[轉貼]You Play a What?

[KevinLan (Posaunenblaeser)]

          這是沿著 Trombone FAQ 裡面 refer 的網站所抓來的...
          就是那個問 Baritone 跟 Euphonium 差在哪的那篇...
          這裡則有完整的一篇文章來說明...

          呃...
          我最近好像 copy/paste 上癮了....:QQ


--
You Play a What?

By Brian Bowman

[e-mail]

(Editor's  note: I  am  electronically  republishing  this  article,  which  I
received a few years ago from a workshop presented  by Dr.  Bowman at the 1991
Western International Band Clinic. Dr. Bowman is currently teaching at Duqesne
University, and can be reached via e-mail at [e-mail]. Thanks to
Dr. Bowman for graciously allowing his article to be reprinted here.

(This article was scanned in with optical character recognition  software, and
then edited by a human (me).  Please forgive any typos, or other errors in the
text.  Computers  can sure come up with some funny words  sometimes...  (James
"Eric" Tilton, [e-mail], 3/27/94)

The most frequently  asked question of a musician  is "What instrument  do you
play?" When I explain that I play the euphonium, the incredulous reply is "You
play  a what?" While  the  name  "euphonium"  is  not  familiar  to many, this
instrument  with its beautiful  rich tone is the chief  tenor  soloist  in the
military and concert band.

The history of the euphonium begins in the early 18th century when many string
instruments  had reached  some state  of perfection  but most wind instruments
were  still  in their  infancy.  A fore-runner  of the  euphonium  family, the
serpent, was used in military bands as a marching bass during this period. The
serpent  derived  its name from its snake-like  appearance  and was originally
used to support the bass part in church choirs.  This ungainly instrument  was
constructed  of  wood,  brass, or  silver.  It  was  played  with  a  deep-cup
mouthpiece  made of bone or ivory and had six finger holes.  Later models were
more elaborate  and had several keys.  Qualifications  for playing the serpent
were good musicianship  and an excellent  sense  of pitch as intonation  was a
serious problem.  The addition of extra keys in the 19th century probably  led
to a deterioration  of playing because  performers  falsely assumed that these
keys  cured  intonation  problems.  As  a  result  of  this  deterioration  in
performance  the serpent  began receiving  much criticism  from musicians  and
composers. Notably the musicologist Burney compared the serpent's tone quality
in incompetent hands to that of a "great hungry or rather angry Essex calf."

In 1821 Halary, a French  instrument  maker patented  a group  of keyed bugles
including  a bass  member  called  the  ophicleide.  It  appeared  much  as  a
combination  of the modern bassoon and baritone saxophone, and was played with
a deep cup mouthpieces. The use of keys to cover tone holes allowed instrument
makers  to design instruments  with better intonation  and more power than the
serpent.  As with the serpent, the performer had to have an excellent  ear and
flexible  lips to play in tune.  The ophicleide  was made in several  keys and
sizes and was used in the l9th century orchestra  as well as in military bands
of the time.  Although  the instrument  had  virtually  disappeared  from  the
military  bands  by the turn of the century, the instrument  was still sold in
France in 1922.

During the second and third decades of the 19th century valve mechanisms  were
developed  which revolutionized  instrument  design and manufacture.  In 1842,
Adolph Sax established a wind instrument factory in Paris where he gained high
regard  as  an inventor  and  designer  of wind  instruments.  He developed  a
complete  family of valved  brass instruments  from soprano  to bass which are
direct  antecedents  of many brass instruments  used today.  These instruments
were developed  mainly for use in the military  band and revolutionized  these
units  by their  use developing  into  the famous  brass  bands  of the United
Kingdom today.

As these new instruments  became available, composers  began writing for them.
In Germany  Wagner established  the tuba group by scoring  the "Ring"  for two
tenor  tubas, two bass tubas, and one contrabass  tuba.  The tenor tuba became
popular with other composers (Strauss, Holst, and Ravel).  This tenor tuba was
essentially the same tenor voiced instrument as the tenor saxhorn developed in
the military band.

A problem in nomenclature  appeared  as different  variations  of tenor voiced
instruments were developed.  The tenor horn in England was the same instrument
as the althorn in Germany and the alto (mi flat) of France.  The tenor horn in
Germany became the baritone in England and the baryton in France.  The Baryton
in Germany became the euphonium  in England and the basse (si flat) in France.
Although slight variations in construction  were present all these instruments
had approximately the same pitch and range.  Because of our military tradition
(English) we use the terms baritone and euphonium  to describe the instruments
of today.

Meredith Wilson brought the euphonium second-hand  fame in the title song from
his "Music Man." The double-belled instrument mentioned here does exist. Early
in the 20th century this novelty was obtained by the addition  of a small bell
section  to the main euphonium.  This small bell section was used for trombone
like effects and was triggered by the use of an extra valve.

