Euphonium

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Image:Euphonium.jpgThe euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek word euphonion, meaning "beautiful-sounding" or "sweet-voiced". A person who plays euphonium is sometimes called an euphoniumist.

1 Construction and general characteristics
- 1.1 Common valve configurations
2 Name recognition and misconceptions
3 History and development
4 Performance venues and professional job opportunities
5 College situation
6 Lists of important players
7 Important literature
8 Some famous band pieces with euphonium solos
9 The euphonium in orchestras
10 References
11 External links

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Construction and general characteristics

Like the other conical-bore instruments, the cornet, flugelhorn, French horn, and tuba, the euphonium's tubing gradually increases in diameter throughout its length. This results in a distinct warm, rich sound and gives the instrument a better response, compared to cylindrical bore instruments, as a higher proportion of sound energy is reflected back into the instrument. This is also the reason why the instrument can not be played as loudly as a comparable trombone or other cylindrical bore instrument.

Current models have three or four valves, which are usually piston valves, though rotary valved models do exist. At least three of the instrument’s valves are usually fingered with the right hand. Some earlier designs even had up to six valves to address the inevitable intonation problems with valve combinations. Currently though, the most common approach (besides ignoring the issue) is a compensation system, sometimes accompanied by a trigger device for the main tuning slide.

The euphonium's fundamental pitch is concert B-flat (Bb); in the United States, music for the instrument is usually written in the bass clef without transposition, though treble-clef euphonium parts, transposing down a major ninth, are commonly found in concert band music for the sake of students who have recently switched from the trumpet. In the brass band tradition, especially in the United Kingdom, euphonium music is always written in Bb treble clef, transposing down a major ninth. In continental European music, parts for the euphonium are sometimes written in the bass clef but a major second higher than sounding.

The range of the euphonium is quite extensive; the true (non-pedal) range goes from E-natural (three valves) or B-natural (fourth valves¹) below the bass clef up to F six ledger lines above the bass clef or even higher in professional hands, though fourth ledger line Bb is a normal limit for younger players. With the use of pedal tones (the fundamentals of the instrument's harmonic series), the range goes a further octave down, almost to the bottom of the piano keyboard.

A truly characteristic euphonium sound is elusive and varies geographically. Nearly all players would agree that an ideal sound is dark, rich, warm, and velvety, with virtually no hardness to it. On the other hand, European players, especially British ones, generally use a faster, more constant vibrato and a more veiled tone, whereas Americans tend to prefer a more straightforward, open sound with slower and less frequent vibrato. This also has to do with the different models preferred by British and American players. It is important to note that while the finger technique of the euphonium is no different from that of the trumpet or tuba, it is very difficult for beginning players to approach this characteristic warm sound, and thus the euphonium is considered one of the more difficult Western instruments for children to learn.

¹NB: B-natural below the bass clef is playable only if the 4th valve is compensating; otherwise the lowest non-pedal tone available is C below the bass clef. Again, see the article on brass instruments.

Image:EuphoniumAndTuba wb.jpg

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Common valve configurations

If there is a fourth valve, it is tuned to the interval of a fourth, serving to bridge the gap between the fundamental and the first harmonic on the harmonic series. It can be used instead of the valve combination one and three, also offering advanced players alternative fingerings to avoid intonation problems.

Basic four valve instruments are built in an in-line configuration, and either in the front or top action variety (valves pointing up or to the front, respectively). Some players find this uncomfortable, as the fourth valve is operated with the pinky finger of the right hand. On more upscale side-valve instruments, the fourth valve is operated with the left hand, which also contributes to a more natural overall playing position.

Modern compensating systems are effective and have almost no detrimental effect on a well-made euphonium's tone or response. As they are complex to design and produce, the price of a compensated instrument is usually at least 30 per cent higher than that of a similar non-compensating model. Its main intonation advantages are in the crucial octave below the second partial in the instrument's lower register.

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Name recognition and misconceptions

The euphonium is possibly the least popularly-known Western instrument of all, probably due to its scarcity of performance venues (see below). Most non-musician members of the general public in the United States do not recognize the name "euphonium," and so it must be described as a small tuba or compared to a baritone horn.

