Tuba, E-flat, high pitch
Maker
Hall & Quinby
Date1866-1875 ca.
Place MadeBoston, Massachusetts, United States, North America
Serial No.None
SignedEngraved on bell, surrounded by laurel wreath: Made by / HALL & QUINBY, / BostonMarkingsStamped on valve casings, cap/rings, and underside of touchpieces, respectively: 8 [sic] 10 11DescriptionInfluenced by over-the-shoulder models used during the Civil War, this tuba has a tight elongated design, distinct from helicon horns. Made of brass and silver plated, it features rotary valves invented in the United States by J. Lathrop Allen, a former business partner of D. C. Hall. The design is recognizable by the flat, narrow tubes that enter the valve housing, allowing for a slender rotor that was intended to be faster and more responsive. Most of the earliest tubas were pitched higher like this, depending on the ensemble. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that lower BB-flat instruments gained popularity. Often, brass bands used both E-flat and BB-flat instruments.DimensionsHeight: 1170 mm
Bell diameter: 285 mm
Bore: cannot be measuredProvenanceAccording to Arne B. Larson, obtained about 1945 in either Sioux Falls, South Dakota, or Ohio.Published References“Gallery I Dedicated October 9.” _Shrine to Music Museum, Inc. Newsletter_ 9, no. 2 (January 1982): 4.
John Joseph Swain. _A Catalog of the E-flat Tubas in the Arne B. Larson Collection at the University of South Dakota_ Ph.D. Dissertation (East Lansing: Michigan State University, 1985):62, photo 64.
André P. Larson. _The National Music Museum: A Pictorial Souvenir_ (Vermillion: National Music Museum, 1988): 58.
John Swain. “The E-Flat Tubas in the Shrine to Music Museum,” “Tuba History,” Gary Stewart, ed., T.U.B.A. Journal 16, no. 2 (Winter 1988): 36, 37 (photo).
Harvey Phillips and William Winkle. _The Art of Tuba and Euphonium_ 1992: Appendix B., 94.
Arianna Van Kley and Michael Suing. _Of Thee I Sing: Origin, Heritage, and Patriotism_. National Music Museum, 2026: 50-51.
Credit LineArne B. Larson Collection, 1979
Object number00247
On View
On view
