The tuba (UK: /ˈtjuːbə/;[1] US: /ˈtuːbə/; Italian: [ˈtuːba]) is the lowest-pitched

musical instrument in the brass
produced by lip vibration, or a
the mid-19th century, making it
orchestra and concert band. The
Latin for "trumpet".[3]
family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is
buzz, into a large mouthpiece. It first appeared in
one of the newer instruments in the modern
tuba largely replaced the ophicleide.[2] Tuba is

In America, a person who plays the tuba is known as a tubaist or tubist.[4] In the
United Kingdom, a person who plays the tuba in an orchestra is known simply as a
tuba player; in a brass band or military band, they are known as bass players.

Contents
1 History
2 Role
3 Types and construction
3.1 Size vs. pitch
3.2 Valves
3.3 Compensating valves
3.4 Resonance and false tones
3.5 Materials and finish
3.6 Manufacturers
4 Variations
5 Jazz
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
History

Tuba by Wieprecht & Moritz as described in Prussian patent No.19.

Prussian Patent No. 19 was granted to Wilhelm Friedrich Wieprecht and Johann
Gottfried Moritz (1777–1840)[5] on September 12, 1835 for a "bass tuba" in F1. The
original Wieprecht and Moritz instrument used five valves of the Berlinerpumpen
type that were the forerunners of the modern piston valve. The first tenor tuba was
invented in 1838 by Carl Wilhelm Moritz (1810–1855), son of Johann Gottfried
Moritz.

The addition of valves made it possible to play low in the harmonic series of the
instrument and still have a complete selection of notes. Prior to the invention of
valves, brass instruments were limited to notes in the harmonic series, and were
thus generally played very high with respect to their fundamental pitch. Harmonics
starting three octaves above the fundamental pitch are about a whole step apart,
making a useful variety of notes possible.

The ophicleide used a bowl-shaped brass instrument mouthpiece but employed keys and
tone holes similar to those of a modern saxophone. Another forerunner to the tuba
was the serpent, a bass instrument that was shaped in a wavy form to make the tone
holes accessible to the player. Tone holes changed the pitch by providing an
intentional leak in the bugle of the instrument. While this changed the pitch, it
also had a pronounced effect on the timbre. By using valves to adjust the length of
the bugle the tuba produced a smoother tone that eventually led to its popularity.
These popular instruments were mostly written for by French composers, especially
Hector Berlioz. Berlioz famously wrote for the ophicleide in his compositions
Symphonie fantastique and Benvenuto Cellini (opera). These pieces are now normally
performed on F or CC tuba.

Adolphe Sax, like Wieprecht, was interested in marketing systems of instruments

from soprano to bass, and developed a series of brass instruments known as
saxhorns. The instruments developed by Sax were generally pitched in E♭ and B♭,
while the Wieprecht "basstuba" and the subsequent Cerveny contrabass tuba were
pitched in F and C (see below on pitch systems). Sax's instruments gained dominance
in France, and later in Britain and America, as a result of the popularity and
movements of instrument makers such as Gustave Auguste Besson (who moved from
France to Britain) and Henry Distin (who eventually found his way to America).[6]

The Cimbasso is also seen instead of a tuba in the orchestral repertoire. The name
is translated from "corno in basso" in German. The original design was inspired by
the ophicleide and bassoon.[7] It is rare to see the cimbasso performed today, but
are still around and used in historically accurate performances.

Role
An orchestra usually has a single tuba, though an additional tuba may be requested.
It serves as the bass of the orchestral brass section and it can reinforce the bass
voices of the strings and woodwinds. It provides the bass of brass quintets and
choirs (though many small brass ensembles will use the euphonium or bass trombone
as the lowest voice). It is the principal bass instrument in concert bands, brass
bands and military bands, and those ensembles generally have two to four tubas. It
is also a solo instrument.

Tubas are used in marching bands, drum and bugle corps and in many jazz bands (see
below). In British style brass bands, two E♭ and two B♭ tubas are used and are
referred to as basses.

Well known and influential parts for the tuba include:

Modest Mussorgsky (orch. Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition – Bydło, Night On Bald

Mountain
Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra, Eine Alpensinfonie, Till Eulenspiegel,
Ein Heldenleben
Shostakovich: All Symphonies, except for the Fourteenth symphony
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, Petroushka
Edgard Varèse: Déserts
Richard Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Lohengrin, Ride of the Valkyries,
Faust Overture
Sergei Prokofiev: Fifth Symphony
George Gershwin: An American in Paris
Silvestre Revueltas: Sensemayá, La noche de los mayas, Homenaje a Federico García
Lorca
Gustav Holst: The Planets
Gustav Mahler: First Symphony, Second Symphony, Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony,
Eighth Symphony
Ottorino Respighi: Fountains of Rome, Pines of Rome
Hector Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, Hungarian March
Paul Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis
Johannes Brahms: Second Symphony
Anton Bruckner: Fourth Symphony, Seventh Symphony, Eighth Symphony
Concertos have been written for the tuba by many notable composers, including Ralph
Vaughan Williams (Tuba Concerto), Edward Gregson, John Williams, Alexander
Arutiunian, Eric Ewazen, James Barnes, Joseph Hallman, Martin Ellerby, Philip
Sparke, Kalevi Aho, Josef Tal, Bruce Broughton (Tuba Concerto), John Golland, Roger
Steptoe and David Carlson.