Despite great confusion (especially in the United States), the euphonium and the baritone are two different instruments. Though they play in the same register, the baritone is significantly smaller in appearance, has a more masked tone, and most importantly, is cylindrical-bore, like trumpets and trombones. See David Werden's website for an excellent and thorough discussion of the differences between a euphonium and a baritone.

The so-called American-style euphonium, featuring three valves on the front of the instrument and a curved forward-pointing bell, was predominant in American school bands throughout most of the twentieth century and was almost universally labeled a "baritone" by both band directors and composers; this is probably responsible for much of the baritone/euphonium confusion. This instrument is definitively a euphonium because its bore is conical, though smaller than that of the modern euphonium.

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History and development

The euphonium, the baritone, the saxhorn family, and the German Bariton and Tenorhorn all trace their descent to the ophicleide and ultimately to the serpent. The euphonium is alleged to have been invented, as a valved instrument replacing the ophicleide, by Herr Sommer of Weimar in 1843, though Carl Moritz in 1838 and Adolphe Sax in 1843 have also been credited. The "British-style" compensating euphonium was developed by David Blaikley in 1874, and has been in use in Britain ever since.

A creation unique to the United States was the double-belled euphonium, featuring a second smaller bell in addition to the main one; the player could switch bells for certain passages or even for individual notes by use of a fifth valve, operated with the left hand. Ostensibly, the smaller bell was intended to emulate the sound of a trombone (it was cylindrical-bore) and was possibly intended for performance situations in which trombones were not available. The extent to which the difference in sound and timbre was apparent to the listener, however, is up for debate. Harry Whittier of the Patrick S. Gilmore band introduced the instrument in 1888, and it was used widely in both school and service bands for several decades. Harold Brasch (see "List of important players" below) brought the British-style compensating euphonium to the United States c. 1939, but the double-belled euphonium may have remained in common use even into the 1950's and 60's. In any case, they have become rare (they were last in instrumental catalogues in the late 1960's), and are generally unknown to younger euphonium players. They are chiefly known now through their mention in the song "Seventy-six Trombones" from the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

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Performance venues and professional job opportunities

The euphonium has historically been and largely still is exclusively a wind band instrument; thus, the most common forums in which it can be found are concert bands and brass bands, where it is frequently featured as a solo instrument. Because of this, the euphonium has been called the "king of band instruments," or the "cello of the band," because of its similarity in timbre and ensemble role to the stringed instrument. Euphoniums typically have extremely important parts in many marches (such as those by John Philip Sousa), and in brass band music of the British tradition. The euphonium may also be found in marching bands, though it is often replaced by its smaller, easier-to-carry cousin, the marching baritone (which has a similar bell and valve configuration to a trumpet). A marching euphonium similar to the marching baritone is also used in many marching groups, primarily drum and bugle corps, two of which (Phantom Regiment and Teal Sound) march all-euphonium sections.

Other performance venues for the euphonium may include the tuba-euphonium quartet or larger tuba-euphonium ensemble, the brass quintet where it can supply the tenor voice (though the trombone is much more common), or in mixed brass ensembles. It should be noted that though these are legitimate performance venues, (paid) professional jobs in these areas are almost non-existent; they are much more likely to be semi-professional or amateur in nature. Most of the United States's military service bands include a tuba-euphonium quartet made up of players from the band that occasionally performs in its own right.

The euphonium is not traditionally an orchestral instrument and thus is not and has never been common in symphony orchestras. However, there are a handful of works, mostly from the late Romantic period, in which composers wrote a part for baryton (German) or tenor tuba, and these are universally played on euphonium, frequently by the principal trombone player. In addition, the euphonium is sometimes used in older orchestral works as a replacement of its predecessors, such as the Wagner tuba, the bass trumpet, or the ophicleide. At the bottom of the article are some of the well-known orchestral works in which the euphonium is commonly used (whether or not the composer originally specified it).

