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Wagner Tuba


12-Mile Reef

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I love the Wagner Tuba, it’s such a distinct instrument that can sound incredibly noble in the ring cycle or Bruckner’s symphonies or be used to make the brass section sound huge in scores like the ‘The Core’ or ‘Jurassic World’.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlU7PMlSOkU

 

It's often hard to get such specific information re: orchestration, I only knew of their use in 'Jurassic World' because of the great photographs from the sessions at scoringsessions.com.
dsc_4205.jpg

 

Christopher Gordon used it in ‘Moby Dick’ and wikipedia (not always reliable I know…) lists John Williams among the composers who have written for it. Does anyone know what scores John Williams used it on if this is true?

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They're called "tubas" but they are actually more in the horn family, kind of like a clarinet/ bass clarinet situation. Commonly used during the period about 100 years ago when everybody was writing for a monstrous orchestra. Stravinsky used them in the Rite of Spring, as well as Strauss , Schönberg, Bartok..... but they kind of fell out of favor at a certain point during/between the world wars when a lot of music was being written for smaller orchestras and chamber music. But it is probably worth looking into music by Alex North for example, because he was known for using lots of "weird" instruments at the time in an odd numbers. Herrmann as well.

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2 hours ago, John Chambers said:

I love the Wagner Tuba, it’s such a distinct instrument that can sound incredibly noble in the ring cycle or Bruckner’s symphonies or be used to make the brass section sound huge in scores like the ‘The Core’ or ‘Jurassic World’.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlU7PMlSOkU

 

It's often hard to get such specific information re: orchestration, I only knew of their use in 'Jurassic World' because of the great photographs from the sessions at scoringsessions.com.
dsc_4205.jpg

 

Christopher Gordon used it in ‘Moby Dick’ and wikipedia (not always reliable I know…) lists John Williams among the composers who have written for it. Does anyone know what scores John Williams used it on if this is true?

 

Jurassic Park for sure--the four-note motif solo at the end of the end credits ("Welcome to Jurassic Park") is indeed performed on Wagner Tuba.

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Chris Young uses them in his big scores like Spiderman 3 and Species and stuff.  You probably find them in blockbuster or monster music like Godzilla by Alexander Desplat, Marco Beltrami, Elfman, etc.

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1 hour ago, TownerFan said:

 

Jurassic Park for sure--the four-note motif solo at the end of the end credits ("Welcome to Jurassic Park") is indeed performed on Wagner Tuba.

 

That's really interesting. I always thought it was a Tuba in a register, but when I looked I saw its a Baritone Horn, much less interesting, but an understandable substitute.

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  • 5 weeks later...
On 4/20/2020 at 5:10 PM, moi said:

How do you know? 

 

All the sheet music for TESB leaked years ago 

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  • 5 weeks later...
On 4/16/2020 at 7:21 AM, John Chambers said:

I only knew of their use in 'Jurassic World' because of the great photographs from the sessions at scoringsessions.com.

 

Which track on the Jurassic World OST does it feature the Wagner tuba? Is it on the cues with Indominus Rex's theme? 

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21 hours ago, Edmilson said:

 

Which track on the Jurassic World OST does it feature the Wagner tuba? Is it on the cues with Indominus Rex's theme? 

I've always assumed they are in 'Costa Rican Standoff' as the brass sounds huge in that track but I have no idea. Would love to find out definitively if anyone knows.

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