Re: When did F become Eb?


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Posted by DanN on May 10, 2001 at 01:49:24:

In Reply to: When did F become Eb? posted by Aubrey Foard on May 10, 2001 at 01:02:03:

The Eflat tuba.
I beleive Adolphe Sax, inventor of the Saxophone et al. is the man to blame.

When Sax designed his instruments, he designed them as a complete set. For instances, saxophones range from the tiny sopranino in Bflat (rare) to the XXX in XXX (very rare). As you know saxs alternate in key between Bflat and Eflat ie. alto in Eflat, tenor in Bflat, Baritone in Eflat. Thats the important bit.

Sax also designed a complete set of brass instruments, Saxhorns. Same deal, ranged from tiny cornets to big tuba like things alternating between Eflat and Bflat.

Enter: the British brass band. Brass bands were formed in Sax's heyday, the mid 19th century and were formed exclusively from instruments of his design. The modern brass band is basically a band of 'modernised' saxhorns. Now, in the band you have the bass saxhorn in Eflat (Eflat tuba) and contrabass saxhorn in Bflat (BBflat tuba). Brass bands became popular (understatement) in the UK and EVERY coal mine and factory had a band. All kids in the UK first pick up a tuba in a band situation, and it's either a Eflat or Bflat obviously. Therefore, when these some of these kids grow up and become John Fletchers :), they'll take their Eflat tuba into orchestras, because that's what they grew up on. Hence their popularity in England and throughout the Commonwealth.


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