While the tuba is considered a standard, the range and style of many pieces lend themselves to being played with bass trombone as the lowest-pitched instrument.
Additionally, some pieces call for the use of percussion instruments, particularly the snare drum, tambourine, or timpani.
The brass quintet is believed to have not been established as a formal chamber ensemble until 1947.
Although the New York Brass Quintet did play pieces such as the Malcolm Arnold etc., much of their repertoire consisted of transcriptions of music from the Renaissance and Baroque.
The brass quintet has accrued a sizable amount of literature for an ensemble that was only firmly established halfway through the 20th century.
[6] In 1980 the International Brass Quintet Festival and Symposium was established and at the time, was the only one to exist.
“Brass Quintet Instrumentation: Tuba versus Bass Trombone.” ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 1988.