Written range for Wagner tuben?

[imperialbari]

The original Wagner Tuben were pairs of Bb tenors and F basses with tube lengths similar to baritones and F tubas respectively.

These sizes still are made by makers like Alexander, Hoyer, Lechner, and possibly others.

Today you also will find hybrids of these in form of full doubles and compensating doubles. In respect of playability and improved intonation the doubles makes sense, as they offer alternative fingerings through much of the range. However they are not universally liked, because they cancel the characteristic sound variances between the Bb tenors and the F basses.

Alexander and Hoyer both make full doubles along with their singles in Bb and F. If one studies the bell and branches of these doubles, one will see, that the doubles are built on the frames of the respective Bb singles from their makers. They have all the needed tubing added to them, but it is cylindrical and doesn’t provide the larger expansion of the single F tubas.

Wagner used some weird notation for the Wagner tubas. Later composers write for them in F notation also in the bass clef.

These instruments basically have the same range as single horns in Bb and F, but then modern Wagner tubas most often have a 4th valve (two and a half steps), which is rarely or never seen on horns in F, whereas it is a common feature on Bb horns.

The lowest note I have heard of used on the F Wagner tubas is concert Bb two ledger lines below the staff. Rangewise the Wagner Tuben would be comparable to euphoniums and F tubas respectively, yet without the extreme low ranges of these reference instruments.

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

[NDSPTuba]

Whilst I was a horn player, I played one wagner piece with Wagner Tubas. It was the one and only time I ever played a wagner tuba, god awful things to play. Anyway the range is pretty standard F. Horn range. Maybe focus more on the range that 2nd and 4th horns would play. But I distinctively remember playing a high Ab on my part ( above the treble clef staff ). That would be a Db concert pitch.

[marktuba]

From the ancient joke vault-

What is the range of a Wagner Tuba?

About 10 yards, if you have a good arm.