Tenor Brass Instruments

[MusicSpark]

In my last post I was unsure, but it has been confirmed that I will be playing a low brass instrument most likely baritone horn or euphonium. I have already learned a lot about them, both from this forum, others and professional videos and websites. So in a concert band or wind band whatever you would like to call it, would a baritone horn or euph be better. I have read that most music written for "Baritone" is intended for euphoniums and that less than one percent is actually written for it. But I have noticed that most scores include a baritone part provided in both treble and bass clef. Is this just because of ignorance, or they actually are referring to the baritone horn?

Sorry for the question, I just want to be one hundred percent sure.

[bbocaner]

Neither. At the time of the Sousa band, the American word for "euphonium" *was* "baritone." We called our instrument that was closer to a british baritone a "Bb tenorhorn." This was probably because most early American brass players were German immigrants, where the two 9' Bb tenor/bass instruments are still called "bariton" and "tenorhorn." Later on, US players started migrating towards using the British nomenclature, and started using the word "euphonium" to describe their instrument. But "baritone" isn't wrong, as long as you're clear that you don't mean "baritone" in the British sense of the word. Because of this, a majority of the classic American band literature uses the word "baritone" on the parts and in the score.

Treble vs. bass clef parts is just a courtesy to players who may have learned one way versus another, and are usually the same part. If they're not the same part, that's one potential give-away that a baritone (in the British usage of the word) was intended for one part versus euphonium.

[davewerden]

You might want to check this article:

http://www.dwerden.com/eu-articles-bareuph.cfm

It is based on an article (monograph) I wrote in the 1980's. When going somewhere to play on my own or with the Coast Guard Band I always had copies with me. The confusion of "baritone" and "euphonium" has existed for a long time. My short take (but see the link for more) is that there are 3 main horns in this country that are part of the discussion:

1. A true British-style baritone horn. It has a bell not much fatter than an trombone and is MUCH more compact looking overall than a euphonium.
2. An American "baritone horn" such as the one I played in high school. They often have a curved bell and always had front valves. In truth (see the article) I believe these should be called small euphoniums.
3. A standard euphonium - this is what you see in the hands of Steven Mead, Brian Bowman, etc.

#2 causes the most confusion. Our language in the concert band world found "baritone horn" a perfectly acceptable term for this horn, but it was never a true baritone by definition. However, its slightly smaller bell/bore compared to a British-style euphonium gives it a little bit lighter sound, and it is the horn that Sousa had in mind (and most other composers in the late 1800's and early 1900's) when writing "Baritone" parts.

[Pat]

I've got some German polka collections that stipulate a Bb tenor horn part. That part seems to be well served by a small bore baritone, rather than a euphonium.

[TheJH]

here in the Netherlands and in Belgium we have a wind band called a 'fanfare band' (basically a concert band with the clarinets and flutes replaced by flugelhorns, no bass clarinet and bassoon and the hoboe is replaced by a soprano sax), in which the baritone and euphonium have different roles, like the roles they have in Brass Bands I think. In music composed for this type of band, the Baritone is more aimed towards the trombones and French Horns, and especially the first baritone part generally has a lot of technical and higher pieces and often fills in otherwise 'empty' parts of the music. Euphoniums are aimed more at the tubas and have the typical nice melodies or countermelodies, and often technical parts as well, but more on the foreground. Both instruments typically have two parts (euph 1+2 and baritone 1+2) that often are quite different from eachother (even though a lot of times baritone parts are just played on a euph). Also, the baritone parts in this type of band are ALWAYS in Treble Clef, except if the composer or arranger made Bass Clef parts of it, but that's very unusual. Euph parts are written in both TC and BC. I hope this makes sense.

However, in the normal concert/wind bands (with clarinets, flutes, oboe etc) Euphonium and Baritone are pretty much interchangable names for the same role, since there are no seperate baritone and euphonium parts in music composed for this kind of band. So sometimes it depends on the piece you're playing whether you want to play on a (british) baritone or a euph, but normally you just use euphs anyway.

But that's the situation here in the Netherlands. So when you switch between 'fanfare band' and 'normal' wind/concert band (here called 'harmonie') you have to keep that in mind.

[daruby]

TheJH,

In the "fanfare" band are the TC parts transposed Bb or are the concert pitch (in C)?

Doug

[TheJH]

hey Doug,

the TC parts are transposed Bb as far as I know. There are C parts but I don't know if they are BC exclusive (since I never had to look for them).

TheJH

[MusicSpark]

Thank you for your input. Mr. Werden. I am interested either #1 or #3 as based on your response. Number 2 is strange to me as, where I live( Canada) doesn't use hybrids. But it plays a lot of famous american music.

[iiipopes]

hey Doug,

the TC parts are transposed Bb as far as I know. There are C parts but I don't know if they are BC exclusive (since I never had to look for them).

TheJH

Do you mean "concert pitch bass clef notation," which is the proper nomenclature, not "C parts"?

[jimpjorps]

"C parts" seems to be the European naming. I've got a bunch of brass quintet music from a UK publisher that calls all the trombone/euphonium/tuba parts in concert pitch "(instrument) in C".

[highpitch]

I recently bought a euph solo with concert band accompaniment from a Dutch outfit.

All the low brass parts were in bass clef, in both "C" and "Bb".

The Bb part was a correct read.

DG