Nov-Dec Overture_2024_Final | Page 46

Orchestra Map

TRIANGLE
TIMPANI
CYMBALS
TRUMPETS
SIDE DRUM
FRENCH HORNS
TROMBONES
BASSOONS
CLARINETS
BASS DRUM
TUBA
OBOES
CONTRABASSOON
BASS CLARINET
PICCOLO
FLUTES
SECOND VIOLINS
VIOLAS
ENGLISH HORN
PIANO
HARP
FIRST VIOLINS
CELLOS
BASSES
CONDUCTOR
Watch for subsequent issues of Overture as we explore more instruments of the orchestra !

A QUICK GUIDE TO THE TUBA

• The lowest-pitched and largest member of the brass family ;
• Generates sound via vibrations between a tubist ’ s mouth and a brass mouthpiece ;
• Is common in symphony orchestras , marching bands , jazz bands , as well as drum and bugle corps ;
• Is also used as a solo instrument . Concertos for tuba include works by Ralph Vaughan Williams , John Williams , Jennifer Higdon , and Wynton Marsalis .
Bell
Valves
Water Key
Mouthpiece
Main Tube
HISTORY OF THE TUBA
Early history : Forerunners to the tuba include the serpent , a snake-like instrument played during the renaissance and baroque eras , and the ophicleide , common in French military bands during the early 19th century .
1835 : The first patent for the tuba is secured by Prussian bandmaster Wilhelm Friedrich Wieprecht and instrument maker Johann Gottfried Moritz . The invention of valves allows brass instruments to play lower pitches .
Post 1835 : The tuba , alongside the closely related saxhorns pioneered by Adolphe Sax ( the inventor of the saxophone ), become popular in France , Britain , and America .
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