euphonium

euphonium, brass wind instrument with valves, pitched in C or B♭ an octave below the trumpet; it is the leading instrument in the tenor-bass range in military bands. It was invented in 1843 by Sommer of Weimar and derived from the valved bugle (flügelhorn) and cornet. It has a wide conical bore resembling that of the tuba and is held vertically with the bell upward (in the United States the bell is often positioned to face forward on the instrument). It normally carries a fourth valve in addition to the essential three, in order to take the compass continuously down to the fundamental pitches below the bass staff. (Without the fourth valve there would be a gap between the two lowest notes producible.) The total compass rises from the third B♭ below middle C to about the C above it. Its notation is generally in the bass clef at actual pitch in military bands and treble clef a ninth above the actual sound in brass bands. In duplex, or double, euphoniums, there is an alternative bell and a tubing that may be switched in by a valve to supply a lighter tone quality.

The euphonium is closely related to the tuba, which it resembles in shape and for which it often serves as a tenor. It also resembles the baritone, with which it is identical in range, although the euphonium’s wide bore gives it a different tone quality. Their similarities led to some confusion, and the two terms were often used interchangeably, especially in the United States. Later the two instruments were more frequently differentiated.