Contrabass Digest

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2004-11-15

 
From: Michael Jolivet
Date: Sun, 14 Nov 2004 21:27:29 EST
Subject: Re: [CB] Big Horn Recital announcement in Seattle


RATS!!!!!!   Sara and I are playing a Philharmonia NW concert which starts at 2:30pm.  I am so sorry that we can't attend but our thoughts are with you. 
Of course, it will be fabulous! 
    In the very near future we must get together here to look at sarrusophones and arcane instrument ephemera!!!  Probably after your recital!!!
Michel
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From: "Merlin  Williams"
Subject: [CB] Fw: Caliban Quartet concert coming up
Date: Sun, 14 Nov 2004 23:08:22 -0500

Caliban Quartet concert coming up
Visit my new website www.merlinwilliams.com
Caravan Mouthpiece Dealer
Mouthpiece Refacer
Jupiter Saxophone Artist/Clinician.

----- Original Message -----
From: Fraser Jackson
Sent: November 13, 2004 7:35 PM
Subject: Caliban Quartet concert coming up

The Caliban Quartet of Bassoonists is pleased to announce their first Toronto appearance since January of 2000!

The Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music presents the first concert of their 2004-2005 Great Artist Series

The Caliban Quartet and Fabulous Famous Friends

with

Music by
Shostakovich, Raymond Scott, Harold Arlen, Vit Zouhar, Mathieu Lussier, Stravinsky, Alfredo Casella, HK Gruber, Astor Piazzolla, Michael Nyman, Cameron Tingley and Erich Korngold

With two exceptions, this is all brand new music never heard before in a Caliban concert!

Sunday, November 21, 2004 at 3:00 pm

The Chapel of Royal St George's College
120 Howland Ave, Toronto
(near Dupont and Bathurst)

Tickets $15 and $10
Available at the Royal Conservatory of Music Box Office
273 Bloor St West, Toronto
416-408-2824, ext.321


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Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2004 13:46:27 +0000
From: David Grosvenor
Subject: Re: [CB] [CB Digest]


List Server wrote:
>Periodically on the tuba list, there's a discussion of tuba "pedal tones";
> that is, the 28 Hz tone that can be played on a BBb instrument, and, by
> using the valves, descend to almost the 16 Hz C (or the 14 Hz BBb in the
> case of a 5-valved instrument).  Many players seem to take umbrage when
> it's pointed out that the resulting tones, although sounding very low,
> have almost no energy in the fundamental frequency--the "low" note is
> primarily the smoke and mirrors of upper harmonics fooling the acoustic
> mind into believing that there's a low frequency in there somewhere (a
> trick sometimes exploited by organists--using a 16' and a 10 2/3' quint to
> give the impression of a 32' stop).  

On a compensated 4 valved (or a non-compensating 5-valved) BBb contrabass tuba the full length of tubing is 34 feet. That's the main tubing plus all the valve tubing.  That note produces the B natural just below "32 foot C" and is a good playable note.  I can produce a good sound, (although only fairly quietly - about mp is the limit!) and the note is very useful if doubled at the 8ve and 15th, the same as the lowest pedal notes of the organ.  They're not a lot of musical use unless they're doubled at the octave and double octave, but if they are doubled, they're tremendous!  So although tuba players can just invade the so -called "64 octave", it's only just.  Only a semitone below "32 foot C".   And I can only manage the last three or so notes (C sharp, C natural and B natural) if I'm really warmed up!

David Grosvenor

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From: "Joseph Dorsch"
Subject: RE: [CB] [CB Digest]
Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2004 14:21:01 +0000


I have the wonderful pleasure of playing EEb and BBb contrabass clarinets (not at the same time of course) on this Fall's Concert Band Concert at Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, NC.  It is on Nov. 16 at 7:30.  We're playing some neat stuff this semester, especially the Lochinvar piece (lot's of low Eb's in that one).  Below is the Program if anyone is interested:

The Gallant Seventh March---John Phillip Sousa

Introduction, Theme and Variations---Gioachino Rossini
Stephanie Esposito, Clarinet

Pineapple Poll---Arthur Sullivan  Arr. Mackerras / Duthoit
        Opening Number
        Jasper’s Dance
        Poll’s Dance
        Finale

Salvation is Created---Pavel Tschesnokoff   Arr. Bruce Houseknecht

Lochinvar---James Curnow

Radio Waves March---Fred Jewell  Arr. Timothy Rhea

Thank you,

Joseph Dorsch
Administrative Assistant/Recording Technician
Lenoir-Rhyne College
School of Fine Arts
Box 7355
Hickory, NC 28603   USA


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From: "Jay and Adrienne Easton"
Subject: [CB] contrabass fute/pipe organ
Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2004 10:41:19 -0800


Here's a question that is tangentially related to the low organ pipes topic, and perhaps someone with knowledge of organ acoustics will have an answer.

While attending a flute choir concert held in a church, I noticed that the contrabass flute was barely audible from my seat in the back row while it was playing a solo passage. However, when the bass flutes (and eventually the rest of the ensemble) were added in, the low notes of the contrabass flute became very present and easy to hear, and seemed much louder. It was as if the fundamental had been there all along, but needed the other instruments to fill out the overtones to "complete" the low tones.

This seems to be related to the way you might never actually distinctly hear a contrabass clarinet or string bass in a concert band, but if either of those instruments is present and stops playing, the sound of the entire ensemble changes.

This "amplification" effect seems most pronounced when a soft contrabass instrument is doubled at the octave (or fifteenth) by another instrument. Can anyone explain how this works?

Jay

***End of Contrabass Digest***

 
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