Mr. Tuba

17. Renaissance of the Tuba: A Summary

396 In discussions with friends andassociates,Iwould occasionally hear, “Harvey, you take the tuba too seriously.” When appropriate , my response was, “The tuba is my vocation and my avocation; it houses, clothes, and feeds my family. Don’t you think I should take it seriously ? If everyone took their profession more seriously, their life with their families and friends would be more fulfilling.” I’m just as serious about what I do, about my instrument, as my two sons, who are surgeons, are about their scalpels! We try to work with the same precision, the same artistic concern for the patient, for those who will listen to us, and hopefully learn to admire what we do. As Bruce Duffie, a Chicago radio personality, said, “The surgeon works on the physical body; the musician works on the immortal soul!” As I look back on my life as a dedicated tuba player and musician, my proudest achievement is the role I have played in helping to elevate the qualityandabundanceoftubarepertoireinallmusicdisciplinesandstyles. I have prompted many composers to be aware of the tuba as a principal instrument in the symphony orchestra, to recognize its potential in brass quintet and other chamber music combinations, to include it in their compositions , orchestrations, and arrangements, and to be familiar with the Renaissance of the Tuba: A Summary CHAPTER SEVENTEEN 397 Renaissance of the Tuba world’s great tubists, gain their acquaintance, and know their individual qualities and special sphere of activities. I have conceived public events that welcome performance participation of bass tubists and tenor tubists (baritone, euphonium) of all ages and expertise. These events are performed for the public audience free of charge. An example of perseverance to achieve an intended goal was set in the late 1700s by Johnny Appleseed, who planted apple seeds across the land. He knew the seeds would grow into mature trees bearing apples for the populace. I endeavored to plant seeds for tuba repertoire. I knew they would bear fruit eventually and give tubists a bountiful library. Tubists’ Acceptance of Substandard Literature Before 1950, the tuba as a solo instrument played sea chanteys and polkas—themes with variations and characteristic novelties, destined to be played, if at all, on a program of “a summer band concert in the park.” They were at best a curiosity, an entertaining feature, a light distraction from the “real” band selections on the program. In fact, hardly a solo for brass existed that was not a theme and variations. Every piece was worked under the same formula: theme, cadenza, variations, and closing. One of the most popular is “Solo Pomposo,” which is often the first tuba solo challenging the developing high school tubist. It was mine. I find it surprising that apparently none of the great tubists of the late nineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturiestooktheinitiativetocommission new solo repertoire from the great composers of their time—they were already writing challenging and rewarding orchestral tuba parts. Tubists would have been coming into contact regularly with music by Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Igor Stravinsky, Johannes Brahms, Bela Bartok,AaronCopland,andmanyothers,butapparentlyneverapproached these composers about stretching their treatment of the tuba into serious solo literature. Speaking from my own experience, I will forever find it difficult to believe that great tuba musicians could be satisfied by solo repertoire about the devilish Beelzebub and pachyderms. Thankfully, and mercifully, the pattern was broken in 1954. 398 Mr. Tuba I’m proud to say that I was one of the New York musicians who championed the listing of the performing personnel on commercial recordings, years after tubist George Bouje was not credited on the most famous recording of “Tubby the Tuba.” This action improved, especially at West Coast companies, but was not embraced by many record companies. The Burke-Phillips All-Star Concert Band recordings listed personnel and instrumentation on the front of the first LP and inside the folding cover of the second. On June 4, 1954, the Ralph Vaughan Williams Concerto for Bass Tuba and Orchestra was premiered by tubist Philip Catelinet. I got a letter from Philip that said he was preparing it for a concert with the London PhilharmonicOrchestraand ,inhisBritishhumor,madelittleofit.Inpointoffact, Philip, a composer himself, was disappointed with the Vaughan Williams work. I don’t believe that he recognized the importance of breaking new groundwithcomposers throughout the world,especially one withthe stature of Ralph Vaughan Williams. One year later, in 1955, Paul Hindemith, another prominent composer, wrote his Sonata...