Page 13 - Bandworld Magazine 2015

You Play a What?
by Brian Bowman
The most frequently asked question of a musician is “What instrument do you play?” When I explain that I play the eu- phonium the incredulous reply is “You play a what??” While the name “eu- phonium” is not familiar to many, this instrument with its beautiful rich tone is the chief tenor soloist in the military, brass and concert bands.
The history of the euphonium begins in the early 18th century when many string instruments had reached some state of perfection but most wind instruments were still in their infancy. A forerunner of the euphonium family, the serpent, was used in military bands as a march- ing bass during this period. The serpent derived its name from its snake-like appearance and was originally used to support the bass part in church choirs.
This ungainly instrument was construct- ed of wood, brass, or silver. It was played with a deep-cup mouthpiece made of horn or ivory and had six finger holes. Later models were more elaborate and had several keys. Qualifications for play- ing the serpent were good musicianship and an excellent sense of pitch as into- nation was a serious problem The ad- dition of extra keys in the 19th century probably led to a deterioration of playing because performers falsely assumed that these keys cured intonation problems.
As a result of this deterioration in per- formance the serpent began receiving much criticism from musicians and composers. Notably the musicologist Burney compared the serpents tone quality in incompetent hands to that of a “great hungry or rather angry Essex calf.”
In 1821 Halary, a French instrument maker patented a group of keyed bugles including a bass member called the ophi- cleide. It appeared much as a combina- tion of the modern bassoon and baritone saxophone, and was played with a deep cup mouthpiece. The use of keys to cover tone holes allowed instrument makers to design Instruments with better intona- tion and more power than the serpent. As with the serpent, the performer had to have an excellent ear and flexible lips to play in tune. The ophicleide was made in several keys and sizes and was used in the 19th century orchestra as well as in military bands of the time. Although the instrument had virtually disappeared from the military bands by the turn of the century, the instrument was still sold in France in 1922.
During the second and third decades of the 19th century valve mechanisms were developed which revolutionized instrument design and manufacture. In 1842, Adolph Sax established a wind instrument factory in Paris where he gained high regard as an Inventor and designer of wind instruments. He de- veloped a complete family of valved brass instruments from soprano to bass which are direct antecedents of many brass instruments used today. These instruments were developed mainly for use in the military band and revo- lutionized these units by their use de- veloping into the famous brass bands of the United Kingdom today.
As these new instruments became avail- able, composers began writing for them. In Germany Wagner established the
tuba group by scoring the “Ring” for two tenor tubas, two bass tubas, and one contrabass tuba. The tenor tuba later became popular with other composers (Strauss, Holst, and Ravel). This tenor tuba was essentially the same tenor voiced instrument as the tenor saxhorn developed in the military band which is the euphonium today.
“What a great treat to be at ABC and par- ticipate in the wonderful events you have created.”
Brian Bowman ABC 2012
You Play a What? continued at Bandworld Online • www.bandworld.org/free 13