Rite of Spring

[Mudman]

Tuba question about Rite of Spring:

Is it typical for both players to use F tubas, CC tubas or a mix? Does a performance by a modern US orchestra call for a big CC horn?

The second tuba part ranges from Gb above the staff to pedal D.
The first tuba part from the same Gb down to pedal A. It looks like there is some doubling throughout.

Bloke--I see you are on the list to play Rite of Spring with Memphis in a couple of weeks. (I'm playing some tenor bone in the back row.) I have started my diet of raw meat, razor blades and broken glass in preparation for the fun. What horn are you playing, and do you think that Atkins diet will help your interpretation?

[timayer]

Well, I don't know what the tradition of the pros is, but I played it in brass rep class this past year, and the first part went great on my B&S F tuba, and the second part went very smoothly on my CC. I'd do it with that mix myself, but I'm just a lowly college student, so I'm open to suggestions.

Tim Ayer

[Chuck Jackson]

Is my 2nd tuba part wrong or is that a pedal D muted at the front of the 2nd part of the piece? Anyhow, I have only done the 2nd part and did it on CC and F, I wasn't going to be a hero on the high stuff. Dave Dorrough did the first part on an Alex F. 2 years later, I heard Dave do a spectacular job of the composers reduction in the 40's. It had only one tuba part. Dave performed it with the Houston Ballet while they were on tour in Norfolk, VA.

Chuck

[Mudman]

Is my 2nd tuba part wrong or is that a pedal D muted at the front of the 2nd part of the piece?

You're right--I missed the 8a when skimming through the parts. That must have been an unusaual colour Stravinsky had in mind.

[Jay Bertolet]

I think this work is the quintessential Rudy 4/4 or 3/4 CC tuba piece. I'm not aware of any bass tuba that can produce the sheer volume of sound for some of the louder, barking kind of passages. I would never use my 6/4 CC on this work because the sound is all wrong. My approach is to get a much brighter, biting kind of sound with lots of percussive front to the attacks. Since I bought my Nirschl 6/4 CC, I haven't used my Rudy 4/4 CC that much. I keep the Rudy around just on the off chance that I might need to do a piece like the Rite. Every time we've done it here, both players used 3/4 or 4/4 CC tubas. Works very well.

My opinion for what it's worth...

[tubapress]

Tuba question about Rite of Spring:

Is it typical for both players to use F tubas, CC tubas or a mix? Does a performance by a modern US orchestra call for a big CC horn?

I played it once with John Bottomley here in New York and we used big CC's. John played his MW 2165 Deck Model and I used my Rudy 5/4. I'm sold on the amount and breadth of sound that 2 big CC's can lend to this piece.

[Chuck Jackson]

I was ruminating on Jay's statement about a 3/4 or 4/4 CC for the piece, I have to agree, but still think an F Tuba is a necessity for the high stuff. For all it's infered bombast, the piece really only cranks up at certain points, kinda like Also Sprach(when you think about it, it's really only stoooopid loud @ 30% of ther time). I, too, question the use of huge equipment on this work. In the section doubled with the Wagner tubas nearer the end of the 1st part, the sound would be way too big instead of piercing, which IMHO, the piece calls for. This is just an opinion, your mileage may differ. It boils down to what you are comfortable with and what you can get away with. I have seen some spectacular performances of Symphonie Fantastique on two big ol' cannon-cockers, but to my ears it turned into a tuba concerto-cum-blowfest. That being said,
I performed Rite on an Alex 163 CC and a Scherzer 5v F that looked exactly like a B&S Symphonie but had the 5th valve spatula located behind the instrument operated by the thumb of the left hand. Another good one that got away.

Chuck