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Phil's Old and Odd Brass:
US Civil War 1860-65 Band Instruments
Trumpets
Cornets
Middle Brass
Mellophones
French Horns
Trombones
Euphoniums and
Tenor Tubas

Heavy Metal: The Tubas 
Ceremonial and
Signal Horns

Other Wind Instruments
Phil's Wish List 
Links to Brass  Resources and other Brass Collections
 
Francis Perry Serpent
early 19th Century


French Opheclide
c.1850

Listen to the Tuba
playing Jazz

Listen to the Tuba
 in Classical Orchestra
 
 

 

Bass Tubas

The need for a bass voice in 16th century music was addressed by the invention of the "serpent" in 1590. It was an snake shaped instrument made of wood and covered by leather with 6 holes to select chromatic tones. The inner tube was roughly conical. The serpent was played with a mouthpiece- with the lips creating the vibrations necessary for generating a musical note.  It was used extensively in religious and orchestral music well into the 19th century.  The serpent sound however was weak, intonation inaccurate, and could not compete with brass instruments.  Listen to a serpent solo. Keys were eventually added to the serpent, and metal adaptations called "Bass Horns" and "Opheclides" were early 19th century improvements.

The first tuba proper was patented by Prussian bandmaster Wilhelm Wieprecht and German instrument-builder Johann Gottfried Moritz in 1835. By 1843, Adolphe Sax had begun manufacturing Wieprecht-Moritz-type tubas in Paris.  His Eb bass Saxhorns had a narrower bore and smaller bell profile than the later tubas. In 1878, a  compensating valve system was invented by D. J. Blaikely to extend the range of the instrument, while stabilizing the lower pedal tone pitch.  Bass tubas are made in keys of Bb, C,  Eb, and F - and are made in many shapes: upright; helicon; over-the-shoulder; oval "Wagner" tubas and sousaphones.  Tubas come with 3 to 6 rotary or piston valves.
Listen to a Tuba Solo.
 Listen to a Tuba in a Dixieland Jazz ensemble!

Click on Thumbnails below to see more photos and text

 Early Tuba
by Moritz
c.1845


Eb Berliner
Valve Bass Tuba c.1865


Very Early Tuba
in E -
Germany c.1840


Stewart  OTS Bass Saxhorn

Early Conn
Eb Tuba
c.1891


Besson Bass
Helicon
c.1898


Early Conn
Sousaphone
c.1913

Conn Giant
Wonder EEb Bass c.192
1

Conn EEb Sousaphone
c. 1924


Viennese
6V Tuba
in F  c.1930


Tall King
Pit Tuba
Bb c.1934


Besson EEb
Sovereign
"Big Blue"


Couturier Conical Bore
Eb Tuba c.1920


Stowassers
EEb Tuba
c.1880


Courtois
Eb Bass

Helicon
c.1899


Besson
F - EEb
Tuba c. 1963


Hawkes   Bb
Bass Helicon 
c.1905


King Eb
Bell Front
Tuba c.1938


Tiny Cervany
"Tornister" Tuba - Bb
  c.1900

King
Raincatcher
Sousa- c.1920


Holton Eb Tuba c.1913

Bombardon
in Eb-c.1890

EEb Besson Sovereign 983
c. 2002


Danish F/Eb
Tuba c.1905


4V  EEb  Bass
Helicon c.1910


Bb  Berliner Tuba c.1864

Eb Bombardon
Distin & Co
1872


Hall& Quinby
Presentation
Tuba-Eb 1872


Keefer Eb Tuba
c.1915


 Michl & Sohn
F Tuba c.1885


Limburgia Eb
Bass Helicon
c.1910


Bass Helicon
Hall&Quinby
Eb   c.1868


Klemm Eb Tuba c.1866

Recording Bass Huttl  c.1900


 York-Master
Eb Tuba c.1964


Tiny 4V Goodison Eb Tuba c.1885

Small Eb Bass Helicon  Jerome c.1900

Eb Bass
Saxhorn
c.1860

Wurlitzer Eb Bass Helicon c.1900