Origins of the Tuba, A Low Brass Musical Instrument
Jan 24, 2011 Ashley Anderson
History of the Tuba
According to Duquesne University, the tuba's origins can be traced back to ancient Rome, where a spiral-shaped instrument called the buccina was used in infantry units in the Roman army.
The next ancestor of the tuba is the serpent, an instrument created in the late 1500s by Edme Guillame and which also led to the development of the euphonium. The original serpent, according to Black Diamond Brass, consisted of a wooden tube covered in leather that coiled back and forth, similar in shape to a serpent. The instrument was played using a mouthpiece similar to today's brass mouthpiece and had tone holes that could be covered with the fingers in a variety of combinations to alter the instrument's pitch.
