Legends of the Tuba Euph World

[Albertibass]

Don't forget the British greats!

Patrick Harrild
Owen Slade
John Jenkins
Stuart Roebuck

and more...

add Robert and Nicholas Childs + David

Steven Mead

David Thornton


and if the Hirsbrunner's are included, add Rudy Meinl Jr and Sr too !

Trevor Groom

[oldbandnerd]

You cannot make this list without including the British euphonium greats. So here's my list :

Trevor Groom- Has to be the one man who has done the most for the euphonium. If you don't know who he is you should listen to these recordings of him : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1PPFQ6p82Y" target="_blank , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnSq6r5nd_s" target="_blank , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-JV4Lu0Vzw" target="_blank

David Childs, Bob Childs,David Thornton( Black Dyke Mills),Charley Brighton (UK soloist), Glyn Williams ( Fodens Richardson Brass Band)

[Toad Away]

"Red" Lehr

Joe Tarto

Jack Richardson (Sousa Band)

[Dan Schultz]

Rather than to generate a mile-long list... how about just a 'top ten of all time' list.

[Steven Noel]

Kilton Vinal Smith BSO. Eugene Adam BSO. Dante DiNunzio , Bos.Pops, under A. Fiedler. & RI Phil . Ed Moon US Navy Band .

[gregsundt]

Brian Bowman
David Werden
Leonard Falcone
Did someone already mention Tommy Johnson?
And who was that guy who founded Tubajazz with Harvey Phillips?

[Barney]

And who was that guy who founded Tubajazz with Harvey Phillips?

Rich Matteson

[tubeast]

The way I understand Mr. Zerkel´s thread it would be interesting to add WHY one thinks a certain person should belong on the list.
To me, the word "Legend" in this context refers to a sort of report or anecdote about a situation that legendary person was in. Something that may have had impact on a large portion of the tuba world as we perceive it today.
So I think names should be tied to episodes that support that legendary status.

As in: Mr. Wieprecht from Berlin, who invented the instrument in the first place.
Mr. Culbertson, who supposedly introduced the tuba to the French orchestral world (Or at least was the first one to overcome their fondness of euphoniums on steroids, AKA the French Tuba, against the musicians´union´s resistance). I have no idea whether or not this story is true to the core, but it certainly fulfills MY standards of a legend.
The first person (still to be named) to actually have found the legendary dead rat/bat/You name it in their sousaphone.
Mr. Johnson who can justifiably claim to be the one tubist to have been heard by the most people in tha world, at least those who´ve had access to Hollywood movies aof the past thirty + years.
I may add two personal legends, even though I doubt they´ll fit Mr. Zerkels intentions for that list:
Andreas Bolz, the one and only tubist I know who managed to be 25 years of age for more than ten years, in that he still officially performed with the Schönebecker Jugendblasorchester Essen. That band, being a youth band, has a policy of kicking their members out once they turn 25.
And Michael Hünten, charismatic tubist of said band, who showed me how cool and pride inspiring the tuba was in the first place. Sadly, he passed away BEFORE above stated rule would have applied to him. He will always be kindly remembered.

[Uncle Buck]

I'm sure that all of the people suggested so far are excellent in their fields; they are great players, or have contributed significantly to the development of their students, or made some great tubas - or sometimes maybe all of the above.

However, I have a different view about whether they are "legends". For me there are many excellent exponents of the tuba but few "legends".

Bill Bell
Arnold Jacobs
Harvey Phillips
John Fletcher
Roger Bobo

Personally I don't think many of the others are legends - not yet anyway

Cam

I tend to agree with this post - and think a similar "legends" list for euph should not be any longer.

[J.c. Sherman]

I'm sure that all of the people suggested so far are excellent in their fields; they are great players, or have contributed significantly to the development of their students, or made some great tubas - or sometimes maybe all of the above.

However, I have a different view about whether they are "legends". For me there are many excellent exponents of the tuba but few "legends".

Bill Bell
Arnold Jacobs
Harvey Phillips
John Fletcher
Roger Bobo

Personally I don't think many of the others are legends - not yet anyway

Cam

I absolutely agree with both your sentiment and your list.

I agree with the sentiment, but I must ad Bishop and Torchy, as well as Green. All seriously influential sounds, players, people and teachers.

In chamber music, I think Daelenbach and Pillafian have joined Fletch and have been at least as influential as well.

We are in a happy time as the sheer number of fantastic tubists has grown exponentially.

Was Simone Mantia on the long list? No recordings I know of, but what a legend! And I will forever hear Dee Stewart's euph sound in my head.

J.c.S.

[TubaTodd]

Although I did not study with him....MANY can say they did...

Cherry Beauregard
Formerly Eastman School of Music

[Rick Denney]

I think each generation provides a legend or two--the guys who define new performance standards and push the art where nobody thought it could go.

England and Europe each have their separate legends, but I'll leave it to those who grew up with them to name them. Fletcher would, of course, have to be on that list, but there would be others, too.

August Helleberg certainly defined a whole new standard for tuba playing in the U.S., and is arguably the reason American tuba players in orchestras use a contrabass.

