A new home for The Harvard Tuba

The 130-year-old giant tuba, known as The Harvard Tuba, has lived in a corner of the Harvard Band room since late 1948. Needless to say, it got banged around!

And when the restoration of this amazing instrument was completed in July, it was temporarily returned to its old corner:

But finally - whew! - a custom-crafted display case has been installed, where this historic horn will live for the next 130 years.

If you're thinking of paying it a visit, know that it is still in the Harvard Band room (after all - they "stole" it fair and square!), but at least now it is protected and presented as the prized possession that it is. Long live this prodigious beauty!

Oh, and just to be clear on how big this horn really is, here's the earliest known photograph of the beast at Harvard - taken sometime between 1948 and 1950. And, I should add, these are the likely suspects of the aforementioned "theft." That story will have to wait until my article on the history of this tuba comes out in a week or two. Stay tuned!