Tuba
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Tuba (disambiguation).
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Tuba
A bass tuba in F with front-action piston valves
Brass instrument
Classification
AerophoneLabrosone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification 423.232
(Valved aerophone sounded by lip vibration)
Inventor(s) Wilhelm Friedrich Wieprecht and Johann Gottfried Moritz
Developed 1835
Playing range
Related instruments
EuphoniumSousaphoneHeliconContrabass bugleSubcontrabass tubaWagner tubaBaritoneSaxhornOphicleideSerpentCimbasso
Sound sample
low register
Duration: 8 seconds.0:08
high register
Duration: 9 seconds.0:09
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The tuba (UK: /ˈtjuːbə/;[1] US: /ˈtuːbə/) is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibration – a buzz – into a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the newer instruments in the modern orchestra and concert band, and largely replaced the ophicleide.[2] Tuba is Latin for "trumpet".[3]
A person who plays the tuba is called a tubaist, a tubist,[4] or simply a tuba player. In a British brass band or military band, they are known as bass players.
History
Prussian Patent No. 19 was granted to Wilhelm Friedrich Wieprecht and Johann Gottfried Moritz[5] on 12 September 1835 for a "bass tuba" in F1. The original Wieprecht and Moritz instrument used five valves of the Berlinerpumpen type that was the forerunner of the modern piston valve. The first tenor tuba was invented in 1838 by Moritz's son Carl Wilhelm 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 abo
