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TUBA
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TUBA , in See also:music. The tubas—See also:bombardon, See also:helicon, See also:euphonium (Fr. tuba, See also:sax-tuba, bombardon; Ger. Tuben, See also:Tenor-See also:bass, Bombardon, Kontrabasstuba, Helikon; Ital. basstuba, bombardone) —are a See also:family of valved See also:instruments of powerful See also:tone forming the tenor and bass of the See also:brass See also:wind. In the See also:orchestra these instruments are called tubas; in military bands euphonium (tenor), bombardon and helicon (bass). The. See also:modern tubas owe their existence to the invention of valves or pistons ( Ger. Ventile) by two Prussians, Stolzel and Bliimel, in 1815. The tubas are often confounded with the baritone and bass of the saxhorns, being like them the outcome of the application of valves to the See also:bugle family. There is, however, a See also:radical difference in construction between the two types: given the same length of tubing, the fundamental See also:octave of the tubas is an octave See also:lower than that of the saxhorns, the quality of tone being besides immeasurably See also:superior. This difference is entirely due to the proportions of the truncated See also:cone of the See also:bore and consequently of the See also:column of See also:air within. By increasing the calibre of the bore in proportion to the length of the See also:tube it was found that the fundamental See also:note or first See also:sound of the See also:harmonic See also:series was easily See also:xXVII. 12obtained in a full See also:rich quality, and by means of the valves, with this one note as a basis, a valuable pedal octave is obtained, absent in the saxhorns. See also:Prussia has not adopted these modifications; the bass tubas with large calibre, which have See also:long been introduced into the military bands of other countries and retained in that See also:country, are founded on the See also:original See also:model invented in See also:BBb Bombardon or Contrabass Tuba (Besson). 1835 by See also:Wieprecht and See also:Moritz, a specimen of which is preserved in the museum of the See also:Brussels See also:Conservatoire. The name " bass tuba " was bestowed by Wieprecht upon his newly invented bass with valves, which had the narrow bore afterwards adopted by Sax for the saxhorns. The See also:evolution of the modern tubas took See also:place between 1835 and 1854 (see VALVES). The instruments termed See also:Wagner tubas are not included among the foregoing. The Wagner tubas are really horns designed for Wagner in See also:order to provide for the Nibelungen See also:Ring a See also:complete quartet having the See also:horn timbre. The tenor tuba corresponds to the tenor horn, which it outwardly resembles, having its tube See also:bent in rectangular outline and being played by means of a See also:funnel-shaped See also:mouthpiece. The bore of the Wagner tenor and tenor-bass tubas, in Bb and F, is slightly larger than in the horn, but much smaller than in the real tubas. The See also:bell, funnel-shaped as in the See also:German tubas, is held to the right of the performer, the valves being fingered by the See also:left See also:hand. There are four valves, lowering the See also:pitch respectively 1 tone, z tone, a tone, 2 tones (or 21 tones). The harmonic series is the same for both instruments. the notation being as for the horn in C. C. Real Sounds. B See also:flat Tenor.
F Bass.
N.B.—The See also:black notes are difficult to obtain strictly in tune as open notes.
By means of the valves the See also:compass is extended downwards an octave for each See also:instrument. The timbre of the tenor tuba is only slightly more metallic and less See also:noble than that of the See also:French horn with valves. Many motives in the Ring are given out by the quartet of horns and Wagner tubas.
The modern tuba finds its prototype as well as the origin of the name in the See also:Roman tuba (the See also:Greek salpinx), definite See also:information concerning which is given by See also:Vegetius.' Compared with the other military service instruments of the See also:Romans, the See also:buccina and See also:cornu, the tuba was straight and was used to sound the See also:charge and See also:retreat, and to encourage and See also:lead the soldiers during See also:action; it was sounded at the changing of the guard, as the See also:signal to begin and leave off See also:work, &c. The tuba is represented, together with the buccina and cornu, on See also:Trajan's column in the scenes described by Vegetius.
During the See also:middle ages the tuba was as See also:great a favourite as the busine (see BUCCINA and See also:TRUMPET), from which it may readily be distinguished by its marked conical bore and See also:absence of bell. It is recorded that See also: 5 and ii. 7. 2 Dr Alwin See also:Schultz, Hofisches Leben, i. 56o, note 3. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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