Posted by Rick Denney on September 06, 2001 at 16:21:58:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Seating Question posted by Carl on September 06, 2001 at 15:17:46:
Thanks for the citation; I will look for it.
Yes, I think we all agree that we shouldn't wander through the band room aimlessly looking for any sound that might work, and I enjoyed your quote from Berlioz in response to its first, and incomplete, presentation. I do not think that it is the shot across the bow of musical integrity as you suggest, when taken with its subsequent explanation, but that is my own interpretation and you are certainly entitled to yours.
With considerable due respect, I would suggest that Berlioz's own comments were a bit over the top. Did he really want to bring death to someone who changed his music? That seems a little disproportionate, and had he acted on that view he'd have suffered dire consequences. But when you chose to repeat only the most vituperative portion of the quote out of context after Steve's (I thought reasonable) explanation of his position, it adds to the margin of excessiveness. That's what I meant by "overplayed"--it referred to your second excerpt, not the first quote. From this distance it seemed, again, that your choice of excerpt from Berlioz (focusing on curses, death and despair) was intended with some humor, and I apologize for having so evidently misread your intentions.
If you disagree with Klaus mentioning a French C tuba, then I invite you to respond to him about it. If you will read his post again, you will see that he questioned it. It was Steve who brought up the possible quite reasonable mixture of a French C tuba and a Bb euphonium in combination to mimic the pairing of a C and Bb ophicleide--an approach more available to the modern tubist than ophicleides.
The drowning of the Dies Irae-in-octaves approach is fine by me. I was never in that boat and will not be disturbed by the waves. And I also applaud the use of a euphonium and an F tuba in combination for the work (and a small F tuba at that). Even more, I would applaud tuba players who just, simply, back off so that the full texture can be heard and the character of the music maintained. I have heard it played too loudly with small F tubas. And, yes, in addition to the language lesson you also answered my question as to whether you thought the euphonium a good choice at least for the first part, for which I am appreciative.
Rick "thinking the record does not show whether Berlioz had a twinkle in his eye during his rant--a twinkle we could all use just now" Denney