The Wagner Tuba

  • Wagner Tuba
    • Introduction
    • Wagner Tuba History
      • The Vision
      • The Apprentice
      • Trials and Transpositions
      • Fruition
      • The Disciple
      • Wagner’s Heirs
      • Modern Voices
      • Wagner Tuba Revival
    • Physical Properties & Range
    • Wagner Tuba Notation
    • Position in The Score
    • Seating in the Orchestra
  • Composers
    • Wagner Tuba Composers
    • Stephen Caudel
    • Andrew Downes
    • Jan Koetsier
    • Jorge E. López
    • Elisabeth Lutyens
  • Richard Wagner
    • Introduction
    • Birth in Leipzig
    • The ‘Acting’ Father
    • Wagner the Student
    • Early Compositions
    • Marriage to Minna Planer
    • Wagner in Paris
    • Mathilde Wesendonk
    • King Ludwig II of Bavaria
    • Wagner and Cosima
    • Bayreuth & Final Years
  • The Brass Section
    • Introduction
    • French Horn Introduction
      • French Horn History
      • French Horn Range
      • The Double Horn
      • French Horn Manufacturers
      • Famous Horn Players
      • French Horn Repertoire
      • Learning The French Horn
      • French Horn Orchestration
      • Contemporary Jazz Horn
    • Trumpet Introduction
      • Types Of Trumpet
      • Trumpet History
      • Trumpet Range
      • Famous Trumpet Players
    • Trombone
    • Tuba
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Andrew Downes

Andrew DownesAndrew Downes was born in Handsworth, Birmingham, in 1950. He won a choral scholarship to St. John’s College, Cambridge (in 1969), where he gained an MA degree specialising in composition; and in 1974 went on to study with Herbert Howells at the Royal College of Music. He is now Head of the School of Composition and Creative Studies at Birmingham Conservatoire.

His music has been performed throughout the world, and has been broadcast on BBC Radios 2,3 & 4, BBC TV, “France Musique”, Italian TV, Austrian Radio, Dutch Radio, Czech Radio and Central Peking Radio. 12 CDs have been made of his music.

Andrew was in Prague on October 18th 2005 to hear a performance by the Czech Philharmonic Horns of his 5 Dramatic Pieces for 8 W. Tubas. This work has now been recorded on the Czech Philharmonic Artamon label.

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WAGNER TUBA COMPOSERS

  • Stephen Caudel
  • Andrew Downes
  • Jan Koetsier
  • Jorge E. López
  • Elisabeth Lutyens

COOL IN THE 60s

From the sixties onwards the Wagner Tuba reached Hollywood and even the Motown charts. It was memorably used in Harry Nilsson’s ‘Everybody’s Talkin’, Mason Williams’ ‘Classical Gas’ and Mike Post’s ‘Rockford Files Theme’ – the latter two being honoured with musical awards. The Wagner Tuba has been used creatively in both Jazz and motion film scores.

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