Tuba Types
The Tuba family is complicated, and has confused many band and orchestral librarians for generations.
There are four standard sizes of Tuba; Bb, C, Eb and F. However, in standard orchestra and concert band repertoire, they will all read off concert-pitch (in C) bass clef. For the player, this means each size of Tuba has a different set of fingering required to read orchestra/concert band music. For everyone else, you just have to remember that the Tuba plays bass clef in C (no transposition). If there are different parts, usually the C Tuba (in bass clef) will be the part to use.
To add confusion, the Euphonium is sometimes referred to as the “Tenor Tuba” in the orchestral lexicon.
Why have different sizes? The Tuba has a complex history (that I won't get into here), which means the Tuba range in an orchestra is quite large between different works (larger than some woodwind instruments!). A higher passage (e.g. Bydlo from Pictures at an Exhibition) is more suited to a higher-pitched Tuba (sometimes they will even have the passage played on a Euphonium). A lower passage (e.g. Ride of the Valkyries) is more suited to a lower-pitched Tuba. Some early composers wrote Tuba parts to be played on a certain size of Tuba (e.g. some French romantic composers wrote for a 6-valve C tuba, which is pitched an octave higher than the modern C tuba, or a tone higher than the euphonium).
These days, mainly due to the sheer cost and logistics of transport, most Tuba players will learn to play all tuba music on the one instrument (which can be in whatever key) and learn the fingering for that specific instrument.
Some professional Tuba players may have a "high Tuba" (Eb or F) and a "low Tuba" (Bb or C) available to use depending on the repertoire, but it is not usually expected.
Tuba Nomenclature
(Note: the following refers to music published in English).
Due to its complex history, it is not uncommon to see the Tuba parts called other things, particularly in older music before the "Tuba" became the norm. The most common are:
BBb Tuba/Bass - this is simply a Bb Tuba. The part may or may not be transposed.
EEb Tuba/Bass - this is simply an Eb Tuba. The part may or may not be transposed.
CC or FF Tuba - this is simply a C or F Tuba, and is likely not transposed.
The convention of referring to a “double” Tuba is historical, and can be conflicting in definition. In some cases, the BBb/CC Contrabass Tuba may refer to a Bb/C Tuba which plays in the contrabass range (as opposed to, for example, the French 6-valve C Tuba which was pitched an octave higher) - similar to “Double Bass vs. Contrabass” or “Double Bassoon vs. Contrabassoon”. In some cases, BBb/EEb may be used to refer to a four-valve Eb/Bb tuba (as opposed to three-valve). In some cases, BBb/EEb may to refer to a compensating Tuba, as opposed to a Bb/Eb Tuba which is non-compensating.
For modern terminology, it is sufficient to refer to them as “Bb/C/Eb/F Tubas”, and any variation such as the French C Tuba, three- or four-valve, or compensating will be specified.
Tenor Tuba - this usually refers to the Euphonium and should be played on a Euphonium.
Bombardon - this may refer to an early variant of a high Tuba or Helicon, and is sometimes called a "Bass Tuba". In practice, it is effectively an Eb Tuba.
Bombardino – this may refer to an early variant of the Euphonium, or simply be a modern Spanish translation of “Euphonium”.
Contrabass Tuba - this refers to a modern Tuba (usually the Bb and C Tuba), but the term may have been used to distinguish from the Bombardon or the French 6-valve C Tuba, which was sometimes called the "Bass Tuba". Similar to the “double” Tuba, it is sufficient to refer to them as “Tuba", and any variation will be specified.
These last few may have stemmed from a similar naming convention to the saxophones and other wind/brass instruments (i.e. tenor, bass, contrabass). However, these terms are considered archaic and should be avoided in standard usage to reduce confusion.
Of course, there may be weird exceptions not listed here (we've all seen those videos on YouTube). Again, those will be specified when referenced.
Brass Engraving
Transposition
Most people are familiar with transposition of brass instruments in the concert band - the Trumpet is written in Bb, Horn in F, and Trombone/Euphonium/Tuba in concert-pitch bass clef.
However, some of you may have seen or heard of concert band or wind band scores with unusual brass transpositions, the most common being Euphonium/Baritone in Treble Clef (T.C.). Sometimes they are called "World Parts" to distinguish from the standard parts. Other than transposition and/or clef, these parts are identical the standard-notation counterparts (other than possibly some octave shifts).
This is because these parts are written for Brass Band players and anyone who learned to read from a brass band player - in a standard British Brass Band, everyone (Cornets, Horns, Baritones, Euphoniums, Trombones and Tubas) reads music in transposed treble clef (except Bass Trombone which reads in concert-pitch bass clef). This means an Eb Tuba will read a treble clef part transposed to Eb.
