Tuba

The tuba is a musical instrument known for being the lowest sounding member of the brass family. First developed in its modern form in the nineteenth century, the tuba consists of a long length of vertically coiled tubing, a flared bell and conical bore, several valves, and a mouthpiece. In orchestras and other musical ensembles, the tuba provides a bass sound and a sense of depth and warmth that few other instruments can produce. Tubas are made in several sizes and with different kinds of valve systems. The traditional tuba is closely related to a number of other similar instruments, including the sousaphone and the helicon, both of which are rounded in shape. Regardless of shape, the tuba is played by buzzing the lips into the mouthpiece to create vibrations that travel through the instrument and make sound as they exit the bell. In general, the tuba is considered one of the easiest orchestral instruments to master.

Brief History

Although the modern tuba was not invented until the nineteenth century, it is the product of a long evolution dating back as far as ancient Rome. Among Romans, the term tuba was used to describe a cylindrical, lip-vibrated instrument otherwise known as the Roman trumpet. Over the centuries that followed, the word tuba subsequently came to be associated with a broad assortment of musical instruments. One of these was the tuba curva, a powerful brass instrument made in Paris, France, during the French Revolution. Another was the serpent, a large, snake-like wooden instrument wrapped in leather that dates back to the seventeenth century. An early relative of the tuba, the serpent was used mostly to provide bass accompaniment religious music until around 1890. The next step in the evolution of the modern tuba came in the early nineteenth century with Joseph Halliday's 1810 invention of a high-pitched brass instrument called the keyed bugle. To offset the keyed bugle's soprano sound with a bass counterpart, Halliday also invented the ophicleide, an instrument that resembled an oversized bassoon or saxophone. Other brass instruments designed to produce bass notes were also built at the time, but few made much of an impact.

The breakthrough in bass-brass instrument development came in 1835 when Johann Moritz and Wilhelm Wieprecht created the direct forerunner of the modern bass tuba. Moritz and Wieprecht's bass tuba was keyed in F. It included five piston valves and featured a narrow bore. The tuba quickly became popular with military bands, which referred to it as the bombardon. Eventually, orchestras also adopted the instrument. One of the most influential early advocates of the tuba was Hector Berlioz, a French composer who first discovered the instrument during a tour of Germany. Berlioz was immediately impressed with the tuba and soon began including it in nearly all of his compositions. Thanks in part to Berlioz's enthusiasm, the tuba quickly earned a permanent home in orchestras around the world, replacing the ophicleide in the process. Later in the nineteenth century, other variations on the bass tuba, including the helicon and the sousaphone, were developed.

Overview

The tuba is a large instrument with a bell that typically measures anywhere from fourteen to thirty inches in diameter, and it has a long length of tubing that is formed into an elliptical coil. Although their construction is non-standardized, tubas are usually made in one of four possible sizes ranging from 3/4 to 6/4. Generally, 3/4 is the most common size in the United States. Like most other brass instruments, tubas have several rotary or piston valves that change the instrument's tone when opened. Most tubas have four of these valves, but some may have as few as three or as many as six. When the tuba player engages a valve, the instrument's tubing is essentially shortened or lengthened, which has the effect of either raising or lowering the tone. Another feature that plays an important role in how the tuba sounds is the bell, or the opening through which sound passes. Most tubas are designed so that the bell points upward when the instrument is played. Other tubas may have bells that point forward or to the left or right. Ultimately, the sound of the tuba will be different depending on which way the bell faces. In addition, many tubas have removable bells that can be separated from the rest of the instrument's body to make transport easier.

The sound of the tuba is one of the most unique and most important in any ensemble. In smaller concert bands, the tuba usually provides the bass voice. In orchestras, the tuba often functions as a compliment to the string bass. In either case, the tuba serves to broaden the depth of sound of any musical ensemble.

Along with the standard bass tuba, there are two other main types of tubas: the Wagner tuba and the sousaphone. The Wagner tuba came along first. While working on a piece called Das Rheingold in 1853, German composer Richard Wagner imagined part of his new work being played by an instrument that could make a sound akin to the ancient Nordic horn. To realize his vision, Wagner designed a new brass instrument that he called the tuben. Since it was something of a cross between a horn and the tuba, the Wagner tuba, as it eventually came to be known, was capable of blending the sounds of the typical brass section of the time with the sounds of the bass tuba. The sousaphone, meanwhile, was a true variation on the tuba that was first made in 1893. It was created at the request of John Philip Sousa, an American composer best known for his patriotic marches. Because he worked closely with marching bands, Sousa needed a version of the tuba that would be easier for musicians to hold and play while walking. This led to the creation of a circular tuba-like instrument similar to the helicon that wrapped around the player's shoulder and featured a large directional bell. Originally made of brass, modern sousaphones are typically made of fiberglass so they are as lightweight as possible.

Bibliography

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Monks, Greg. "The History of the Tuba." Black Diamond Brass, www.blackdiamondbrass.com/tbahist/tubahist.htm. Accessed 29 Mar. 2017.

Shirk, Michael. "What Is a Tuba?" American Band College of Sam Houston State University: Burmese Band Director's Guide to the Instruments, mikeshirk.weebly.com/what-is-a-tuba.html. Accessed 29 Mar. 2017.

"Tuba." The Contemporary Tuba, www.contemporarytuba.com/the-tuba. Accessed 29 Mar. 2017.

"Tuba." Northern Beaches Brass, www.northernbeachesbrass.com/tuba/. Accessed 29 Mar. 2017.

"Tuba." Philharmonia Orchestra, www.philharmonia.co.uk/explore/instruments/tuba. Accessed 29 Mar. 2017.

"Tuba/Sousaphone." BeginBand, www.beginband.com/tuba.shtml. Accessed 29 Mar. 2017.

"The Wagner Tuba." The Wagner Tuba, www.wagner-tuba.com/wagner-tuba/. Accessed 29 Mar. 2017.