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Thread: Rotary Euphoniums

  1. #11
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by adrian_quince View Post
    There is no German-style instrument that approaches the sweetness and mellowness of a British Euphonium sound.
    I won't really dispute this, but a Deutschophile (??) might suggest that the "mellowness" is in fact "stuffiness". This is again, I would hold, yet another illustration of how each "side" in this often geographical/nationalistic dispute describes it's own respective instruments and the instruments of the other side.

    Virtually every tuba player I know who habitually plays an American (piston) tuba or a German/Czech (rotary) tuba has said to me something like "Yeah, I played one of those compensating Brit tubas once, but it was stuffy." Of course, they're not STUFFY (at least the good ones aren't, and ANY variety of tuba MIGHT be stuffy if poorly designed or constructed). They're just different and FEEL stuffy to those unaccustomed to them because of additional back-pressure induced by the compensating circuit. I've played (for lengthy periods of time over my life) German/Czech tubas, American tubas, and British-style tubas, and like and respect them all.

    No German instrument that approaches the sweetness and mellowness of the British Euphonium? Well, arguably the modern "French" horn is in fact a German instrument. And then there's the Flugelhorn which I think we need to give high marks for sweetness and mellowness. Not to mention the truly ethereal Wagner tuben. But such disputes are really more comments on ourselves than on our instruments, nicht?
    Gary Merrill
    Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
    Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
    Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
    1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
    Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
    1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)

  2. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by ghmerrill View Post
    No German instrument that approaches the sweetness and mellowness of the British Euphonium? Well, arguably the modern "French" horn is in fact a German instrument. And then there's the Flugelhorn which I think we need to give high marks for sweetness and mellowness. Not to mention the truly ethereal Wagner tuben. But such disputes are really more comments on ourselves than on our instruments, nicht?
    The quest for brevity resulted in an over-generalization. What I was thinking when I wrote that was limited to the 9' Bb, uses a trombone/euphonium mouthpiece type of instrument. Of course the horn family (including the Wagnertuben) are incredibly sweet and mellow, and the German Flugelhorn has a tone all its own (even relative to French and American Flugelhorns).

    Now, the thing is, I like (and have played) all of the instruments mentioned. Especially for German music (which I play a LOT of), the sound of a true Tenorhorn/Baryton section is a thrill. The same music played by a section of British-style Euphoniums always seems a little lacking, but often that's what has to suffice where I am because so few own the authentic German instruments. Not coincidentally, it's one of the reasons that a Baryton is on my list of instruments to find.

    In my case, it's not that I think one is better than the other, but rather that the unique qualities of each is lost when thought of with a faulty analogy.
    Adrian L. Quince
    Composer, Conductor, Euphoniumist
    www.adrianquince.com

    Kanstul 976 - SM4U

  3. Rotary horns are big in the Balkans as well. I thought I would give a couple links to the Boban Markovic Orkestar. Although the barytons (tenorhorns) play mostly in background, you get an idea of their sound. Plus, I hope you enjoy hearing some music that might be a bit off your usual paths.

    This one is included because of its audio and video quality.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gsjYZnRZdmI

    I like this one for the energy and audience excitement. I wish my concerts met with this kind of response.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H3zhqWXtDDE

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Central North Carolina
    Posts
    2,368
    Love the flugelhorn and the helicon.
    Gary Merrill
    Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
    Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
    Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
    1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
    Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
    1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)

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