Chapter 1
Heavy metal physics
Chapter 2
The birth of a brass giant
Chapter 3
Global cousins and band leaders
Chapter 4
Orchestral power and famous solos
YOUR GOAL
Master of The heavy metal magic of the tuba
Ch 2 · The birth of a brass giant
maestro The Birth of the Tuba
In eighteen thirty-five, the basstuba was born! (Yeah! The lowest-sounding horn!)
Fun Fact
Monster tubas: For the 1845 King's Festival, a giant sub-contrabass tuba was built that was so large two people were needed to play it.
Glossary
tuba (noun)
A large brass wind instrument of low pitch, with a conical bore and three to six valves. Wilhelm Wieprecht and Carl Moritz patented the first bass tuba in Berlin on September 12, 1835.
A large brass wind instrument of low pitch, with a conical bore and three to six valves. Wilhelm Wieprecht and Carl Moritz patented the first bass tuba in Berlin on September 12, 1835.
Quiz
Which organization type rapidly adopted and spread the tuba across Europe and America in the 1800s?
Quiz
Why did 19th-century orchestral conductors prefer the new tuba over older bass instruments?
Quiz
What keyed brass instrument was the tuba's primary competitor in the early 19th century?
Quiz
Which famous composer initially wrote orchestral parts for the ophicleide but later revised them for the tuba?