Finally, while the euphonium was not historically part of the standard jazz big band or combo, the instrument's technical facility and large range make it well-suited to a jazz solo role, and a jazz euphonium niche has been carved out over the last 40 or so years, largely starting with the pioneer Rich Matteson (see "List of important players" below). Jazz euphoniums are most likely to be found in tuba-euphonium groups, though modern funk or rock bands occasionally feature a brass player doubling on euphonium, and this trend is growing.

Thus, unlike most other Western instruments, euphoniumists cannot count on a career in symphony orchestras or jazz bands. Due to this dearth of performance opportunities, aspiring euphonium players in the United States are in an inconvenient position when seeking future employment. Often, college players must either obtain a graduate degree or a doctorate and go on to teach at the college level, or, in the United States, audition for one of the major or regional military service bands. Because these bands are relatively few in number and the number of euphonium positions in the bands is small (2-4 in most service bands), job openings do not occur very often and when they do are highly competitive; before the current opening in the Air Force Band of the West, the last opening for a euphonium player in an American service band was in May 2004. A career strictly as a solo performer, unaffiliated with any university or performing ensemble, has not yet been achieved by any euphoniumist.

Note that in Britain, the strongest euphonium players are most to likely find a position in a brass band, but ironically, even though they often play at world-class levels, the members of the top brass bands are, in most cases, unpaid amateurs.

The Euphonium has long been featured as an integral part and solo instrument in Salvation Army bands.

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College situation

Unlike a generation or two ago, most colleges with music programs now allow students to major in euphonium. However, due to the small number of euphonium students at most schools (2-4 is common), it is possible, and even likely, that they will study with a professor whose major instrument is not the euphonium. Often tubas and euphoniums will be combined into a studio taught by one professor, and at small schools they may be grouped with trombones as well, taught by one low brass professor. At present, Dr. Brian Bowman of the University of North Texas is the only full-time, euphonium-only professor in the United States. Usually, of course, universities will require professors in this situation to have a high level of proficiency on all the instruments they teach, and some of the best college euphonium studios are taught by non-euphonium players.

Below are some of the United States's largest and most successful college euphonium studios listed alphabetically, along with their teachers. These studios are likely to be larger than most, and either have one or more graduate students or have sent alumni on to graduate study elsewhere. Their professors are usually accomplished and widely respected artists in their own right, and students from these schools will have been invited either to amateur competitions such as the Falcone Festival or the International Tuba-Euphonium Conference, or to the finals rounds of recent military band auditions.

Arizona State University (Sam Pilafian, tuba)
Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam (Charles Guy, tuba and euphonium)
Eastman School of Music (Mark Kellogg, trombone and euphonium)
George Mason University (Roger Behrend, euphonium)
Indiana University (Dan Perantoni, tuba)
Louisiana State University (Joe Skillen, tuba)
Michigan State University (Philip Sinder, tuba)
Northwestern University (Rex Martin, tuba)
University of Georgia (David Zerkel, tuba)
University of Michigan (Fritz Kaenzig, tuba)
University of Kansas (Scott Watson, tuba)
University of North Texas (Brian Bowman, euphonium)

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Lists of important players

The euphonium world is and has been more crowded than is commonly thought, and there have been many noteworthy players throughout the instrument's history. This list is not intended to be exhaustive, but gives an idea of some of the major names in euphonium playing, divided into three categories: great players of the present, great players of the past, and some "up-and-coming" younger players.

Today's premiere players

These are some of the most universally respected and influential euphonium players and teachers today in the world today.

