I'm thinking of...

[bloke]

Introducing contrabass, bass AND Cimbasso to the audience could be an option.
Maybe you can find suitable solo pieces to feature the strengths and weaknesses of each instrument.
And in case You actually decide on an orchestral excerpt-section and maybe need some time to rest your chops, You might get a chance to chat about gear choices, which, of course, all tubists should be able to spontaneously ad-lib for hours

At least this might provoke some "Gee, I wonder what horns the tuba-guy will bring TODAY"- kinds of reaction on 2-3 consecutive concerts...

Those people see the cimbasso a lot, because - again - this orchestra plays a whole bunch of pops concerts, and I usually use it on most pieces in most pops concerts. They might not know what it is, but they've heard and seen it plenty.

[DonO.]

My senior recital (‘78) was all played on the only tuba I owned at the time, my Meinl-Weston model 25 BBb. My program included Ricercar by Gabrielli, transcribed by R. Winston Morris. Nice piece easily executed on contrabass. Also pulled off the first two movements of the Hindemith. Just couldn’t get the third mvt. ready in time. But that’s academic, not particularly entertaining, but I do like the Ricercar. Not a lot of music from that period for solo tuba, either.

A solo that extremely audience pleasing and used to be sometimes played by high school bands is “The Egotistical Elephant”. I did it in Jr. High actually. Super easy and written in BBb range. The fact that it’s easy may be a plus. I played it straight, but I could see a good player “hamming it up” a bit.

[bloke]

The Hindemith is interesting, the polka movement is tongue-in-cheek, but it's a piano sonata...and - were I to accompany a pianist on that piece, I would choose to play the F tuba.

What interests me about the Hartley is that it's dodecaphonic YET he doesn't deny harmony, AND it's extremely cleverly written, PLUS there's no "bombasto tuba crapola mucho" in it. Also...It's (written in the style of a baroque sonata) "just long enough".

[arpthark]

What interests me about the Hartley is that it's dodecaphonic YET he doesn't deny harmony, AND it's extremely cleverly written, PLUS there's no "bombasto tuba crapola mucho" in it. Also...It's (written in the style of a baroque sonata) "just long enough".

[NapoleonWilson]

Beversdorf Sonata is one of the best pieces for contrabass.
Great, totally underrated solo for the instrument.

Came out a few months after the Hindemith Sonata, which has probably stolen all of its historical thunder.

For those programming it, hire a good accompanist

[arpthark]

Beversdorf Sonata is one of the best pieces for contrabass.
Great, totally underrated solo for the instrument.

Came out a few months after the Hindemith Sonata, which has probably stolen all of its historical thunder.

For those programming it, hire a good accompanist

Respectfully disagree, but it is an interesting piece.

Hindemith wrote his tuba sonata in 1955, and published it in 1957. Beversdorf got his sonata published in 1962. It's possible it took a few years for Hindemith's to make its way stateside and become popular, though.

Similarly, Hungarian composer Zoltan Gardonyi's tuba sonata was from 1948, and is generally agreed to be the first sonata written specifically for the instrument. But its lack of popularity can be attributed to the Iron Curtain and the composer's relative obscurity.

Hindemith was very well known, taught in the US for several years, and was one of the great living composers of the 20th century -- AND he wrote "band music" that students may be familiar with (Symphonic Metamorphosis, Symphony in Bb, etc.), which might have added to his cachet among early academics teaching tuba in the 1960s.

I want to like the Beversdorf, and maybe my hesitation with it is due to my familiarity with it being a commercially available recording in which I don't think the performer did a very good job.

arp "reformed music theorist and Hindemith scholar" thark

[bloke]

Beversdorf is an actual tuba solo, but it relies on a bunch of "pomposo" stuff that I tend to reject/click away from (or slip out the back door, if a live recital).

I just don't like the piece, it sounds like a trombone piece played by the tuba (repeated fast pitches, etc...)

I have a friend who studied trombone with him at Indiana...Ken Yount.

Ken had played principal in Memphis, got tired of Memphis (decades ago) moved way out, and then moved out much farther.

He got really interested in woodworking, and was the first to build those laminated rectangular temple blocks - sold by Ludwig and Orff instrument seller, West Music. He also built a whole bunch of other high-grade wooden percussion instruments.

Haddad...??
I would (reluctantly) play it if paid to do so...preferably (me) under an assumed name, and out-of-town.
(You guessed it: I don't like that one, either.)

There are a few oboe pieces that I would consider performing, but most of the oboe pieces lay right in the F tuba range (B-flat at the bottom and F or G - two and a half octaves higher).

re: Ken Yount...how's THAT for wandering off-topic !?!?!?!?

[arpthark]

I'll be on the lookout for Schmoe Schmellmanschmerger playing the Haddad and the Beversdorf at a Shell station in Le Roy, Iowa.

[bloke]

I'll be on the lookout for Schmoe Schmellmanschmerger playing the Haddad and the Beversdorf at a Shell station in Le Roy, Iowa.

probably a medley version of the two... w/accordion accompaniment

[arpthark]

What about the Broughton?

always played it on CC, not sure how it would lay on BBb. But it's pretty tuneful/zippy. Plus the Hollywood connection would surely impress your audience. (??)

[Doc]

I'll be on the lookout for Schmoe Schmellmanschmerger playing the Haddad and the Beversdorf at a Shell station in Le Roy, Iowa.

probably a medley version of the two... w/accordion accompaniment

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