The next legend who redefined the art was Bill Bell, who was maybe the first American tuba player known outside the tuba world. Arnold Jacobs was the legend of the next generation, as much for pedagogy as performance, but because of both. Then comes Harvey Phillips, followed by Tommy Johnson and Roger Bobo--both of whom made the Miraphone California Power Sound the one everyone wanted for a whole generation. Callender probably should be on the list, too. Torchinsky brought orchestral excerpts to the tuba population, influencing a whole generation of orchestral players.

The orchestral tuba player's orchestral tuba player of the generation just retiring arguably was Chester Schmitz--I put him in the "jury still out" list.

Anyone younger than that--anyone not yet retired--seems to me as yet unqualified to have legendary status bestowed on them. The legends are legends because their stories have attained mythical status. That takes more than mere world-class performance. It takes becoming the champion of a whole new standard of performance for a whole generation. That generation has to be in the books, it seems to me, before those standards will be clear.

Among tuba makers, there is only one American who has attained that mythical status, and that is Pop Johnson who designed the Jacobs York. It's funny that the one legendary American maker is best known for two prototypes that happened to end up in another legend's hands.

Many would take this list as a challenge to come up with the one name of a truly outstanding performer who would cause everyone else to slap their heads on hearing the name. The legends, however, shouldn't be names out of a history book or off the list of performers we specialists happen to admire. They should be the main characters in the stories that we bring up time and time again--that's what it means to be a legend.

Rick "who can only guess who of the current generation might be remembered in legendary terms" Denney

[MikeMilnarik]

First just a comment...

Personally I think that this sort of question should have private responses because someone is always going to be overlooked and there are going to be hurt feelings for those that work incredibly hard and are missed.

I've read the other posts and just adding names I didn't see or accidentally missed...

(In no particular order.)

Donald A. Stanley
Matthew K. Brown

Adam Frey (one of the hardest working euphonium players in the field today)
Roland Froescher (Swiss)
Thomas Reudi

Respectfully submitted without forgetting those whom have already been named,

Mike Milnarik

[J.c. Sherman]

First just a comment...

Personally I think that this sort of question should have private responses because someone is always going to be overlooked and there are going to be hurt feelings for those that work incredibly hard and are missed.

That's better than a good point. A gentlemanly point. Thank you.

J.c.S.

[Rick Denney]

First just a comment...

Personally I think that this sort of question should have private responses because someone is always going to be overlooked and there are going to be hurt feelings for those that work incredibly hard and are missed.

That's better than a good point. A gentlemanly point. Thank you.

That's the main reason I exclude those who are still active performers. If Dave's question had been about "world-class" performers instead of "legendary" performers, the list could be long and then the problem mentioned would be a real one. A legend is a story handed down through the generations to the point where it has attained mythical status. That tells me that we have to wait at least one generation after the performer's active career before we can know who will be the legend.

To wit: Were Bell and Jacobs the best orchestral performers in the U.S. during their respective periods? Frankly, we don't know, since most of us have never heard their competitors. I think probably not. But they were the ones who so redefined the medium that we all want to pass those stories down to the young'uns. That's what makes them legends.

And, yes, Matteson should be on the list, but because we would all be interested in and would pass along stories about him, not because he was merely "good".

Rick "legends are defined by the stories passed down to subsequent generations" Denney

[Stephen Shoop]

Fred Geib (1871-1950)- Contributions in the following areas: (1) Principal Tubist in the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (1910-1928), Radio City Music Hall Orchestra, and Goldman Band (to name a few), (2) Teacher- Juilliard School of Music, (3) Author- Fred Geib Tuba Method (published by Carl Fischer), and (4) Composer of a number of original solos for tuba with piano accompaniment-- as well as two books of technical studies. In addition, Mr. Geib's playing may be heard on a number of early 20th century recordings- including several with the New York Philharmonic.

[windshieldbug]

Those involved in the storied and much-copied York CC's...

Alfred J. "Bill" Johnson, factory foreman and then partner in York
Philip Donatelli, Philadelphia Orchestra, for whom the horns were commissioned
Arnold Jacobs, Donatelli's student who was perceptive enough to pick them up and use them to their full potential

... who were all legends in and of themselves

[TUBAD83]

I'm sure that all of the people suggested so far are excellent in their fields; they are great players, or have contributed significantly to the development of their students, or made some great tubas - or sometimes maybe all of the above.

However, I have a different view about whether they are "legends". For me there are many excellent exponents of the tuba but few "legends".

Bill Bell
Arnold Jacobs
Harvey Phillips
John Fletcher
Roger Bobo

Personally I don't think many of the others are legends - not yet anyway

Cam

If you start with your teacher and go back far enough, one of these names listed will most likely appear (for example, my teacher, William Rose, was taught by Bill Bell). These gentlemen formed the foundation of all we know about our instrument.

JJ

[Stephen Shoop]

Everett Gilmore (1935-2005). Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

[swillafew]

When I was a student, all my teachers (prominent players), and many prominent artists, had all studied with Arnold Jacobs, and/or Bill Bell. I don't know of another instrument so influenced by so few teachers. Tuba is a good instrument to keep the list quite short.