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.
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