Instrument of the Week! The Euphonium!

The Euphonium is an instrument in the brass family. The appearance resembles a small tuba. It is often confused with the baritone. The baritone as a more cylindrical bore, while the Euphonium is more of a conical and wider bore. The Euphonium is a valved instrument like the tuba, trumpet, and baritone. It can have three or four valves. The professional model of the Euphonium is called a Compensating Euphonium most of which have a three plus one valve configuration to proper intonation in the lower range. Euphoniums are most often seen in military and brass bands, although they are now becoming popular solo and ensemble instruments. The name comes from the Greek word euphonos meaning sweet-voiced or of good sound. The instrument evolved from the serpent along with the tuba and other brass instruments. It seems to have been invited between 1838-1843 A.D. The British Compensating Euphonium was developed by David Blaikley in 1874. There are many models and styles of the Euphoniums I have included some pictures below. There are several famous euphonists today, among them are Steven Mead, Arthur W. Lehman, Brian Bowman, and Demondrae Thurman. Below the pictures are a couple of YouTube Videos to give you a feel for the instrument.