Cimbasso

[tclements]

Ok, now that I have one of these things (Cerveny F), short of making a lamp, fountain, or a flower pot out of it, what the heck do I do with the durned thing? For which pieces, or for which composers should I CONSIDER using it.

Smart a$$ed comments are welcome and encouraged.

Thanks!

[tubalex]

I don't have one myself, but friends of mine who do use theirs mainly for Italian operas-mainly Verdi and Puccini.

[tclements]

@bloke - EXACTLY what I was thinking!!

[Mark]

Seriously, buy Andy Bove's CD: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=46715&hilit=bove+cimbasso. Then you will realize how good a cimbasso can sound.

[rodgeman]

What about the bass voice for a trombone choir?

[tbn.al]

What about the bass voice for a trombone choir?

That spot is already filled. Quite nicely, I might add.

[Donn]

I don't think you can take for granted that a valved instrument is going to be entirely welcome in a trombone ensemble.

[j1007hc]

When your bass trombone player is going nuts, pull it out and compete!

That or you could try going for a drum corp.

[MartyNeilan]

Use it on the "C Bass" praise and worship charts on your next church gig. Give them a lesson in linguistics and insist it is the only authentic instrument for those parts.

[J.c. Sherman]

I don't think you can take for granted that a valved instrument is going to be entirely welcome in a trombone ensemble.

Actually, I use mine all the time when I'm too lazy to bring the slide instrument. Never causes a fuss.

In seriousness, it's mostly for use in Verdi and Puccini (not all of them) Operas, Pines of Rome... and then you're going to have to come up with uses for it. Large brass ensembles/trombone ensembles are good, but truly, they are a limited use ax. Quintet and Church are good places... just don't use it all the time (I usually use it for Renaissance works). Did you get the new Cerveny with the larger bore?

[Dan Schultz]

What about the bass voice for a trombone choir?

I do not play my BBb cimbasso professionally but upon occasion just for fun. I especially take it to 'Jinglebones' ... a trombone version of TubaChristmas. The fellow who wrote much of the material for the trombone ensemble has a penchant for putting parts in the basement as well as the stratosphere. ... to the point that the upper and lower parts are unplayable except for a very limited few. The group seems quite happy to give up the 'basement' parts to me once a year.

[Rick Denney]

I once saw this apparently famous saxophone ensemble at a conference in Chicago. They had a bass sax, and if the assault on my ears didn't deceive me, something like a contrabass sax, if such a thing exists.

They were bad enough to require incredibly stupid-looking costumes in order to provide the correct novelty qualities.

For some reason, discussions of tuba players playing these things in elephant rooms always brings that sax ensemble back to mind.

Rick "who knows what it is to play in a novelty group" Denney

[Chuck Jackson]

There was a sax ensemble concert up in Seattle last fall that had two contrabass saxes, two bass, and loads of the all the other ones.

There oughta be a law, like "All Dogs, Sailors, Saxophone, and Cimbasso Players, stay off the grass". Works for me. Discuss amongst yourselves, or just post pictures of food or well-endowed women serving beer. It's not the end of the world.............

Chuck"an equal opportunity abuser of good sense"Jackson

[Rick Denney]

Look guys...

If it's legal for Lutherans to sing , you've got to allow people to honk on contrabass saxophones.

It's a point.

Rick "at least they don't usually sing very loudly" Denney

[Kevin Hendrick]

I once saw this apparently famous saxophone ensemble at a conference in Chicago. They had a bass sax, and if the assault on my ears didn't deceive me, something like a contrabass sax, if such a thing exists.

Hang on to your hat -- there are subcontrabass saxes, too.

[eupher61]

I'd much rather hear a concert by a sax ensemble than a tuba ensemble, actually. There are a lot more timbral differences among the saxophones than between big and small tubas, euphs, baritones, and whatever other thing you'd care to throw in.

Yes, I brasspheme.

[Lingon]

I'd much rather hear a concert by a sax ensemble...

Something like this?

or, not exactly a sax ensemble but, something interesting for us low players...

[ztuba]

I believe it was 2009 SWRTEC during the "surviving the studios" workshop, cimbasso was named as the number 1 double for studio tuba players. Do you have the work potential of playing a recording studio gig any time soon?

[ztuba]

Also, for Verdi and Puccini, Mr. Fossi told me that he prefers the cerveny because it is the most conical of all the cimbassos he had played at the time. In fact his YouTube videos of cimbasso excerpts are on that Cerveny. However, JVH in California says that they are not well suited for studio stuff and prefers the Rudy CC and that new Kanstul is going to also be a serious contender not only on ability to smoke the orchestra but also blend with the strings when required. Oh yeah and it should be very competitively priced.

[Z-Tuba Dude]

I'd much rather hear a concert by a sax ensemble than a tuba ensemble, actually. There are a lot more timbral differences among the saxophones than between big and small tubas, euphs, baritones, and whatever other thing you'd care to throw in.

Sorta apples & oranges...

• 1) A sax ensemble would likely cover soprano, alto, tenor, bari, and maybe even bass parts.
  2) Tuba ensemble generally has tenor, bass/contrabass parts.

What the tuba ensemble needs is a soprano voice:



...and an alto voice:



...then you're talking apples & apples!