Ok so not exactally tuba related... but music related...

[Richardrichard9]

What are some alternative instruments?

I am thinking about proposing a brass quartet/ensemble in school next year. We dont have a lot of instruments, exspecially brass. So what are some instruments that can replace some of normal brass quartet instruments. I don't really care about transposing right now, just same range.

[Dan Schultz]

Well.... assuming you are are talking about music as it is written in the US.... you can use baritone treble clef music for Bb bass clarinet or tenor sax. You can sub trumpet music for Bb clarinet. You can sub trombone or baritone bass clef music for bassoon. You can sub tuba music for bassoon or bass guitar. You can do all of this without transposing but you might have to move notes an octave.. depending on the skill of your players. And you can always cover your bass lines with a piano if you don't have a tuba or bass. There's not much you can do with an F horn part without transposing to another key.

[KarlMarx]

An oboe would offer a carrying power close to a trumpet. A Cor Anglais could read from a part for Horn in F. Most other options already have been mentioned.

I gather that the purpose is to offer ensemble options for the few brass players, which are in your school. My take would be slightly different from yours, as I find original brass music coming out oddly on other instruments.

I would start out from music for small wind ensembles. Haydn and his likes wrote Partitas. Mozart wrote his truly famous Serenade for 13 Winds, where the bottom part is for double bass or contra bassoon. Mozart and Beethoven wrote for octets often called Kleine Harmonie (Small Wind Band). Early 19th century editors issued octet medleys of period operas. Beethoven added a contra bassoon to the octet for his own transcription of his 7th symphony. Mendelssohn wrote for wind ensemble. Richard Strauss wrote fine serenades for winds. There is a newer American tradition for such ensembles, but there I am not very much in the know.

With modern recordings of well-funded super ensembles we have become used to a standard of performances, where every part is covered by the intended instrument. This is a rather new phenomenon. Music history is full of composers either writing directly for the available players or adapting their instrumentations. The general position of composers has been, that their music was better served by responsible adaptations than let un-played.

When recording techniques were less advanced, even the NYPO doubled their string basses with a large contrabass tuba, the player of which never was credited. The official tuba player covered the parts for tuba.

There are almost unlimited options for creating playing environments even within the oddest permutations of available instruments. Imagination in selection and arranging of repertory is very much the most important tool.

[iiipopes]

When recording techniques were less advanced, even the NYPO doubled their string basses with a large contrabass tuba, the player of which never was credited. The official tuba player covered the parts for tuba.

Wasn't that mostly "Red Chief" John Kuhn who now gets the credit for doing that?