Editing Tuba (section)

==History==
[[Prussia]]n Patent No. 19 was granted to [[Wilhelm Friedrich Wieprecht]] and [[Johann Gottfried Moritz]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vsl.co.at/en/Contrabass_tuba/History|title=Vienna Symphonic Library|website=Vsl.co.at|language=en|access-date=2017-09-22|archive-date=2021-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207084532/https://www.vsl.co.at/en/Contrabass_tuba/History|url-status=dead}}</ref> on 12 September 1835 for a "bass tuba" in F1. The original Wieprecht and Moritz instrument used five valves of the [[Brass instrument valve#Double-piston valve|Berlinerpumpen type]] that was the forerunner of the modern [[piston valve]]. The first tenor tuba was invented in 1838 by Moritz's son [[Carl Wilhelm Moritz]].

The addition of valves made it possible to play low in the [[Harmonic series (music)|harmonic series]] of the instrument and still have a complete selection of notes. Prior to the invention of valves, brass instruments were limited to notes in the harmonic series, and were thus generally played very high with respect to their [[Fundamental frequency|fundamental pitch]]. Harmonics starting three octaves above the fundamental pitch are about a whole step apart, making a useful variety of notes possible.

The [[ophicleide]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=SOLOMONSON |first=GLEN TERRANCE. |title=THE HISTORY OF THE TUBA TO 1860: A STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TUBA THROUGH ITS ANCESTORS. |publisher=University of Louisville Proquest Dissertations & Theses |year=1978 |isbn=979-8-204-79972-1 |pages=21-27}}</ref> used a bowl-shaped brass instrument mouthpiece but had keys and tone holes similar to those of a modern [[saxophone]]. Another forerunner to the tuba, the [[Serpent (instrument)|serpent]], was a bass instrument shaped in a wavy form to make the tone holes accessible to the player. Tone holes change the pitch by providing an intentional leak in the bugle of the instrument, but this system has a pronounced effect on the timbre. By using valves instead, the tuba could produce a smoother tone, which led to its popularity. Tubas were mostly used by French composers, especially [[Hector Berlioz]], who famously used the ophicleide in his compositions ''[[Symphonie fantastique]]'' and ''[[Benvenuto Cellini (opera)|Benvenuto Cellini]]''. These pieces are now normally performed on F or CC tuba.

[[Adolphe Sax]], like Wieprecht, was interested in marketing families of instruments ranging from soprano to bass, and developed a series of brass instruments known as [[saxhorn]]s. The instruments developed by Sax were generally pitched in E{{music|flat}} and B{{music|flat}}, while the Wieprecht "basstuba" and the subsequent [[Václav František Červený|Červený]] contrabass tuba were pitched in F and C (see below on pitch systems). Sax's instruments gained dominance in France, and later in Britain and America, as a result of the movements of popular instrument makers such as [[Gustave Auguste Besson]] (who moved from France to Britain) and Henry Distin (who eventually found his way to America).<ref>Clifford Bevan, ''The Tuba Family'', Scriveners, 1978. {{ISBN|9780684154770}}.</ref>

The [[cimbasso]] is also seen instead of a tuba in the orchestral repertoire. The Italian word {{lang|it|cimbasso}}, first appearing in the early 19th century, is thought to be a contraction used by musicians of the term {{lang|it|corno basso}} or {{lang|it|corno di basso}} ({{lit.|bass horn}}), sometimes appearing in scores as ''c. basso'' or ''c. in basso''.{{sfn|Meucci|1996|p=144–5}} The original design was inspired by the ophicleide and the bassoon.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Meucci|first=Renato|title=Historical Account on the Cimbasso|journal=ITEA Journal|volume=37|pages=44–45|via=ProQuest}}</ref> The cimbasso is sometimes used in historically accurate performances and is commonly called for in [[film score|film]] and [[video game music|video game]] [[soundtrack]]s.