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BARITONE HORN FAQS

How Do You Play It?

History

Origins of the baritone horn can be traced to ancient Rome, where bronze and brass instruments called "tubas" often played at military and ceremonial functions. The modern baritone horn, also known as a tenor tuba, first appeared in Germany in the 1830's. It is the final version of Adolphe Sax's (inventor of the saxophone) "saxhorn baryton"

The euphonium or "baby tuba", closely related to the baritone, was also invented in the 1830's. The tubing of the euphonium is wider (more conically shaped) than the cylindrical tubing on the baritone and is slightly mellower than the baritone horn. Both instruments have 3 or 4 valves and play the same pitches

Both instruments have shared ancestral history in the serpent and ophicleide (i). From these now obsolete instruments arouse literally dozens of different instruments which have been termed "Euphonium" or "Baritone horn", including one with two bells! (ii).

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However, aside from the generic usage of both names, the actual euphonium and Baritone horn are themselves NOT the same instrument! Nonetheless, most normal people can not tell the difference between them and except for a few geeks and nerds, no one really cares.

Thus, for the purposes of this discussion we shall refer to both the euphonium and Baritone horn instruments as a Baritone horn, B.C. or simply Baritone horn. If you absolutely must know the differences between the euphonium and the baritone horn, a frustrated David Berger has a very detailed and interesting essay on the subject on his website.

Some current facts about the Baritone horn:

Baritone horns can be played using either bass clef (B.C.) or treble clef (T.C) fingerings. Thus, they can read either treble clef (usually trumpet/cornet players who have been moved to the instrument) or bass clef. Therefore while the instrument physically remains the same, the suffix is often added to denote which clef is being read.

The Baritone horn is considered the baritone voice of the brass section, though it can play tenor and bass brass parts. It is common in concert, brass and marching bands (iii). Additionally, because of it's similar range and sound to the trombone, the baritone horn player will often play parts too complicated for the trombonist. It is also sometimes used to fill in for French horns and it's cousin, the tuba.

R. Meredith Wilson (a flute player in the famous Sousa band) is credited with popularizing the instrument in the title song from the theatrical production of "Music Man" which he starred in.

Composers:

Famous composers who have written music for the Baritone horn include John Philip Sousa, Henry Mancini, Percy Grainger, Richard Straus and Alfred Reed.

Musical Pieces featuring the Baritone horn:

Some famous pieces which feature the baritone horn are: Stars 'N' Stripes Forever, Don Quixote, The Thunderer, The Planets.

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Musicians:

Some famous Baritone horn performers are Leonard Falcone, Brian Bowman and Rich Matteson.

That's nice, but about some people we've heard of?

It's doubtful that I can name drop famous persons who themselves play or utilize Baritone horns in their recordings. However, you probably see the instrument played everyday. Where? On television. Watch any college football game, parade or Mardi Gras type festival. That instrument that you see leading the pack and holding the music together is the Baritone horn!

They also play:

Other instruments Baritone horn players may perform on include: Baritone T.C., trombone and tuba. (Some band directors will have trombonists double on Baritone horn in the advanced bands).

Disgruntled players:

The Baritone horn, T.C. is ideally designed for trumpet players to switch over to. However, it can also work vice versa if the student is used to treble clef fingerings. The Baritone horn player can also be moved to trombone (the mouthpieces are the same) or tuba.

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i. Also known as a bass keyed bugle this instrument was the chief bass instrument in military bands

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up until around 1850 and can be seen in some European photos of such groups. It was so popular at one point that, some parts now assigned to the tuba (i.e.: Midsummer's Night Dream Overture) were originally written for and played by this instrument.

ii. This double-belled instrument was an early 20th century novelty that featured a second small bell section attached to an existing euphonium. This second bell was used for trombone like effects and was triggered by the use of an extra valve.

iii. See footnote (v) on the next page.

ò Yeah, But How Do You Play The Baritone Horn?

Last Update: 12/12/98 Web Author: Student 1128 (GWU) Copyright ©1998 by 12/11/98 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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