Tuba

At the lowest end of the brass family is the tuba, a nimble giant. The tuba is a relatively young instrument, invented around 200 years after the rest of the brass section was fully developed. There are distant precursors throughout history, though, most notably the serpent, which dates back to the 16th century. While the tuba is sometimes thought of as a comic instrument in popular culture (composers have sometimes used its low register to comedic effect), it’s more often used to inject power and weight into the music, and at times even carries important melodies. Berlioz clearly relished writing for the tuba, such as in his Symphonie fantastique where, at the climax of the piece, he employs two in unison to intone the Dies Irae plainchant melody. Composers of the 20th century often used the tuba to deploy sonic depth charges, or to provide momentum with broad, expressive basslines, a solid grounding to carry the rest of the large orchestra forward. You can hear this in the symphonies of Shostakovich or Prokofiev (see the first movement of the latter’s Fifth Symphony). The tuba is also the star of several concertos, the most notable being by Vaughan Williams and the film composer John Williams. Listen to either concerto for a glimpse of just how multifaceted this instrument can be.