When a horn player first encounters the Wagner tuba, amongst their first questions might be:
‘How does it sound?’ or ‘How does the Wagner tuba compare to the F horn?’
A typical brass section in an ensemble or orchestra will have at least one F horn but few brass sections have even a single Wagner tuba. So, for many brass students, arrangers and composers, it can be a challenge to get to know the Wagner tuba first hand. Everything, from the actual sound of the Wagner tuba to its technical challenges and subtleties, can be best understood and embraced through listening to the instrument in real life. For many people, however, that is not always feasible.
How to discover the sound of a Wagner tuba
Here are two initial steps you can take:
- Research and read what experienced Wagner tuba players and composers have to say about the sound. This will be more time consuming than just asking AI for the answer BUT it is the most reliable way of compiling a comprehensive overview and a good, solid understanding.
Editor’s note: By all means use AI for general research and clues for further reading options but for a subject such as ‘how do you discover the sound of a Wagner tuba?’, the real experiences expressed by players and composers will likely provide the best answers. - Find informative resources including books, forums and videos which give examples of how it feels to play the Wagner tuba and how it can sound.
We have done our own extensive research, including the steps mentioned above, and are happy to share some of our findings, as follows:
Composers and Wagner tuba players describe the sound
If you look into what individual composers have said about the sound of the Wagner tuba, there is a wide range of opinion and adjectives used. Here is a selection of descriptions of the Wagner tuba sound, known to have been expressed over the last 150 years by both composers and Wagner tuba players (in alphabetical order):
Anton Bruckner
Bruckner was the first composer to use the Wagner tuba in a symphony; he apparently regarded the instrument as ‘stately’ and ‘heroic’, using it most effectively in a group context “mostly for quiet ceremonial, solemn utterances“. Note: Both Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky (neither of whom were, in truth, great champions of the instrument) used the Wagner tuba in virtuosic passages. In this respect, they pushed the boundaries of its perception beyond the initial “solemn” use as quoted by Bruckner.
Stephen Caudel
In the composer’s programme notes for the World Premiere of The Edel Rhapsody (for solo Wagner tuba and orchestra) the composer describes the instrument as ‘lyrical and romantic‘ and having ‘richness and fullness of tone’ and ‘melodic and emotional intensity’.
Felix Draeseke
Draeseke had quite a list of adjectives to describe the sound of the Wagner tuba, including “solemn, dignified, heroic, dark, richly mellow, very noble, a profound strength, rich, round, a grave majesty. Something on the dark and smoky side“.
Jeffrey Fair (Principal Horn, Seattle Opera)
Describing the sound of the Wagner tuba in an interview some years ago, the world-class hornist Jeffrey Fair said of it: “There’s more clarity than in a horn, but more resonance and darker sounds than in the trumpet“. Interesting to note that he chose two other brass instruments as comparisons.
David Kay (Horn, Auckland Philharmonia)
A group of hornists from the Auckland Philharmonia made a fun video some years ago in which they played Wagner tubas in a car! Of course, the sound was not as it would be in a concert hall, but that was not the point of the video. The objective of these hornists was to introduce the Wagner tuba to a wider audience (as has been and remains this website’s main purpose). Hornist David Kay is sat in the front passenger seat, Wagner tuba in hand, and describes the sound of the Wagner tuba. In his own words: “a lovely, luscious, warm, rich sound”. Another hornist in the back seat then joins the discussion and adds how they feel about the sound of the Wagner tuba: “a fuller, richer sound than a horn but not as direct as a trombone”. You can hear the relevant section in the video here.
Camille Saint-Saëns
After hearing the premiere of Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelungen, he described the effect of the Wagner tubas as “Over rolling thunder, the brass of the orchestra blasts the call of the thunder god up to the clouds“.
Anne Marie Scharer (Hornist, The Metropolitan Opera)
When interviewed for an article about the Wagner tuba, Anne Marie Scharer described its sound as “louder and more rustic than orchestral horns, even strident“. Wonderful to see the word ‘rustic’ being used about the Wagner tuba!
Richard Sebring (Principal horn, Boston Symphony Orchestra)
In a super, succinct introduction to the Wagner tuba in a YouTube video, world-class hornist Richard Sebring not only demonstrates the sound of the Wagner tuba but also describes it in his own words: “It has a haunting quality to the sound and sounds beautiful”. His words are followed by an exquisite extract from Bruckner’s 9th Symphony.
In Summary: dark, dignified, haunting, heroic, luscious, lyrical, mellow, melodic, resonant, rich, romantic, rustic, solemn, smoky, stately, strident, warm all describe the sound of the Wagner tuba.
The Sound Of The Wagner Tuba On Video
Here are two video clips, one by Wagner tuba players and the other by a composer with an established association with the Wagner tuba.
This first video is an excellent, first-hand account from two well-known Wagner tuba players of what the Wagner tuba sounds like. It features Jennifer Montone, the Principal Horn of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Jeffrey Lang, the Associate Principal Horn of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Filmed ahead of a performance of Bruckner’s 7th Symphony, the players discuss the similarities and differences between the horn and the Wagner tuba. Included in their comments is how the Wagner tuba is used ‘in a spiritual nature’ in the 2nd movement of the work and how the F horn is not as round and ethereal in sound.
The next video clip is courtesy of composer Stephen Caudel, known for his Edel Rhapsody for solo Wagner tuba and orchestra. This is the opening sequence from the album Compendium where Wagner tubas are juxtaposed with classical guitar to set the mood before the music rises to a powerful crescendo.
More information about the Wagner tuba from its conception to its use in the modern era can be found on our definitive Wagner tuba page. Also of interest might be our special feature, written after extensive research, on the first Wagner tuba.