Roger Behrend, soloist with the U.S. Navy Band and professor of euphonium at George Mason University [1]
Dr. Brian Bowman, former soloist with the U.S. Navy Band (1971-75) and U.S. Air Force Band (1976-91); now professor of euphonium at the University of North Texas [2]
Phil Franke, principal euphonium of "The President's Own" United States Marine Band
Dr. Nicholas Childs Welsh soloist, Director of the Black Dyke Band in England
Dr. Robert Childs, brother of Dr. Nicholas Childs, former soloist with the Black Dyke Band; now Director of Brass Bands at the Royal Welsh College of Music
Tormod Flaten, principal player with the European brass band Eikanger-Bjørsvik
Angie Hunter, teacher at the German Bible Institute in Koenigsfeld, Germany
Shoichiro Hokazono, soloist with the Central Band of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force
Steven Mead, English euphonium soloist and professor at the Royal Northern College of Music
Toru Miura, professor of euphonium at the Kunitachi College of Music; soloist and clinician
Jukka Myllys, Finnish soloist and clinician; trombonist with the Oulu Symphony Orchestra
Danny Vinson, current soloist with the U.S. Coast Guard Band (since 1984) and instructor of euphonium at the University of Connecticut
David Werden, former soloist with the U.S. Coast Guard Band; now adjunct professor of tuba and euphonium at the University of Minnesota [3]
Derick Kane, Principal Euphonium of The International Staff Band of The Salvation Army since 1976

Important players of the past

These are players who have died or retired from regular playing and teaching who have had a profound impact on euphonium playing today through their influence on playing style, development of the instrument itself, or through their students who went on to major success in their own right. Many of today's top players can trace their "teaching ancestry" back to one or more of these people.

Harold Brasch (deceased), former soloist with the U.S. Navy Band; responsible for introducing the modern British-style compensating euphonium into the U.S. military service bands c. 1939
John "Buddy" Burroughs (deceased), former player with the "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band (1935-66); known for his vast music collection
Dr. Paul Droste, retired professor and marching band director at the Ohio State University
Leonard Falcone (deceased), Italian-American soloist and longtime director of bands at Michigan State University
Arthur Lehman, former soloist with the U.S. Marine Band (1947-71)
Earl Louder, former soloist with the U.S. Navy Band (1956-68), retired professor at Morehead State University (1968-96); now soloist with the New Sousa Band and guest soloist with many other groups
Simone Mantia (deceased), euphonium soloist with the John Philip Sousa Band (1896-1903)
Rich Matteson [4] (deceased), groundbreaking jazz euphonium player, longtime faculty member at the University of North Texas, and founding member of the Modern Jazz Tuba Project
Joseph M. Raffayola (deceased), former player with the John Philip Sousa Band (1892-1903)
John Perfetto (deceased), former player with the John Philip Sousa Band (1904-21)
Raymond Young (deceased), former professor of low brass and director of bands at the University of Southern Mississippi

Younger players

Finally, here are some of the new generation of euphonium players (roughly 35 and younger) who have already carved an important place for themselves in the euphonium world, either through teaching, releasing recordings, giving masterclasses, or appearing as a featured soloist.

David Childs, 24-year-old Welsh soloist, son of Dr. Robert Childs
Ueli Kipfer, Swiss euphonium solist, conductor, teacher and clinician
Matt Summers, euphoniumist (1997-present) with "The President's Own" United States Marine Band.
Adam Frey, Atlanta-based soloist, clinician, and teacher; affiliate at Emory University [5] and adjunct professor at Georgia State University [6]
Jason Ham, New York-based Euphonium Soloist & Teacher, member of the United States Military Academy Band, West Point, New York
Matthew Murchison, member of the River City Brass Band and soloist
Dr. Benjamin Pierce, professor of tuba and euphonium at the University of Arkansas [7]
Pat Stuckemeyer, one of the youngest soloists on the instrument, with educational articles and media available online
David Thornton, current soloist with the Black Dyke Band in England
Demondrae Thurman, assistant professor of tuba and euphonium at the University of Alabama and founding member of the Sotto Voce Tuba Quartet
Matthew Tropman, former soloist with the U.S. Marine Band; now adjunct professor of tuba and euphonium at Eastern Michigan University [8] and Executive Director of the Brass Band of Battle Creek

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Important literature

These are some of the major works of the original euphonium repertoire, divided into three rough categories of difficulty: solos that would be appropriate for high schoolers, solos at the undergraduate college level, and solos that probably are appropriate only for graduate-level or professional players.

