[ Editor’s Note ] Of Roses and Tubas
Spring 2007
| The month of December was bracketed
by two USC events that attracted national media attention. One was
expected: the “back to tradition” battle of the USC Trojans and the
Michigan Wolverines in the 93rd Rose Bowl, which took place January 1
in Pasadena. The Southern California weather rose to the occasion,
sunny, clear and dry; and the Trojans made the most of it as well,
triumphing over the Wolverines and bringing joy back to Heritage Hall.
It was a nice coincidence (and a good omen for USC) that alumnus George
Lucas – the subject of this issue’s cover story – was Grand Marshal of
the 118th Rose Parade, which included a drill team of Twi’lek maidens
ushering in a Star Wars marching band, and Darth Vader himself leading
a group of 200 uniformed stormtroopers down Colorado Boulevard. And
Lucas? His Trojan karma was in evidence later in the day when,
presiding over the coin toss opening the football game, he handed USC
the starting advantage. The Trojans did the rest. The second event, in early December, was less expected. A memorial concert for Tommy Johnson ’56, longtime tuba professor in the USC Thornton School of Music, captured the attention of The Washington Post, National Public Radio and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, among others. Johnson, who died last October at the age of 71, performed the memorable tuba lines in the Jaws soundtrack as well as in dozens of other blockbusters – including the Indiana Jones trilogy, The Godfather, Titanic and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He was widely acknowledged to be the most-heard tuba player on the planet, and the memorial concert in Bovard Auditorium featured 99 (count ‘em, 99) tubas on stage. A slow version of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” prompted William Booth of The Washington Post to write: “The song holds a secret and a surprise. Slowed dramatically, with the deeper bass playing vibrato, the ensemble transformed it into a kind of dirge that would be appropriate at Arlington National Cemetery. “And it’s one, two, three strikes you’re out at the old ball game. It made your chest hurt. It was summer turning to fall. And when the song ended, there was a sadness, and one of the trumpet players onstage could be seen wiping away a tear.” He added: “What is the sound of a hundred tubas in full-throated song? It had the ring of the Voice of God.” – Susan Heitman |
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