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A cartoon of a band instructor and a tuba player.

Cartoon of Band Instructor and Tuba Player

A cartoon of a band instructor and a tuba player.

"A wind instrument, anciently made of horn, but afterwards of brass. Like the tuba, it differed from the tibia in being a larger and more powerful instrument, and from the tuba itself, in being curved nearly in the shape of a C, with a cross-piece to steady the instrument for the convenience of the performer. It had no stopples or plugs to adjust the scale to any particular mode; the entire series of notes was produced without keys or holes, by the modification of the breath and of the lips at the mouth-piece. The classicum, which originally meant a signal, rather than the musical instrument which gave the signal, was usually sounded with the cornu." — Smith, 1873

Cornu

"A wind instrument, anciently made of horn, but afterwards of brass. Like the tuba, it differed from…

"Tuba, a bronze trumpet, distinguished from the cornu by being straight, while the latter was curved. The tuba was employed in war for signals of every description, at the games and public festivals, and also at the last rites to the dead; those who sounded the trumpet at funerals were termed siticines, and used an instrument of a peculiar form. The tones of the tuba are represented as of a harsh and fear-inspiring character." &mdash Smith; 1873

Tuba

"Tuba, a bronze trumpet, distinguished from the cornu by being straight, while the latter was curved.…