Posted by Rick Denney on July 24, 2001 at 09:30:36:
In Reply to: tuba shape posted by eric o. on July 23, 2001 at 22:43:29:
Get a copy of Cliff Bevan's book, The Tuba Family, and look at the pictures of historical tubas. The original basstuba was configured to look like a bassoon, because it was intended to replace the Russian bassoon and the ophicleide. Both of those used keys, similar to larger wood-wind instruments, and the valve version maintained the same approximate shape. The Cimbasso was derived from the trombone and the bass flicorno (which was also sort of bassoon shaped).
The original basstuba was a smallish instrument, about the size of the modern euphonium. Though it was designed to be played while standing or marching, it was played on the lap when the player was seated, and apparently players became accustomed to holding the instruments in their lap. That drove later developments.
There is much more that could be said, but you'd be better off reading the literature for yourself.
Rick "noting that a tuba would be pretty hard to hold in the trumpet configuration" Denney