The Chicago and New York Brass Quintets made sustained efforts to commission new works, and much of the original repertoire for brass quintet from the mid-20th century derives from their groundbreaking work.
But it was Canadian Brass that developed the pragmatic approach to repertoire allowed the ensemble to reach a wider audience.
It is generally agreed amongst brass players[citation needed] that the tuba is the dominant choice for brass quintets, with the ability to play smaller instruments such as bass trombone or baritone for certain repertoire such as Renaissance.
The American Brass Quintet has always used bass trombone instead of tuba, and their extensive commissioning has validated use of this instrumentation.
It is not uncommon for composers to write interchangeable parts for tuba and bass trombone to enable both types of quintets to perform their work.