One of the most frequent questions among students and band directors  is "What
is the difference  between  the baritone  horn and the euphonium?" In England,
brass  bands  and military  bands  have  used two different  instruments.  The
baritone horn is the smaller of the two and is pitched in Bb. Although similar
in appearance to the euphonium, the baritone has a smaller bore and a brighter
lighter tone quality.  The euphonium is a larger bore instrument  possessing a
more powerful and richer tone quality.  American instrument manufacturers have
endeavored to combine the best qualities of the two instruments and the result
is the baritone  horn in general use in school bands today.  These instruments
are satisfactory  for many occasions but lack the fullness and richness of the
larger bore euphonium.

Many times  audiences  have been misled  by the program  listing  of "baritone
soloist," confusing  the instrument  with the baritone  voice.  To avoid  this
confusion, the soloist  should  be listed  as "euphonium  soloist."  Today  in
America  the terms  baritone  horn and euphonium  have become  interchangeable
regardless of the instrument used.

The addition of a 4th valve to the euphonium is very desirable  as it not only
expands the range of the instrument, but can be used to improve intonation and
facilitate certain technical passages.  This 4th valve, when depressed, lowers
the fundamental pitch from Bb to F. By using the 4th valve in conjunction with
the other 3 valves, low notes below the bass clef can be played  with ease and
intonation in both the lower and upper registers may be corrected.

The  word   euphonium   Is  derived   from   the  Greek   "euphonia"   meaning
"well-sounding,"  and  true  to  its  name, the  outstanding  quality  of  the
euphonium  is its deep, rich tone quality.  Too often the younger  player will
overlook  the tone aspect  of playing  while striving  for a flashy  technical
performance.  Care should be taken to develop the proper embouchure and breath
support to sustain a deep, rich, lush, smooth tone quality.  Hand in hand with
the development  of a beautiful  sound is the training  of the ear and lips to
overcome natural intonation deficiencies. The technical aspects of performance
should  be diligently  worked  out along  with the tonal  aspects  so that the
soloist  may perform  with ease the most demanding  technical  solo or passage
while maintaining  the rich quality  of the more melodic  parts.  Far too many
players  devote  themselves  to one phase  or the other  while  what is really
needed is the well-rounded musician who is capable of performing all styles of
music.

In order  to enhance  the  tone  quality, vibrato  is used  in most  euphonium
playing.  Several  methods  of  producing  the  vibrato  are  used,  including
diaphramic, throat and jaw vibrato, each named for the portion of anatomy used
to produce it. The author prefers the jaw vibrato as it is usually a smoother,
more controlled  vibrato  and also helps  keep the embouchure  from being  too
tight  in younger  players.  Speed  and depth  of vibrato, subject  to certain
general guidelines, must be observed.  Fine recordings  are available not only
of euphonium soloists, but of fine string soloists as well as vocalists. These
recordings  will  help the student  hear the different  speeds  and styles  of
vibrato.  Different  periods  and styles of music dictate  different  types or
speeds and depths of vibrato.  A dramatic, fiery declamation  would indicate a
faster, narrower  vibrato than a slow lyrical  passage or a blues section.  In
some  types  of music, no vibrato  is desirable.  An average  speed  would  be
between 5 and 7 beats per second for a normal vibrato. Care should be taken to
avoid the overdone, wide vibrato that distorts the tone. The vibrato should at
all times enhance the musical effect and beautify the tone quality.

The euphonium in band literature has long been compared to its counterpart  In
the  orchestra,  the  cello.  As  most  early  band  literature  consisted  of
orchestral  transcriptions, the  comparison  was  quite  appropriate.  As  the
concert band gained popularity, the euphonium soon became recognized as a solo
instrument  of great  expression  and a full  rich  tone.  Simone  Mantia, the
euphonium  soloist with Sousa's band, became well known as did other soloists,
including Arthur Pryor, trombone and Herbert L. Clarke, cornet.  These men not
only performed on their instruments, thrilling  audiences  all over the world,
but composed and arranged solos for themselves.  These solos usually contained
a theme or popular song of the day with technical and melodic variations.

For the first part of this century, these audience-pleaser type solos were the
only original euphonium literature  available.  The serious euphonium  student
was forced to borrow  literature  from other wind and string  instruments  and
even vocal literature.  This transcribed  literature  offered a full range and
variety  of musical  style  to help develop  the euphonium  player  in various
styles and periods of music.

In  the  past  few  decades  several  composers  have  been  writing  original
literature for the euphonium.  French publications  have been imported written
for  the  French  counterpart  of the  euphonium, the  saxhorn.  Composers  in
colleges  and universities  have taken an interest in composing  new music for
this medium. It is the author's hope that this spark of interest will continue
and grow. With this new interest, a new field of performance may be opening up
to the accomplished  and well-schooled  euphonium player...  that of a concert
recitalist.

So when people ask ''What do you play?" perhaps  the best answer  is "I play a
brass  instrument  which  has  a rich, deep  tone  quality, one  which  has an
important role in band music, and has an uncharted  potential as a recital and
concert instrument. I play the euphonium."


Last modified: 3/27/94

James "Eric" Tilton, Dilletante Euphonist, [e-mail]

--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.m8.ntu.edu.tw)
◆ From: fourier.math.nt