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Which instrument is this solo more suited for?

I've always done it on CC. I've heard some recordings of it on F tuba and I really liked that as well. If I had to perform it again I would probably do it on CC tuba.

Sonata for Basstuba. Basstuba in Germany is an F tuba. Definitely F tuba, and definitely NO VIBRATO.

Who cares what the composer specified or wanted. Do it on whatever instrument you want.

E flat if you have one.

Bloke is right on the virtuoso pianist. I put the name of the piece as "Sonata for solo piano and tuba accompaniment" for a jury once.

I've played it on BBb; but it was quite a stretch. Finding a pianist that didn't go screaming out of the room was fun, too!

jonesbrass wrote:Sonata for Basstuba. Basstuba in Germany is an F tuba. Definitely F tuba

That is the way I would look at it. The composer has specified the type of tuba he wishes it played, so that should be followed if possible to produce the intended tone colour for the music.

The tuba part of the piece is within the technical capabilities of less-than-top-rung tuba players. Typically, a student of the tuba will start out on contrabass (CC or BBb) before (s)he owns an F horn. The Hindemith can be approached by a student at this level.

Any pianist who truly has this piece in his/her fingers at full tempo is probably playing it with some frequency. It's a gig.

I can't play it properly on either one. But my preference is to play it badly on the F, rather than play it worsely on the Bb.

Rick "who plays it in the practice room from time to time for giggles" Denney

I've used both. I heard Bobo do it on a Besson E-flat once and it sounded perfect!

Steve Marcus wrote:Typically, a student of the tuba will start out on contrabass (CC or BBb) before (s)he owns an F horn. The Hindemith can be approached by a student at this level.

This is interesting, too, Steve. Frequently the tables are turned in continental europe, with the students starting on the bass tuba and adding the contrabass later. I've heard it said that Hindemith could play all of the sonatas he wrote on the instruments he wrote them for . . . that could explain a lot.

LJV wrote:Or any other tuba solo?

Yes! The Vaughan Williams as an example is a piece of music that non-tuba players often enjoy - particularly the Romanza.

We must not put our instrument down. A tuba played well produces an attractive sound which general music lovers can and do appreciate. It is I believe more attractive tonally than the bassoon, or double bass.

For the Hindemith sonata, that is purely for tuba players, or Hindemith enthusiasts to want to listen - but are not his other sonatas equally difficult? Last year I played the Vaughan Williams in chamber music concert following pianist playing some piano solo work by Hindemith - there was no doubt from the audience reaction which they enjoyed the most!

jonesbrass wrote:Sonata for Basstuba. Basstuba in Germany is an F tuba. Definitely F tuba, and definitely NO VIBRATO.

Who cares what the composer specified or wanted. Do it on whatever instrument you want.

Are you serious?

I believe that as musicians we should be very concerned about how people perceive our instrument. I usually get pretty upset when a quick snag remark is made by faculty members or some peers, because I feel they are attacking my creditability as a musician. This is especially unnerving when you that know you know a lot more about music and performing than some of these people who are so-called studying it. Arnold Jacobs always talked about how we should always think of the person behind the instrument, and not let the instrument define the person. However, I can accept the that tuba will probably never be a major solo instrument, but that shouldn't stop us from trying!

Anyway, for Hindemith, I would have to see an scholarly edition of the sonata to see if he really wrote for "basstuba". I love the sound of a CC or even a Kaiser BBb on this piece, but a good F or Eb is nice as well.

I would say that it could be played on any key of tuba. Having played it on a 188 and my old Perantucci model F, I can say that I probably would give the edge to playing it on CC, but that's just an opinion.

It's a very geometric piece. Play around with it on both horns and see which one you feel the best about. The end result will be dictated by approach, and the ability of your accompanist, rather than the key of tuba you are playing on. Just see what fits you. Try to make some music out of it, without getting away from the precision required to make the piece work in the first place.

With regards to people, or more specifically, tuba players, who tend to reject the idea that our instrument has broad appeal, or that it is not viewed or used as a solo instrument appropriately, I figure it to be self-flagellation for the most part.

Hey. I play the tuba. I do the best I can. Make the best music I can. Play solos, and quintet/orch parts. Show up on time, etc. If someone doesn't want to listen to a recital, come to a concert, or show an interest in what I do, then fine. To each his own. Doesn't mean that I can't take our music seriously and hope that others out there do as well.