Exploring the history of Harvard’s giant tuba
In the basement of a house on Mount Auburn Street, behind a microwave and a coffeemaker, is (possibly) the largest tuba in the world. It’s nearly 7 feet tall, has 60 feet of tubing, weighs about 100 pounds, and takes three people to play. Known as a subcontrabass tuba, the instrument has a BBBb pitch, a full octave lower than the lowest traditional tuba. First-time encounters typically start like this: “Why?” The gimmick of the instrument’s size was almost definitely a consideration for its creator, says Mark Olson, director of the Harvard University Band — but not the only one. The search for a novel timbre likely also enticed the mind behind the design. “A tuba is the foundation of a band,” said Olson, noting that an instrument an octave lower than a traditional tuba can add a unique sound to an ensemble. The second most common question asked about the tuba — “How...