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Im doing a final paper for a brass literature class( before anyone says it i am also looking for my self) i need to write about either composers or players that have made advancements to tuba literature....i have of course have some composers like Walter Hartley, Vaughn Williams, And Edward Gregson, and players like Arnold Jacobs, Abe Torchinsky, and Pat Sheridan. im just looking for some more big name/notable composers/players and what they have done for the tuba literature...

Harvey Phillips had a thing or two commissioned...

Harvey Phillips had a thing or two commissioned

by Alec Wilder. Several good pieces written for tuba and other combinations of instruments.

Some names to look up:

Oystein Baadsvik
Vaclav Nelhybel
Roger Bobo
Gordon Jacob
John Stevens
Dan Perantoni
Tommy Johnson
Jim Self
Don Butterfield
etc.

I wish the pieces Harvey commissioned were available, but as far as I know most are not published.

If you can get your hands on the Tuba Source Book, that would be a great "source":

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/025334 ... d_i=507846" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

I would also look at whatever LP's you can get your hands on. Most colleges will have a history of Tuba traced through the releases of LP's.

It may be a little outside the scope of this paper, but the Polish tubist Zdzislaw Piernik has done a whole lot to advance the tuba and its repertoire. His areas have been more in the modern and avant-garde music circles, but he has done some great stuff.
Also check out the Italian trombonist/tubist Giancarlo Schiaffini. He was the dedicatee for the [relatively] famous composer Luigi Nono's piece "Post-Prae-Ludium, per Donau." Nono was one of the giants of the post-war composer schools, in particular the whole crowd from Darmstadt. In my opinion, he is one of the more interesting composers of the last several decades. But, that's just my opinion...
Hope these help,
Aaron H.

BVD Press wrote:Some names to look up:

Oystein Baadsvik
Vaclav Nelhybel
Roger Bobo
Gordon Jacob
John Stevens
Dan Perantoni
Tommy Johnson
Jim Self
Don Butterfield
etc.

Bryan, I admit to being very fond of the works of etc.

How can one omit August Helleberg, Bill Bell, Dr. Fred Marzan, Fred Geib, Modest Mussorgsky/Maurice Ravel, Serge Prokofiev, Dmitry Shostokovich, Gustav Mahler, etc etc...

Arthur Frackenpohl, Vincent Persichetti, Eric Ewazen, Ron Bishop, Wes Jacobs...

Silvestre Revueltas

Don't forget the great influence of Berlioz and Wagner. Without them it is doubtful the tuba would ever have become established in the symphony orchestra.

The music of Wagner in particular became the 'model' for the next generation of composers and through him using the tuba, they included in their own music as well. We must also thank Tchaikovsky for the tuba becoming so embedded in Russian symphonic works.

In Britain John Fletcher no doubt opened the eyes of composers to what the the tuba was capable. Without him it is doubtful we would have the Gregson concerto.

In Britain John Fletcher no doubt opened the eyes of composers to what the the tuba was capable.

Not just in Britain. Fletch was one of the best musicians to ever hold the tuba in his lap. His recording of the Vaughan Williams is still the benchmark on which all other performances are judged. So much did he do for the musical elevation of the tuba.

I would also look at Howard Johnson and how he has incorporated the tuba into jazz. His music is pretty cool . This may be more than you care to look into but I would make mention of how small ensemble (ie tuba quartet) has evolved and check out the Sotto Voce Quartet. They have an entire album of music of John Stevens which is a name already mentioned in this thread. Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Keegan

eupher61 wrote:

BVD Press wrote:Some names to look up:

etc.

Bryan, I admit to being very fond of the works of etc.

I think I prefer "Unknown" and I am sure there are others that prefer "Traditional", but I see your point

For research on this topic, one name comes to mind...Winston Morris. That guy has forgotten more about tuba literature than most of us will ever know. You can contact him through the Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble web site. If you choose not to contact Winston, you could try to get your hands on a Tuba Source Book. It will cover what you'll need for a paper.

The name that comes to mind for me is Oystein Baadsvik. I think he has really changed the minds of a lot of people by being the only sole professional tuba soloist in history (that I know of).

Not too long ago, I saw him perform at a recital and his playing had a very profound impact on me. To me he is a true virtuoso, and lets not forget that he has created works such as Fnugg and has arranged pieces like Carnival of Venice and Czardas.

Ofcourse, players like Roger Bobo have had the same kind of impact on people by his various TV appearances and large recitals.

BriceT wrote:The name that comes to mind for me is Oystein Baadsvik. I think he has really changed the minds of a lot of people by being the only sole professional tuba soloist in history (that I know of).

Whether or not he is the sole is very much open to discussion, but here are a couple of things I have observed watching him (unfortunately not live yet)...
1. The man cuts an impressive professional appearance. Period. The guy just looks sharp before he even blows his first note. He does not come off as either a slob or a clown, which unfortunately many tuba players do (either consciously or unconsciously.)
2. He plays the instrument, he does not let the instrument play him. I would consider the horns he plays to be "medium sized" - big enough to actually look and sound like a tuba but small enough to play agile and without encumbrances. When desired he needs neither a chair nor a strap, harness, stand, etc. This gives him added mobility both physically and musically. Plus, he does not come off looking like a doofus with some kind of ungainly contraption (see #1.)

Perhaps Tommy Johnson, the most heard tubist in the world?

And John Williams, who is the most famous and most heard composer of modern times, wrote a plethora of famous solos for tuba in his film music and is probably the most famous composer to date to write a concerto for tuba?

If at all possible, you *really* must put your efforts toward Harvey Phillips.

It's my understanding that he atleast doubled our body of literature at one point.

He layed a lot of groundwork for the rest of us.

A major meeting of composers and players occurred 35 years ago at the first ITEC/tuba conference/whatever you want to call it at Indiana University (1973). Harvey Phillips invited 100 composers and all of them wrote something for the tuba.

brianf wrote:A major meeting of composers and players occurred 35 years ago at the first ITEC/tuba conference/whatever you want to call it at Indiana University (1973). Harvey Phillips invited 100 composers and all of them wrote something for the tuba.

Any clue what the pieces were or who the composers were? Sounds like a neat topic for the journal article. One would think at least a few of the pieces may have made into the standard repertoire.

You would think I would know because I publish it, but I believe Ludus - Nelhybel was written for the first ITEC.