Conn builds giant tubas for Brooke and Innes in 1897

[Dave Detwiler]

Hi all - in my continued work on the early history of the Sousaphone, it's interesting that, the year before Conn introduced his first Sousaphone to the world in 1898, he had built a giant tuba for both Brooke and Innes to be featured in their respective bands - one of which was an immense helicon bass (I'm not sure yet about the other).

You can read about it here: http://tubapastor.blogspot.com/2018/02/ ... phone.html

Please respond if you know more about either of these giant tubas!

[bisontuba]

Very nice.

[Dave Detwiler]

I'm also hot on the trail of another giant tuba that is seen in this poster for Gilmore's One Hundred in 1892. Know anything about this one?

1892 Gilmore Band of 100 poster - reduced size.jpg

[Steve Marcus]

Dave, the horn in that Gilmore poster looks much more like the Besson/Boosey(?) BBBb now owned by Harvard than the Sander CCC that was (according to one source, probably inaccurate) ordered from the German builder for Sousa's use at the 1893 Chicago World Exposition, purportedly "given to the composer Harry S. Hobson" in the early 1930's (Hobson, from the L.A. area, has been photographed with the bell still uncut from the body of the horn), shipped back across the pond in time for Hoffnung's 1956 Music Festival, stored in Paxman's basement (with the ill-fated decision to cut the bell after renovations to Paxman's building took place), purchased by Dr. Ron Snyder who shipped the horn back again to his home in the Western Hemisphere (Nebraska)? and, after much negotiation, sold to its current owner who first displayed it in Idaho and then moved it, along with his marvelous collection of instruments, to Texas.

( -1 awarded self for a hopelessly run-on sentence)

[Dave Detwiler]

Steve - yes, the tuba in the poster is a dead ringer for the giant tuba up at Harvard, with the exception of the engraving, which the artist for the poster might have enlarged for emphasis. But both horns have "Besson" on the bells, and the layout of the valves and tubing is identical. So now the question is, For what purpose did Gilmore have that huge bass in his band? And was it ever played in a concert? I have yet to find any mention of it.

Also, concerning the so-called Hoffnung tuba that you mention - I've been able to positively I. D. it back to 1910, in an edition of Technical World Magazine. Check out the supposed story behind it:

1910 Technical World Magazine 13.6 (Aug) p. 732 (article).JPG

And here is the photo to go with that story, with the horn matching the later photos we have of it (as you described):

1910 Technical World Magazine 13.6 (Aug) p. 732.JPG

Very interesting stuff!

[Dave Detwiler]

Hey Ian, apparently I'm missing something, as I don't know where that horn is - unless perhaps Steve's veiled reference above is identifying himself as the current owner? But he's not in Texas, it seems. Let me know!