Table of contents
The tuba mouthpiece
The tuba can look back on a 150-year tradition in the Vienna orchestra.
Clocks seem to move differently in Viennese orchestras than elsewhere, which explains why for 100 years (1845-1945) only native Germans were engaged as tuba players in the Vienna Philharmonic. They in turn used almost exclusively the "Viennese tuba" (six-valve concert tuba in F, bass tuba) and, like the Viennese horn, contributed to the unmistakable sound of the Viennese orchestras (Viennese sound style).
We owe our knowledge of this primarily to a good friend of Karl Breslmair, Gerhard Zechmeister, a student of Professor Leopold Kolar (formerly a member of the Vienna Philharmonic). He is vehemently committed to the continuation of this tradition, the tradition that is beginning to falter with the involvement of non-German-speaking tuba players and the use of the standard tuba. Mr. Josef Hummel (the last Viennese tuba player) took early retirement in 1995, which meant that after 150 years the Vienna Philharmonic had to do without the advantages of the Viennese tuba for the time being.
Our contribution to this topic is a series of mouthpieces that aims to continue and preserve the roots of this Viennese tradition. Even if no Viennese tuba should be played with these mouthpieces, their sound culture is still in the foreground for us, which we want to explore further.
The models
The table below gives information about the current range of models. The letters in the first position indicate the cup width (measured at 2.0mm inwards). The number in the second place in connection with the letter in the third place gives information about cup shape, bore and cup depth.
The series 3
The models of series 3 are based on the shape of tuba mouthpiece no. 3 from the workshop of Karl Breslmair Senior. At the beginning of the 1990s, when we started to manufacture with computer support, this model was digitalised and a first, homogeneous mouthpiece family was formed from it. The model designation was 3 with the additional letters A and B, which designated the subsequently larger variants. The width of these models was 33.2 mm. Word of the sound quality spread quickly, and in order to appeal to a wider circle of musicians, the cup diameter of this series was changed so that almost every tuba player could find "his" width.
The Z Series
A research project resulted in mouthpiece models of the Z series, which correspond to and support the characteristics of the Viennese tuba. Models with one digit have the "Breslmair" rim shape. The second digit in the model name indicates the rim shape according to Mag. Zechmeister (rounder, narrower).
The T12 series
In 2012, we wanted to expand our tuba range and also modify the outer appearance. Weight (mass) is also a factor of great importance for mouthpieces. The T12 model family takes this into account and has been "mass-optimised".
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