The Tuba is the largest of brass instruments and is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the ophicleide.
An orchestra usually has a single tuba, serving as the bass of the brass section, though its versatility means it can double as reinforcement for the strings and woodwinds, or increasingly as a solo instrument.
Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz was the first major work orchestrated for tuba.
The Tuba is are found in various pitches, most commonly in F, E?, CC, or BB? in "brass band" pitching.
The main bugle of BB? tubas is approximately 18 feet long, while that of CC tubas are 16 feet, E? tubas 13 feet, and F tubas 12 feet in tubing length without adding any valve branches.
Tubas are considered to be conical in shape as from their tapered bores, they steadily increase in diameter along their lengths.
A tuba with its tubing wrapped for placing the instrument on the player's lap is usually called a tuba or concert tuba.
Some have a bell pointing forward as opposed to upward, which are often called recording tubas because of their popularity in the early days of recorded music, as their sound could more easily be directed at the recording instrument.
When wrapped to surround the body for marching, it is traditionally known as a hélicon.
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