German musicians and teachers Johann Gottfried Moritz and Wilhelm Wieprecht invented the tuba in 1835. It had five valves and became known as the “bass tuba” from that point on. The tuba player could alter the size of the air funnel by opening and closing valves. This gave the tuba the ability to play extremely low notes. Metal instruments played only the top run after this because they had no valves in the past. During the Heartfelt (1840–19010) and Present (1910–1945) eras, the tuba rose to prominence in the band due to its deep, stormy sound, solid consonant line, and ability to bring richness and depth to the song.