German Berliner Pumpen Valve

The Berliner Valve tuba in this article is one I acquired from a friend and is an early example (1840-1850) of a tuba which still had the shape of an ophicleide from which the tuba developed.  It has two valves up and two valves down and looks exactly like one in an advertisement of Herold in Klingenthal ca. 1855 featured in the Journal of the American Musical Society authored by Dr. Herbert Heyde.  It is probably not as early as the Prussian cornet, but every bit as important in the development of the Berliner pumpen valve.

The second quarter of the 19th century was probably the busiest and most important in the development of valve systems and to a lesser degree, the configuration of tubing on horns.  The major developments of the rotary valve, the piston valve, the box valve, the Stolzel and Bluhmel valve, the Vienna valve and Perinet valve all occurred between 1825 and 1850. William Wieprich the director of the Gard du Corps band in Berlin favored the Berliner valve and championed its cause, but within the 80 year period of 1830-1910, the Berliner valve faded and disappeared.

Robert played a Berliner valve horn while in the 1st Brigade Band and favored it over the American string action rotary which was the most popular valve system during the Civil War.  He has collected a variety of “Berliner Pumpen” valved horns representing the period between 1830 and 1870 and am still convinced it is superior to the Pernet valve which is popular today.