The Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble and R. Winston Morris

Book excerpt: The Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble (TTTE) is one of the most successful performing collegiate ensembles in history, with an enviable record of 25 recording projects, seven Carnegie Hall appearances, two World's Fairs performances, numerous national and international conference engagements, and a performance history in venues like Preservation Hall in New Orleans, the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, and the Kennedy Center in Washington. The Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble and R. Winston Morris: A 40th Anniversary Retrospective lists all of these events and more. It tells how Morris founded an ensemble comprised only of tubas and euphoniums (the "underdogs" of the orchestra) and catapulted it to international recognition, establishing and defining the standards for tuba ensemble performance practices and creating a monumental influence on both the tuba and music education throughout the world. The book provides a biography of Morris that includes the influences that led to the development of the TTTE, and it describes the early years of the ensemble and its development as one of the most recognizable groups of its kind. Several lists of reference information specific to Morris and the group—and general to tuba and euphonium music—are offered. Details about concerts, performances, activities, and recordings of the ensemble are presented, as well as recordings, awards, honors, and publications by Morris. Former members of the group are listed and pictured in more than 85 photos comprising a photographic history. Winston and the TTTE are responsible for the composition and arrangement of more music for the tuba than any other single source, and a comprehensive list of those works is supplied here.