Early Tubas in BBb
The first of these two tubas is a bit unattractive and the other is
downright ugly but the story here is not in the rough lives that they
led, but what they are. Tubas pitched in BBb (an octave below
euphoniums and tenor/bass trombones) were not used much until
very late in the 19th century. Examples were known to have been
made by the 1860s and occasionally used in orchestras, but they
weren't seen much in bands until the 1890s. As a result, the demand
for instruments was extremely small until that time. These historical
facts make these two tubas especially interesting. Perhaps I should
clarify terminology here as well. Depending on the time period and
geographical region, you will see a variety of names for what we call
"tuba". Probably the earliest in BBb was made by Adolphe Sax and
called "subcontrabass Saxhorn" although this instrument seems only a
novelty at that time. The later French term is "contrabass en sib. As
you see in the 1887 Boston catalog page above, Americans called it
"Double Bb Bass". The modern tuba really seems to get going
when Cerveny introduces their "Kaisertuba" around 1875. Other
terms used are variations of the Italian "bombardino" and "flicorno
contrabasso" and more names that seem less commonly used.
The tuba shown in the first three photos to the left was made by
Boston Musical Instrument Manufactory. While Boston was known
to have made instruments intended for the symphony orchestra, the
vast majority were for use in bands or social orchestras. The earliest
Boston catalog that I know of, showing BBb tubas for sale was
published in 1887, although this instrument predates that by several
years. The year of manufacture of this tuba can be narrowed down
somewhat by the fact that it has no serial number. Boston started
engraving serial numbers on all of their instruments starting in about
1880 or 1881, making me confident that this tuba was made about
that time and is the earliest BBb tuba made in the US that I know of.
(As always, I'd like to hear from you if you have any additional
information.) In spite of its rough condition and a fairly small bore
through the valves (about .660"), this is an especially nice playing
instrument. When Boston introduced their BBb tuba, they used the
same valves (with longer tubes, of course) that they had been using
on Eb tubas for many years and a well designed body that was quite
large for its day. The bell rim diameter is 15 5/8".
The second tuba illustrated here is not in playable condition, but I
can tell by tubing length that it is pitched in BBb. I'm assuming that
it was a relatively inexpensive instrument and not as impressive the
Boston. The bore through the valves is .633" and the corpus is a bit
smaller than the Boston; the bell rim measures 12 1/2". It is not
signed, but is very much like other brass instruments imported to the
US from eastern Europe in the second half of the 19th century. The
valves are "Berliner" piston valves that were used on the least
expensive of these imports. Berliner valves were last seen in catalogs
of US retailers and importers in the late 1880s, making this another
very early example of this size tuba and must have been among the
earliest used in an American brass band.
downright ugly but the story here is not in the rough lives that they
led, but what they are. Tubas pitched in BBb (an octave below
euphoniums and tenor/bass trombones) were not used much until
very late in the 19th century. Examples were known to have been
made by the 1860s and occasionally used in orchestras, but they
weren't seen much in bands until the 1890s. As a result, the demand
for instruments was extremely small until that time. These historical
facts make these two tubas especially interesting. Perhaps I should
clarify terminology here as well. Depending on the time period and
geographical region, you will see a variety of names for what we call
"tuba". Probably the earliest in BBb was made by Adolphe Sax and
called "subcontrabass Saxhorn" although this instrument seems only a
novelty at that time. The later French term is "contrabass en sib. As
you see in the 1887 Boston catalog page above, Americans called it
"Double Bb Bass". The modern tuba really seems to get going
when Cerveny introduces their "Kaisertuba" around 1875. Other
terms used are variations of the Italian "bombardino" and "flicorno
contrabasso" and more names that seem less commonly used.
The tuba shown in the first three photos to the left was made by
Boston Musical Instrument Manufactory. While Boston was known
to have made instruments intended for the symphony orchestra, the
vast majority were for use in bands or social orchestras. The earliest
Boston catalog that I know of, showing BBb tubas for sale was
published in 1887, although this instrument predates that by several
years. The year of manufacture of this tuba can be narrowed down
somewhat by the fact that it has no serial number. Boston started
engraving serial numbers on all of their instruments starting in about
1880 or 1881, making me confident that this tuba was made about
that time and is the earliest BBb tuba made in the US that I know of.
(As always, I'd like to hear from you if you have any additional
information.) In spite of its rough condition and a fairly small bore
through the valves (about .660"), this is an especially nice playing
instrument. When Boston introduced their BBb tuba, they used the
same valves (with longer tubes, of course) that they had been using
on Eb tubas for many years and a well designed body that was quite
large for its day. The bell rim diameter is 15 5/8".
The second tuba illustrated here is not in playable condition, but I
can tell by tubing length that it is pitched in BBb. I'm assuming that
it was a relatively inexpensive instrument and not as impressive the
Boston. The bore through the valves is .633" and the corpus is a bit
smaller than the Boston; the bell rim measures 12 1/2". It is not
signed, but is very much like other brass instruments imported to the
US from eastern Europe in the second half of the 19th century. The
valves are "Berliner" piston valves that were used on the least
expensive of these imports. Berliner valves were last seen in catalogs
of US retailers and importers in the late 1880s, making this another
very early example of this size tuba and must have been among the
earliest used in an American brass band.
Click on images for larger views.
