Baritone horn

The baritone horn, or often simply the baritone, is a valved brass instrument pitched in B♭ in the saxhorn family, employed chiefly in brass, military and concert bands.^[2] It has three or sometimes four valves, usually piston valves, although instruments with rotary valves are common in Eastern and Central Europe. The bore is moderately conical, like the E♭ tenor horn and cornet, although narrower than the closely related euphonium and other valved bugles, like the flugelhorn and tuba. It uses a wide-rimmed cup mouthpiece of similar dimensions to trombone and euphonium mouthpieces. Like the trombone and the euphonium, the baritone can be considered either a transposing instrument reading B♭ treble clef, or a non-transposing instrument in bass clef.

Baritone horn

Brass instrument
Other names	German: Tenorhorn; Italian: flicorno tenore, tenore; French: saxhorn baryton
Classification	Wind, brass, aerophone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	423.232 (Valved aerophone sounded by lip vibration)
Playing range
Baritone horn in B♭ tessitura is E2 to B♭4. In treble clef band music, sounds a major ninth lower than written. Can reach higher, and lower to C1 with a fourth valve.[1]
Related instruments
Euphonium Saxhorn Tenor horn Wagner tuba
Builders
List of euphonium, baritone horn and tenor horn manufacturers

In British brass bands, the standard instrumentation includes parts for two baritones, in addition to two euphoniums. In US concert band music there is often a part marked baritone, but these parts are most commonly intended for, and played on, the euphonium. A baritone can also play music written for a trombone due to similarities in timbre and range.

Name

The baritone horn is one of several valved brass instruments pitched in 9-foot (9′) B♭ developed in the 19th century. The euphonium, although similar, has a wider conical bore and larger bell that places it closer to the tuba. As with the cornet and flugelhorn, the two instruments are easily doubled by one player, with some adjustment of breath and embouchure, since they have essentially identical range and fingering.^[3]

Names in other languages include the French saxhorn baryton, from which the modern British brass band instrument was derived, and in Italian, flicorno tenore; flicorno baritono and flicorno basso refer to the euphonium (the basso always having a fourth valve).^[4] In Germany, the baritone usually has an oval shape and rotary valves, and is called the Tenorhorn (while the smaller E♭ tenor horn is called the Althorn), and Baryton or Baritonhorn refer to a similar instrument but with the euphonium's larger bore and bell size.^[5] This may have contributed to the American tendency to confuse the baritone and euphonium, due to the influx of German musicians and instrument makers to the United States in the 19th century.^[6]

Baritone and euphonium instruments in the 1894 Lyon & Healy catalog

The 1894 Lyon & Healy catalog depicts instruments called the B♭ tenor, B♭ baritone, and B♭ bass (with only one "B"), with the same pitch and overall three-valve construction and differing only in bore and bell widths.^[7]

The American baritone with three piston valves on the front, a narrower conical bore, and a curved forward-pointing bell, was dominant in American school marching bands throughout most of the 20th century. This instrument, along with the euphonium and similar-looking cylindrical bore instruments like the trombonium, were almost universally lumped together and labelled baritone by both band directors and composers.^[8] Band scores and manufacturers have sometimes treated them as the same instrument, or used the word baritone to refer to the euphonium, thus contributing to the confusion of terminology in the United States.^[9][10]

Construction

The baritone horn, like the euphonium, is pitched in 9-foot (9′) B♭ an octave below the trumpet or cornet. When no valves are in use, the instrument will produce partials of the B♭ harmonic series which result from the vibrating air column within its 9 feet (2.7 metres) of tubing.

Like the euphonium, the baritone has a predominantly conical bore, but it is narrower, with less expansion of the bell flare and a consequently smaller bell diameter. These characteristics favour higher frequency overtones in the sound, rendering a brighter, more trombone-like timbre than the euphonium.

As with other valved brass instruments, the valves each add lengths of tubing to lower the pitch of the instrument and produce a fully chromatic scale and range. Baritones commonly have three top-action piston valves, operated with the first three fingers of the right hand. Some have a fourth valve, generally found midway down the right side of the instrument, and played with the index or middle finger of the left hand. On premium models, the fourth valve is a compensating valve which resolves intonation issues below E₂. Some intermediate or "student" models may have a non-compensating fourth top-action valve placed next to the other three, played with the fourth finger of the right hand. European instruments tend to have an oval shape, and three or four non-compensating rotary valves operated together by the right hand.

Some British-style three-valve baritones are made with a compensating third valve. These route the tubing of the third valve back through the first two, which add small correcting lengths of tubing to correct the intonation of the lower notes, e.g. C₃ and B₂. This three-valve compensating configuration is also found on older American instruments.

Performance

The baritone is part of the tenor section of a band, and it can be used to play parts written for the similarly pitched tenor trombone or euphonium.