Why would you do this? Basically, it allows players to swap between instruments and be able to use the same fingering to read their music, regardless of the tuning of the instrument. So, a written F will be the same fingering for every instrument, regardless of tuning system.
When writing for a standard concert band, these additional transpositions are not required (though an alternate Bb treble clef Euphonium part is recommended), and most players will learn to read the parts as written (whether with different fingering or transposition). However, by including these parts in a concert band set, brass players are given flexibility without having to transpose music if they learnt a different system (which means fewer errors in performance). It also means a music director or teacher can move a player to another instrument (e.g. a trumpet player can pick up a Tuba) without them having to learn a new set of fingerings.
Tuba Transposition
(Treble vs. Bass Clef)
You may have seen scores which include an instrument called an Eb or Bb Bass or a Tuba in Eb/Bb that isn't in concert pitch. This is because, in a Brass Band setting, the Tuba is a transposing instrument, allowing the player to move between and Eb and Bb Tuba (and other instruments) without having to learn a new set of fingering.
In a British-style Brass Band, the Tuba (which is simply called a "bass") is transposed to treble clef, meaning the Eb Bass will sound a 13th (or an octave and a 6th) lower than written, and the Bb Bass will sound a 16th (two octaves and a 2nd) lower than written. The fingering will be the same as trumpet/cornet fingering. This is also why some Tuba parts are simply labelled “Basses”.
[Diagram]
In some countries (e.g. Netherlands, France), the Tuba may even transpose while reading bass clef, meaning the Eb Bass will sound a 3rd higher, and the Bb Bass will sound a 2nd lower but reading in bass clef. This means a player can pick up a Bb/Eb bass and read music as if playing a C Tuba.
[Diagram]
Additionally, Brass Bands treat the Eb and Bb basses as two distinct instruments, and players often specialise in one or the other. While much of their music will overlap, the Eb bass may have higher and more agile passages, while the Bb bass will get lower parts going into the pedal range. This also means they will occasionally play in harmony (4-part Tuba harmony/divisi is not uncommon in modern Brass Band repertoire).
The high/low Tuba split can be seen in some older concert band scores as well, where the composer specifies a line to be played by the Eb Tuba or Bb Tuba. This split is not necessary in modern concert bands except for where specific divisi/solo passages are desired, and Tuba players can play those passages on any Tuba as the part will be written in concert-pitch.
[diagram]
I haven't seen the C or F Tuba being used in a Brass Band. If a player only has a C or F Tuba available, they will usually transpose the Bb or Eb parts.
When writing music for concert band, the Tuba part should be written in C bass clef. It may be useful to provide transposed parts in both Eb/Bb and treble/bass clef if your music is sold in Europe, however these should be clearly labelled to reduce confusion (e.g. I use “Bass in Bb/Eb” rather than “Bb/Eb Bass”).
Baritones and Euphoniums
These are two instruments with a lot of misunderstanding. They are both pitched in Bb, have effectively the same range, and sound very similar to the untrained ear. Because of this, they are often mistaken for each other.
The Euphonium is basically a small Tuba. It has a conical bore, and a very mellow and rich sound. In some orchestral scores, it is called the "Tenor Tuba".
The Baritone (or Baritone Horn) is similar to the Euphonium, but is smaller with a more cylindrical bore. This means the tone is brighter and a bit thinner. It is almost exclusively used in Brass Bands.
In a Brass Band, these are two distinct instruments with subtly different purposes, and players will usually specialise in one or the other (though it's not a huge leap to swap between them). They will both read music in transposed Bb treble clef.
When the concert band came around, the vast array of colours offered by the woodwind section meant the subtle difference between the Euphonium and baritone was lost. Despite some composers attempting to keep their them distinct, their roles merged and became the "Baritone/Euphonium". Confusion with the Baritone Saxophone may have contributed to the demise of the Baritone in the concert band.
A side-effect of this has been the term "Baritone" becoming synonymous with "Euphonium", particularly in regions where Brass Bands are uncommon (e.g. the US). Some mistakenly refer to the three-valved instrument as a Baritone, though both the Baritone and Euphonium can come with either three or four valves.
Occasionally, you will find concert band scores that only have a Baritone part, or a separate Baritone part that is a copy of the Euphonium part but written in Bb treble clef. These days, all these parts are expected to be played on the Euphonium.
When writing music for Euphonium in a concert band setting, only a “Euphonium” part is required. It is good practice to provide a standard part in C bass clef, and an alternate part in Bb treble clef. It is not advisable to write a separate Baritone/Euphonium part.