This study has been prepared for the purpose of showing the development of the modern bass tuba through all stages, from its earliest ancestors to its present form. Also by the use of examples, it is hoped that the treatment of the instrument in selected orchestral works will show in some ways how it has and can be used.

An investigation of current practices in the teaching of the bass tuba in the applied studios of U.S. colleges and universities as determined by survey. Survey recipients were low brass teachers at American colleges and universities who were members of one or more of the following professional organizations: International Tuba Euphonium Association, College Music Society, National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors. Topics examined are: general practices among teachers, including performance usage and literature, pedagogy and equipment. The survey instrument as well as a list of the respondents is included.

An interpretive analysis of Ralph Vaughan Williams' Concerto for Bass Tuba which compares tempi, interpretation of the melodic line, ornamentation, dynamics, pitches, rhythms. phrasing and articulations as utilized by four prominent tuba performers. Performers selected to share their interpretations include Arnold Jacobs, Donald Little, Richard Nahatzki and Harvey Phillips. Little, Nahatzki and Phillips provided a copy of their solo parts with their personal markings. Jacobs gave permission to transcribe his interpretation from the recording he made with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Performers' biological information is included along with musical reviews of Concerto for Bass Tuba.

The lecture recital was given on June 16, 1980. The Ralph Vaughan Williams Concerto for Bass Tuba and the Paul Hindemith Sonate for Tuba and Piano were performed following a lecture on the historical evolution of the tuba in Europe. The lecture included a history of the predecessors of the tuba and their influence on the development of tuba playing traditions. Tuba performance practices in Europe developed around two playing traditions, one in France and England, and a second in Germany. The ophicleide enjoyed tremendous popularity in France and England during the early nineteenth century. Because this instrument was a major competitor of the tuba in these countries, the tuba was viewed as an ophicleide replacement. Tubists in Europe and England had to develop facility and sound quality equivalent to that of the older instrument. In Germany the tuba's main competitor was the Russian bassoon, a form of upright serpent. At this same time the serpent and its related forms were in decline. This lack of popularity with the older instruments provided an opportunity for the quick adoption of the tuba in Germany.