Tuba, Wagner
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The Wagner Tuba, or tuben, was designed for the 19th-century German composer, Richard Wagner. He needed an instrument that was richer than the trombone and heavier than the horn for his musical dramas. This was achieved by designing a tuba with a bore narrow enough at one end to take a French horn mouthpiece, and as wide as a tenor tuba at the other.
| Family |
| Brasses |
| Pitch range |
| About three octaves. |
| Material |
| Brass. |
| Size |
| 31 in (78 cm) high and 13 in (33 cm) wide. |
| Origins |
| The German composer, Richard Wagner (1813-83), wanted an instrument with a sound between a horn and trombone. In 1851, Moritz of Berlin built the first set of Wagner tubas for "The Ring Cycle." After this, other composers, such as Strauss, wrote for the Wagner tuba. |
| Classification |
| Aerophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a column of air. |
| And also... |
| Although strictly a tuba, this instrument is always played by a horn player in the orchestra. |
