The writing on this photo identifies it as a giant tuba made specifically for the Sousa band in 1898. True or false?
I have been previously scolded on the internets for saying that Sousa had ever had such a thing made (it was something I read in the Guinness Book) so this must be some egregious mis-identification, right? Or is this indeed what it claims to be?
(if the image appears cropped on the right you can do RMB>view image to reframe it.)
That rumor has been around for years, but there is no support. A Sousa scholar has indicated that the Sousa press machine was quite effective, and if the instrument had been associated with Sousa, it would have been in the press releases. But a review of the press releases has never yielded any suggestion of the large tuba. A former owner also looked for for such connection, but never found any.
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The Hoffnung tuba comes up from time to time does anybody know of a video or sound file available online of the tuba in action?
Paxman did not make the tuba. It was built by Sanders of Wolfstein. The tuba had been located in the basement of Paxman's for some time, and after remodeling narrowed egress from the basement, someone elected to cut the bell rather than the exit.
There is one track on the Hoffnung LP featuring the giant tuba. There is also a photo on the back of the album cover.
According to the notes (if I remember correctly) it was made as a presentation to Sousa to celebrate his visit to England.
There was a story about it in Life Magazine some time in the early 1960s, with some photos.
Art Hovey wrote:There is one track on the Hoffnung LP featuring the giant tuba.
Gerard Hoffnung himself played the Sanders CCC subcontrabass tuba in the live 1956 performance (complete with audience laughter) of Gordon Jacob's "Variations on 'Annie Laurie'." The audio recording is available on iTunes:
Mike, I'd understood that Hoffnung commissioned Sanders to build it. well, I was told Paxman (maybe on the album cover?) built it...but did Hoffnung buy it or commission it?
Steve--I can't say definitively, but I'd be pretty sure it was not commissioned by Hoffnung. There is an earlier picture of someone from LA with the horn. I would also guess the instrument would have been built prior to Hoffnung's time with the instrument. The origin's of the instrument are unclear, but it has gotten around.
Not sure what's true, but when I performed on this tuba at Harvard I was told that here were six of these made by Besson for the John Phillip Sousa Band. They got shipped to the United States and arrived right after Sousa died, so they were never used. Could all be urban legend - just what I was told.
Seriously difficult to pick up and move 6 inches. That's one of the main reasons two people are holding it. If you lose control of it ... it'll easily fall over!
Here is the "Hoffnung" tuba, already in existence in 1933 and already identified as ex-Sousa. (Thanks to a trombone forum member for pointing me to this.)
World's Largest Bass Horn. World's largest bass horn exhibited at Pasadena, California. Historic instrument made for John Philip Sousa in 1893 turns up in Pasadena where it is shown by Harry S. Hobson, its owner. The huge horn was made for use with Sousa's band at the original Chicago World's Fair, and was given by Sousa to Hobson, music composer at the exposition, after the close of the Fair.
I suppose it's possible Harry Hobson was lying about how he happened to have the largest tuba on the planet but... really?
Mikelynch wrote:That rumor has been around for years, but there is no support. A Sousa scholar has indicated that the Sousa press machine was quite effective, and if the instrument had been associated with Sousa, it would have been in the press releases. But a review of the press releases has never yielded any suggestion of the large tuba. A former owner also looked for for such connection, but never found any.
Can you point me to who those individuals are and where their research might be read?
Mikelynch wrote:That rumor has been around for years, but there is no support. A Sousa scholar has indicated that the Sousa press machine was quite effective, and if the instrument had been associated with Sousa, it would have been in the press releases. But a review of the press releases has never yielded any suggestion of the large tuba. A former owner also looked for for such connection, but never found any.
Can you point me to who those individuals are and where their research might be read?
Certainly there must be a name to attach to that Sousa scholar alluded to above if he exists.
The only Sousa scholar I'm familiar with is Paul Bierley and I can't detect that he has ever written on this topic.
