Re: Re: Who invented the tuba?


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Posted by Rick Denney on January 14, 2001 at 23:03:37:

In Reply to: Re: Who invented the tuba? posted by Help him, Rick Denney! on January 12, 2001 at 19:54:23:

Someone else answered it right, but it's not so cut and dried.

Indeed Wieprecht (court musician) and Moritz (court instrument-maker) patented the first instrument specifically called a basstuba in 1835. It was a five-valved F tuba, with a considerably narrower profile than the modern instrument. The English Bass Horn looked similar, but tuned with tone holes instead of valves, and clearly Wieprecht took the shape of the outer branches from that instrument. Wieprecht, therefore, was the first to make one with valves instead of tone holes, and he also included enough valves to play chromatically down to the pedal range. Three valves were operated by the right hand, and two by the left. Think a really narrow Viennese F tuba, short one left-handed valve, and with almost no bell flare, and you'll have the right image, though Moritz used Berliner Pumpen valves (similar to rotary in interior shape but pushed in and out like a Perinet piston).

Rick "Bevan's first edition had this information also" Denney


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