High school:

J. Edouard Barat, Introduction and Dance and Morceau de Concours
James Curnow, Rhapsody
Joseph Deluca, Beautiful Colorado
Donald Haddad, Suite for Baritone
D. Warner Hutchison, Sonatina
Donald White, Lyric Suite

Undergraduate:

Fred Clinard, Jr., Sonata (unaccompanied)
Gordon Jacob, Fantasia
Joseph Horovitz, Concerto
Simone Mantia, Fantasia Originale and Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms
Philip Sparke, Fantasy, Song for Ina, Pantomime and Party Piece

Graduate/Professional:

Samuel Adler, Four Dialogues for Euphonium and Marimba
Jan Bach, Concert Variations
Arthur Butterworth, Partita
Vladimir Cosma, Concerto (with orchestra)
James Curnow, Symphonic Variants for Euphonium and Band
Martin Ellerby, Concerto
David Gillingham, Blue Lake Fantasies (unaccompanied) and Vintage
John Golland, Concertos nos. 1 and 2
Edward Gregson, Symphonic Rhapsody for Euphonium and Brass Band
Amilcare Ponchielli, Concerto per Flicorno Basso
Philip Sparke, Concerto
John Stevens, Soliloquies
Roland Szentpali, Pearls

Because the repertoire for euphonium is somewhat limited in scope and historical depth, euphoniumists often play transcriptions of literature written for other instruments, including cornet, trombone, bassoon, voice, and cello. These pieces may be transposed for the sake of range or key, they may be simplified technically, or they may be performed exactly as originally written. Here are some of the most commonly performed transcriptions, sorted by historical period, along with the instrument they were originally composed for and their general difficulty level:

Baroque

Georg Friedrich Handel, Aria con Variazioni (orig. harpsichord, trans. for cornet)
Benedetto Marcello, Sonata in F Major (cello)
Georg Philipp Telemann, Sonata in F Minor (bassoon)
Johann Sebastian Bach, Six Suites for Solo Cello

Classical

Giuseppe Antonio Capuzzi, "Andante and Rondo" from the Concerto for Double Bass
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Bassoon Concerto K. 191

Romantic

Ferdinand David, Concertino (trombone)
Julius Klengel, Concertino no. 1 (cello)
Sergei Rachmaninov, Vocalise

Early 20th century virtuoso

Jean-Baptiste Arban, Variations on 'The Carnival of Venice' (cornet)
Herman Bellstedt, Napoli Variations (cornet)
Edoardo Boccalari, Fantasia di Concerto (clarinet, cornet, or baritone)
Herbert L. Clarke, The Bride of the Waves and From the Shores of the Mighty Pacific (cornet)
Arthur Pryor, The Blue Bells of Scotland (trombone)

20th century

J. Edouard Barat, Andante and Allegro (trombone)
Derek Bourgeouis, Concerto for Trombone, Op. 114
Jacques Casterede, Fantaisie Concertante (bass trombone)
Alphonse de la Nux, Concert Piece (trombone)
F. Alexandre Guilmant, Morceau Symphonique (trombone)

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Some famous band pieces with euphonium solos

Samuel Barber, Commando March
Percy Grainger, Colonial Song, "The Brisk Young Sailor" from Lincolnshire Posy, Molly on the Shore
Gustav Holst, Second Suite in F (1st and 4th mvts.)
Roger Nixon, Fiesta del Pacifico
Arnold Schoenberg, Theme and Variations, Op. 43a
William Schumann, "When Jesus Wept" from the New England Triptych

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The euphonium in orchestras

These are some major orchestral works that contain parts commonly played on euphonium (whether the composer originally specified euphonium or not).

Hector Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique
Gustav Holst, "Mars," "Jupiter," and "Uranus" from The Planets
Leos Janacek, Sinfonietta
Gustav Mahler, Symphony no. 7
Modest Mussorgsky, "Bydlo" from Pictures at an Exhibition (Ravel orchestration)
Richard Strauss, Ein Heldenleben and Don Quixote
Dmitri Shostakovich, The Age of Gold (ballet)
Igor Stravinsky, The Firebird