures where it could be played more a couple years back.]
I should have put this bit in my first post (since no one will probably read it now)--but, to be controversial, I'm not convinced that Brahms gave any thought to the tuba at all. I've done a fair amount of writing about (and, therefore, study of) Brahms, and he was not what I would call an "orchestrating composer." This is not to say that his compositions aren't masterpieces of the 19th century, but his writing for brass was a lot less specific than, for example, Wagner or Mahler. Had Mahler said "F tuba" [or even "tuba" as opposed to "bass tuba" or contrabass tuba"], I would be much more likely to think he had heard one, weighed it against a couple others, and decided that was the sound he wanted. [He never wrote for "F tuba," by the way.] With Brahms, the 4 parts [Tragic, Acad Festival, Sym 2, and Requiem] seem much more like "note parts"--i.e. rather than having a specific tuba sound in mind, Brahms was writing these notes for a "low brass instrument." [As evidence, note that the Req part is almost like a bass bone-strengthening part.]
JAC