3.3 Baritones and euphoniums

Introduction

Baritones and euphoniums are aerophones in the brass family. They are closely related instruments, both fairly large and with a medium-low range. They are generally not considered orchestral instruments, but are an important part of the Western band tradition.

The instruments

Like other instruments in the brass family, baritones and euphoniums are played by buzzing the lips against a cup mouthpiece . The air then moves through the brass tubing and leaves through the bell at the other end of the instrument. The valves change the playing length of the instrument, making it possible to play several harmonic series that together allow the instrument to play any chromatic note in its range. For more on how brass instruments work, please see Wind Instruments: Some Basics , Standing Waves and Wind Instruments , and Harmonic Series .)

Baritones and euphoniums are valved brass instruments that have a range similar to the slide trombone , higher than a tuba and about an octave below the trumpet . The valved tenor-range brass instruments are a slightly confusing group of instruments. They are usually held upright, with the bell pointing either straight up or up-and-forward, but they may also be shaped like a very large trumpet, held horizontally with the bell pointing forward. They may have three, four, or sometimes even five valves. Baritone and euphonium are recognized in Britain as being two different instruments, but in the U.S. there is quite a bit of confusion as to the difference between them, and they are often treated as interchangeable.

The difference between the two is not a matter of the number of valves or of where the bell is pointing. Where a distinction between the two instruments is recognized, the important difference between the baritone and the euphonium is the bore . The euphonium has a much wider, more conical bore, which gives it a much mellower, richer timbre , which some composers prefer for solo work. The baritone, with a narrower, more cylindrical bore, has a lighter, brighter sound than a euphonium, but the timbre is still not quite as bright and direct as a trombone's (which also has a fairly cylindrical bore).

History

Smaller brass instruments, which can play in a range where their harmonics are close together, have been around for many centuries in a valveless form. (Please see The French Horn for more about this history, or Standing Waves and Wind Instruments for more about harmonics in brass instruments.) Slide trombone is also an ancient instrument. Large valved brass instruments have a comparatively short history, for they did not become feasible until good-quality valves became available in the 1830's.

The euphonium is widely said to have been invented "in 1843 by Sommer of Weimar". Many instrument makers, players, and composers experimented with various medium-to-low-range valved brass in the nineteenth century, including alto horn, contralto horn, valved trombones, Wagner tubas, saxtrombas, and saxtubas. The baritone horn (baritone), euphonium, and various bass tubas are the only ones that are still in widespread use today. Although still very uncommon in orchestral music, euphoniums and baritones (along with their close relatives, the tubas) became an indispensable part of Western military, marching, and concert bands, replacing several other low-range instruments, including, in some traditions, marching bassoons!