In defense of the Ophicleide

[goodgigs]

In 1990 I went to Eugene Oregon and saw Arnold Jacobs' three day master class.
On the last day he invited his friend, a musicologist and collector, to come and
talk about old instruments. He had what he said was a two thousand year old bugle !
He had some leaky civil war horns that he played perfectly by "blowing past the problems" (?)
He also explained that in ancient times musicians were on a SEVEN YEAR apprenticeship program.
"Playing eight hours a day six days a week for seven years, of course you can learn to play these things in tune."
What killed these instruments was the advent of large rooms. In ancient times twenty people was a good crowd.
They just couldn't play loud. They're perfectly good instruments.
We've just forgotten how to play them.

[J.c. Sherman]

If I'm not mistaken, the original was for viola in the keys of C minor/C Major which were kept for the bassoon edition, thus negating anything lower than a C, that note being the lowest open string on the Viola. Are you sure the performer is not doing a newer transcription?

Chuck

I'll have to look it up, but I was referring to a different work... though this is a nice bassoon transcription by the composer.