As with many of the other documents concerning the tuba family of instruments, this guide is a product of its time. As such, some of the information provided here is subject to change, especially concerning the use of the listed contemporary techniques in the ever-expanding tuba and euphonium repertoire. For this guide to claim any sort of comprehensive-ness, it must grow and change with the passage of time. This will primarily be accomplished through the online component of the guide, at http://www.composerstubaguide.com. The sedimentary and collaborative nature of the online version of the guide is well-suited to further adaptations, and will be maintained in perpetuity by the author of this guide.

            One avenue for possible growth is in the expansion of the constituent members of the tuba family. The cimbasso continues to gain in prominence among the tuba community; indeed, owning or having access to a cimbasso is practically a requirement for the tubists involved in the Hollywood film scoring scene. To a lesser extent, the serpent has made a comeback over the last few decades (as of 2019), and may yet experience further growth. The Chinese instrument manufacturer Wessex Tubas in particular has shown a desire to resurrect several instruments of older times, including the British style compensating F tuba and French single C tuba.[1] And with the growing British brass band movement in North America, the traditional baritone may continue to be a viable secondary horn for euphonists. Time will tell if these instruments gain enough prominence to warrant inclusion in the tuba family of instruments as defined in this guide, with the largest hurdle being the relative paucity of dedicated contemporary compositions for those instruments. It is worth keeping track of these changes, though.

            The design and history of the tuba and euphonium has been in constant flux for almost two centuries as of this document’s writing, and this process shows no sign of abating. One major evolution of the tuba is the microtonal tuba designed by Dr. Robin Hayward and B&S.[2] By incorporating a modified rotary valve cluster with seven valves, Dr. Hayward’s design allows for the performance of music in both equal temperament and in quarter tones, throughout the tuba’s entire range. As this design and other potential evolutions of the tuba and euphonium continue to proliferate, the manual will need to be updated. This will be accomplished easily via the use of the website version of the manual, and will additionally be incorporated into future print versions.

            As the tuba and euphonium continue to gain stature within the new music community, a growing community of performers specializing in the performance of contemporary music will expand the instrument into new and uncharted technical territories. As the current body of contemporary techniques continues to be refined and expanded, this manual will need to likewise grow and incorporate new information. Given the Internet-first emphasis of the guide, this will be accomplished with relatively little issue.

            In Section 1, a number of tubists and euphonists exploring the edges of the contemporary repertoire were highlighted. As more and more musicians continue to explore these far-flung fields of musical performance, the manual will be updated to include their activities.

            An additional area for growth with this guide is in the future expansion of the provided musical examples. Although the musical examples already included serve their intended purpose, it is the author’s hope that with further time and effort a wider selection of examples will be produced. This will also be necessary as the body of contemporary techniques continues to expand. The continuing art of musical notation is also constantly in flux, and will potentially need to be addressed as well in future versions of the manual.

            As more and more compositions continue to enter the solo tuba and euphonium repertoire, the repertoire lists included in the next section of the guide will continue to grow. The same can be said for the list of recordings. The tuba family is going head-first into the future, and it is the hope of the author that the tuba and euphonium will grow in stature among the contemporary musical world.  

[1] “French C Tuba – TC236 – Wessex Tubas,” Wessex Tubas, accessed January 4 2019, https://wessex-tubas.com/collections/tubas/products/french-c-tuba-tc236

[2] “Microtonal Tuba”, Robin Hayward, accessed February 3, 2019, http://www.robinhayward.de/eng/mitontuba.php

Advertisement