Elucidating the Sound of It is an artistic tuba performance action research project
investigating wind-bass sound and musical performance practice in an adult community wind
orchestra. An autoethnographic, musical process philosophy of symphonic wind-brass-bass
performance, employing a cognition analysis tool 4E (embodied, embedded, enabled,
extended) in a cross disciplinary, humanistic investigation framed within cultural history,
classical philosophy, and transpersonal psychology.
The thesis discusses bass sound as an elemental, acoustically immersive phenomenon
foundational to psychologically affective somatic experiences of musical depth, size, and
power. An acoustical sensation, first encountered in landscapes and later replicated to effect
somatic awe in ceremonies and rituals for thousands of years. Bass sounds, manifested in
more recent times, by massive brass bells, mighty wind driven pipe organs and the eventual
development of brass wind-bass orchestral instruments. The tuba, an industrial era, military
band, chromatic, contrabass brass instrument was significantly employed by Richard Wagner
in composing the Ring Cycle. Wagner expressed an innovative and expansive conception of
bass brass symphonic sounds, consequently, establishing an important musical role for tuba
in orchestral performance.
The playing of tuba in a symphonic wind ensemble is the focus of this performative research,
which is framed by the orchestral tuba performance and wind instrument pedagogy of Arnold
Jacobs (1915-1998) principal tuba of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1944-1988). Jacobs
(teacher to generations of accomplished brass players and the author) is renowned for his
musical knowledge, orchestral experience, and pioneering study of the anatomical and
neurological aspects of effective wind instrument respiration. A pedagogy expressed in a
personal style of individualized mentoring often conveyed in cryptic oral maxims. Jacobs’
teaching philosophy is verified in a growing body of published accounts by former students
and his recorded masterclasses available online. Evidence of Jacobs’ allegorical, enigmatic,
common-sense emphasis of developing an attentive, focused, and imaginative conception of
tuba sound and performance excellence. An oral teaching, demonstrated in the thesis to
possess meaningful etymological precedents in classical Greek philosophy; an empirical
observation that Jacobs’ oral teaching style displays cogent pre-Socratic roots. A classical
foundation to a process based, metaphorically expressive, performative philosophy
articulating an embodied relationship of music, player, and instrument manifesting
imaginative musical products; a poetic process Jacobs characterized as Song & Wind.
The dissertation evidences its qualitative enquiry of tuba wind-bass sound by both examining
and documenting the instruments performative role within a symphonic wind ensemble. The
bass parts, encountered and performed in concert, of five wind orchestra masterworks are
discussed: Gustav Holst, First Suite in E-flat for Military Band – Percy Grainger,
Lincolnshire Posy – Leonard Bernstein, Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront – Julie
Giroux, Symphony IV: Bookmarks from Japan – John Mackey, The Frozen Cathedral.
Embedded within the dissertation are recent concert performances of these works
demonstrating the authors tuba performance and process philosophy as practiced within a
musically accomplished adult community wind orchestra.