Posted by Chuck(G) on April 30, 2001 at 11:29:53:
In Reply to: F horn music on F tuba posted by Greg Crider on April 30, 2001 at 07:21:02:
I think this is just happy coincidence--weren't some of the original Wieprecht tubas in F? Early on, the most common place to find a tuba was in a military band, where the horns were mostly likely to be in Eb, and alto horns at that.
The valved horn took quite a while to be generally accepted by the horn-playing community--it was viewed as sort of a "weenie" instrument by players of the non-valved variety. And even then, the valves were viewed more as a way to quickly change the key of the horn than the way we use valves now.
The F tuba is precisely the same length as the F horn, so if you want a real challenge, try playing the horn pieces at the written pitch...