The history of the tuba in Russia: researcher A.R. Levashkin’s study experience of the materials of RGIA and GARF

Abstract

The article is devoted to the experience of using the funds of Russian archives by researcher Alexey Romanovich Levaskin. He was a professional orchestral soloist – a tubist with a wide experience of diverse orchestral practice. A touring musician and the soloist of the orchestra, the researcher for several years dedicated all his free time to the exploration of the history if the tuba in Russia and its influence on Emperor Alexander III who was genuinely interested in studying it.
The archival survey was based on the sources of the State Archives of the Russian Federation (GARF), the Russian State Archives of Literature and Art (RGALI) and the Russian State Historical Archives (RGIA).
In the State Archives of the Russian Federation (GARF), A.R. Levaskin identified Fund 667 “Alexander III” (1845–1896). In the Russian State Archives of Literature and Art (RGALI), heascertained Fund 659 “The Moscow Bureau of the Imperial Theaters” (1806–1917) and the journal “Yearbook of the Imperial Theaters”. In the Russian State Historical Archives (RGIA), the researcher identified Fund 500 “The Court Orchestra of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs” (inv. 1, 1882–1917), where he detected the documents on the history of creation and the activities of the Court orchestra.