The Harvard Tuba - the full story is now on YouTube

[Dave Detwiler]

Hi all - I've been playing around a lot with iMovie these past few months, and decided to create an audiovisual version of my research on the Harvard Tuba - just to get this fascinating story out to more people. If you're interested, and have 33 minutes to devote to it, here's the link. Enjoy!

[Dave Detwiler]

In creating my video on the Harvard Tuba, linked above, I discovered that this historic horn was debuted the same year as Cesar Franck's one-and-only Symphony (1889), and in the very same city (Paris). So, I had more than enough reasons now to finally get to know this musical masterpiece - and it has captivated me!

But the debut in 1889 didn't go so well. As one historian summed it up, "The critics shouted during the music, the audience booed - even the players in the orchestra booed [can you imagine?!]! Leaving the concert hall, Franck commented only: 'It sounded just as I thought it would.'" It's amazing how nothing really changes when it comes to how we respond to changes in musical ideas.

However, if you simply listen to what Franck is saying in the Symphony, you too may be captivated. As one more recent critic explained, and I thought this was perfect, "The symphony presents what amounts to a theological argument: the foreboding of the first movement is transcended in the rapturous pages that come midway through the Allegretto, then vanquished altogether in the finale, where transcendence and transformation go hand-in-hand."

So, do yourself a favor and give this masterpiece a listen. It may end up being the best 40 minutes of your day!

[Dave Detwiler]

Well, calling it "the full story" is always a dangerous thing to do, as the work of the historian is never quite finished. Just this past week I stumbled upon a bit more information about P. S. Gilmore's relationship with the Harvard Tuba in the early 1890s.

I've written about that here, if you're interested: https://tubapastor.blogspot.com/2022/07 ... -tuba.html

Enjoy!