The Tuba Classroom Resource
The
Tuba
The modern tuba
The modern tuba has secured its place as a cornerstone instrument of jazz bands.
Sometimes jazz bands will use a tuba if they are playing outside and a double bass
if they are inside, with the same player on both instruments! The tuba is also an
extremely important instrument in brass bands. Whereas a symphony orchestra
usually has only one tuba, brass bands can have many.
3.
4.
3. A large tuba can weigh as
much as .... kilograms.
5. Is the Tuba the largest or
smallest member of the
brass family?
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
7. How many tubas does a
symphony orchestra
usually have?
9. What does the word
euphonium mean?
Down
1. This composer required
six tubas for his requiem.
2. The tuba is made from ....
metres of metal tubing.
4. What is the tubas auxiliary instrument called, sometime known as the tenor-tuba?
6. In which city was a tuba displayed that was so big it needed two people to play it.
8. Many composers enjoy using the tuba for it’s deep .... sound.
FUN FACT
A tuba was made for the
World Exhibition in New York
in 1913 that was so big it needed two people to play it; one to
push the valves and one to blow into the mouthpiece.
NZSO Music for Schools - Rachel Hyde ©2011
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Remember what you have
learnt about the tuba and see
how well you can complete
the crossword puzzle below.
You will usually only see one tuba in an orchestra
at any one time, but a number of composers
have asked for more tubas to create particularly
dark and foreboding sounds. Berlioz required six
tubas for his Requiem, but composers including
John Adams, Shostakovich, Stravinsky and
Prokofiev wrote orchestral parts for two tubas.
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Clas
Task...
• Crossword
Puzzle
The tuba in the orchestra
a
The tuba is one of the largest instruments in the orchestra. It is made from an
astounding five metres of metal, folded back on itself in such a way that although
still massive the tubist can hold it. A large tuba can weigh as much as 13 kilograms.
That’s 13 bags of sugar! Tubas are so big and heavy that tubists have to lean them on
their knee in order to play. This means that you can always tell which instrument in
the orchestra is the tuba, as the tubist will sit it on their knee and almost wrap their
arms around it to play!
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What does a tuba look like?
Vi
testes
Auxilliary Instruments
The euphonium, sometimes called the tenortuba, has been used by many composers for
orchestral pieces and is usually played by the
tubist (though sometimes by a trombonist). A
euphonium is half of the length of a tuba. The
word euphonium means ‘sweet-voiced’, which
is appropriate as the euphonium is higher in
pitch than the tuba and creates a more singing
sound. Composers might use the euphonium
when they still want a deep, bass instrument to
play but want a sound that is perhaps a little less
ominous than the tuba!
Repertoire
that features the tuba
Although the tuba is a relatively new instrument
many composers have enjoyed using its deep,
resonant sound as a solo instrument. Perhaps the
most well known tuba concerto was composed
by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Film composer
John Williams has also written a tuba concerto.
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