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Re: alternative instrument for a horn player

On Tue, 21 Apr 1998, Adrian Drover wrote:

> There are three families of brass in the traditional brass band.
> 
> 1. Saxhorn Family: 
>	   Soprano Cornet
>	   Bb Cornet (sometimes called Alto)
>	   Tenor Horn (or Alto Horn)
>	   Baritone Horn (or Tenor Horn)
> 
> 2. Trumpet Family:
>	   Tenor Trombones in Bb
>	   Bass Trombone in Bb/F/? (optional tuning on 2nd valve)

Bb/F/D, with Gb possible if you have independent plugs.

>		     (formerly Trombone in G).
> 
> 3. Tuba Family:
>	   Flugelhorn (soprano tuba)
>	   Euphonium (tenor tuba)
>	   Eb Bass (bass tuba)
>	   BBb Bass (contrabass tuba)
> 
> Cecil Forsyth on "Orchestration" includes the 3 larger tubas in his list
> of Saxhorns but differentiates them by calling them whole tube instruments
> (able to produce a pedal tone), whereas the four "real" saxhorns are half
> tube instruments (not able to produce pedals). This was probably true in
> 1914 when his book was written, but I would think it is now probably just
> as easy, if not easier to produce a pedal tone on a modern baritone or
> tenor horn as on the BBb tuba.

This always seemed pretty artificial to me, I tend not to trust the
Forsyth as it is so old.

> In any case, the following is Forsyth's list of Saxhorns:
> 
>	   a. Sopranino Eb:    (Soprano Cornet)    (half tube)
>	   b. Soprano Bb:      (Cornet)	    (half tube)

Sorry, but the cornet isn't a saxhorn (Forsyth gets this right!)

Cornet, flugel and contralto saxhorn are all different instruments,
though you are extremely unlikely to meet a contralto saxhorn.  Perhaps
someone from the plumbing factory could give some advice?

However, reading about the development of brass instruments, things are so
confusing with parallel developments converging etc that you might as well
group the instruments the way that works, by conical and cylindrical tone.
This way the flugel and euph get classed as saxhorns, you just have to
remember they produce a more sonorous tone than the horns and baritones.

In practical terms, in modern scoring the flugel is used as the lead voice
of the horn section.  This is contrasted with the trombones and cornets
(often the back row, who may have a less mellow sound than the solos)

>	   c. Alto Eb:	 (Tenor Horn)	(half tube)
>	   d. Tenor Bb:	(Baritone Horn)     (half tube)
>	   w. Bass Bb:	 (Euphonium)	 (whole tube)
>	   x. Bass Eb:	 (Eb Tuba)	   (whole tube)
>	   y. Contrabass Bb:   (BBb Tuba)	  (whole tube)
> 
> What surprises me is that although the band has always had instruments
> from all three families in the tenor register, namely Baritone Horns,
> Tenor Trombones and Euphoniums (all pitched in tenor Bb), there is so much
> opposition to extending the trombone tone into the soprano register by
> using trumpets as a contrast to the overwhelming saxhorn tone from the
> army of cornets.	 

-- 
  Alastair Wheeler
  Euphonium & Trombone			    Fundamental Brass
  Bass Trombone			   City of Oxford Brass Band
  Alastair@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx   http://users.ox.ac.uk/~newc0349
  "I am following my fish"


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