Low Brass: Baritone/Euphonium/Tuba

A Brief History of the Tuba 

The orchestral Bass Tuba was patented by Johann Gottfried Moritz in 1835. Around the same period A.G. Guichard of Paris introduced a three-valved ophicleide a pistons in E flat, and Wilhelm Wieprect brought out a five-valved bass tuba in F as a replacement for the bass trombone.  By the mid 19th century the Bohemian instrument maker Vaclav Cerveny had began building tubas with rotary valves, a modification that soon became standard on Austrian and German instruments. In other countries, however, tuba players preferred to retain the piston valve. Over the years, various large tubas have been produced, including Aldolphe Sax's sub-bass in E flat and the sub-contrabass in B flat (1855).

As the large tubas were unwieldy, some builders designed them in circular form, resting the bell on the player's shoulder with the tube passing under the left arm. Such instruments were known as helicons. The disadvantage was that due to the shape, much sound was lost when it was projected to one side. John Philip Sousa (1854 - 1933) modified the instrument by having the bell project forward over the player's shoulder and, through association, the instrument became widely known as the sousaphone. Today, sousaphones are often made with a fibreglass bell in an attempt to keep the weight down.