Euphonium
previous
next
The Euphonium, or baritone, looks like a small tuba, in fact it is also called a tenor tuba. As this name suggests, it is a middlevoice, or tenor, brass instrument, which plays an important part in brass and military bands. Its flaring conical bore gives the euphonium a velvety sound, making it a favorite for solos.
| Family |
| Brasses |
| Pitch range |
| About two-and-a-half octaves. |
| Material |
| Brass. |
| Size |
| 24 in (60 cm) long ; total length of unwound tube is 9 ft (2.70 m). |
| Origins |
| A similar instrument to the euphonium appeared around 1830 in Germany as a baritone horn. In the early 1840s. Herr Sommer, a player from Weimar, developed the instrument, at first referring to it as the "euphonion." |
| Classification |
| Aerophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a column of air. |
| And also... |
| The name of the instrument is based on the Greek word "euphonos," which means "sweet-voiced." |
