The Wagner tuba: new uses for an instrument you never heard of

Most people who attend orchestra concerts or operas probably know the major instruments of the orchestra, but probably not many of the myriad of instruments used in only a few pieces. The Wagner tuba is kind of a cross between a standard tuba and a horn. It most nearly resembles something called a saxhorn, which used to be a much more important instrument in military bands than it is now. Richard Wagner wanted to introduce a new sound for his Ring cycle, a group of four operas based on Norse mythology, and used the new instruments for nothing else. A few other composers called for them in a few other pieces, but more often than not, modern performances substitute instruments more readily available. And yet you have probably heard Wagner tubas even if you never listen to classical music!

When Arnold Schoenberg moved to Los Angeles in the late 1940s, the Los Angeles Philharmonic wanted to present the local premiere of his Gurre-Lieder in his  honor.  It's one of the handful of pieces that call for Wagner tubas, and there weren't any available. The music director sent one of the orchestra's  hornists, Sinclair Lott, to Europe to obtain a quartet of them. They were never the orchestra's instruments, though, but Lott's.

Lott had played film music before joining the orchestra and also served as horn professor at UCLA, where many of his students had an interest in film music. Over the years, therefore, many hornists who passed through his studio had a chance to play the Wagner tubas, which he even made available to the marching band.

One of Lott's students, David Duke, was also a skilled jazz pianist. Since there is not much call for horns in jazz or rock, most hornists have difficulty playing those kinds of music. Duke found himself much in demand for recording sessions where jazz or rock arrangers wanted the sound of the horn. In 1964, he decided to take a Wagner tuba along to one session. The arranger, Gene Page, loved the sound and started using the instruments in his Motown charts soon thereafter.

Other Hollywood musicians immediately saw an advantage for learning the Wagner tuba. After all, they earn 50% more as a doubling fee if they play two different instruments on a job. The contractor also benefits, because it costs less to pay the doubling fee than to hire a second performer to play the other instrument. By that time, Wagner tubas were no longer obsolete instruments that could only be obtained as used instruments. Orchestral composers were also renewing their interest in the instrument, and with increased demand, manufacturers started to make and sell them.

An arrangement on Mason Williams' "Classical Gas" that included two tenor Wagner tubas taking solos won a Grammy award in 1968. The same year, the instruments made their movie debut in Ice Station Zebra. Since then, they have maintained their presence in both studio recordings and films. Of course, no one ever sees the instruments, and few people know or care who plays them. But if you've seen a lot of movies or listened to a lot of recordings from Hollywood studios, chances are you have heard Wagner tubas, which remain the orchestra's least known members.