Serpents, Bombardons, and the “Wiener” Tuba : Richard Wagner and the Evolution of the Orchestral Contrabass Labrosone
Through his orchestral experimentation with acoustics and timbre, Richard Wagner is credited with conceptualizing, commissioning, and attempting to integrate several new labrosones into the orchestra. To greater or lesser extents, they all eventually failed to enter mainstream performance practice, but with one notable exception. Today, the contrabass tuba is a compulsory instrument for profession