Range

On the baritone, the second partial with no valves actuated is B♭₂ on the second line of the bass clef. The eighth partial with no valves is concert B♭₄ in the middle of the treble clef. Virtuosi can reach certain pedal tones below the E₂ second partial with all three valves actuated, which is the nominal lowest note on the instrument. Higher notes are possible above B♭₄ since the upper range is limited only by the fitness of the players' embouchure, although notes above the bell cutoff frequency, around the tenth partial (D₅), are difficult to centre and continuous glissandi are possible, making valve fingering largely redundant.^[11]

Range of a three-valve baritone horn

The lowest notes obtainable depend on the valve set-up of the instrument. All three-valve instruments are chromatic down to E₂, and four-valved instruments extend that down to at least C₂. Non-compensating four-valved instruments suffer from intonation problems in this range and cannot produce low B₁. These problems are solved with the modern compensating fourth valve. From B♭₁ down lies the pedal range, the fundamentals of the instrument's harmonic series. They are more difficult to produce on the baritone than the euphonium, due to its narrower bore. The extent of the lower end of the pedal range depends on the player's emouchure fitness, and the presence of a fourth valve.^[12]

Notation

In British brass bands, all instruments except the bass trombone are transposing instruments using the treble clef notation popularized in France by instrument maker Adolphe Sax for his families of instruments.^[13] This system allows band players to easily learn and switch between instruments, since the valve fingering is the same on all of the instruments.^[14] Baritone fingering matches that of the B♭ trumpet or cornet when reading treble clef, sounding an octave lower. Thus, the baritone horn, along with the tenor trombone and euphonium, are notated as B♭ instruments in treble clef sounding a major ninth lower than written, like the tenor saxophone and bass clarinet.^[5]

Baritone notation: the same notes in transposing treble clef a ninth above pitch, and in concert pitch in bass clef

In concert bands and orchestras, the baritone is written at concert pitch in the bass clef, treating it as a non-transposing instrument like the orchestral trombone, with high passages often written in tenor clef.

Concert band music often provides the baritone parts in both bass and B♭ treble clef, to accommodate players from either background, although professional players are usually familiar with either notation.^[15] In continental European band music, parts for the baritone or euphonium may also be written in transposing bass clef in B♭, sounding a major second lower than written.

History

See also: Euphonium § History

The baritone was derived from the baritone saxhorn, a lower voice in the family of instruments developed by Adolphe Sax, who is also known for creating the saxophone family. There were a collection of difference brass instruments that developed from this, such as the flugelhorn and alto/tenor horn, both similarly conically shaped instruments.

By the 1850s, Sax had convinced French military bands to use exclusively saxhorns in their bands, giving the instruments one of its first staples in the military field.^[16]

Brass band and Military Traditions

In a British brass band, the baritone is typically a member of the tenor section, alongside alto/tenor horns, some trombones, and sometimes the euphoniums.

At the start of the Civil War, there were few military bands. The few that did exist included the US Marine Band, The US Military Academy Band, several Regular Army regimental bands, and bands associated with state militias. The War Department General Order no. 48 issued on 31 July 1861 entitled 2 field musicians (buglers or fifes and drummers) per company of soldiers and a band of 16-24 musicians for each regiment. In these groups, saxhorns were played as a versatile brass voice, with the baritone finding it's development here. An over-the-shoulder variety of the instrument was used quite frequently, as the backward-pointing bell of the instrument allowed troops marching behind the band to hear the music.^[17]

Drum and Bugle Corps

Drum Corps International (DCI) is the governing body for competitive junior drum and bugle corps in North America, showcasing elite marching ensembles made up of performers aged 13 to 21. Known as "Marching Music’s Major League," DCI hosts nationwide competitions culminating in the annual World Championships.^[18]

Sgt. David Cox, U.S. Marine Drum & Bugle Corps baritone player

There are typically five brass instruments: the trumpet (soprano voice), the mellophone (alto voice), the baritone (tenor/baritone voice), the euphonium (baritone voice), and the contrabass (bass voice). The baritone within these ensembles is often known as the marching baritone, used in both college and high school marching bands. They have three valves and a front-facing bell and are pitched in the key of Bb, similarly to the baritone.

These horns originally started as a lower-voiced bugle. Eventually they started adding valves to the bugles, which were only allowed to be in the key of G. First came a single horizontal piston, then 1 piston and 1 rotor, 2 pistons, and finally 3 pistons.^[19] In current day, there is a combination of different corps which use either the marching euphonium, marching baritone, or both, typically having around 24 members in the section. `

Differences between the Baritone and Euphonium

Although both baritone and euphonium produce partials of the B♭ harmonic series in the same range, and both have a nine-foot-long main tube, the baritone tends to have a smaller and more cylindrical bore than the euphonium which is more conical. The baritone usually has a tighter wrap and a smaller bell, and is thus smaller and lighter overall, and produces a "lighter" and more direct sound versus the more solid, round timbre of the euphonium.^[2][20]

There is a common misconception that the three-valved instrument is a baritone and that the four-valved instrument is a euphonium. Euphoniums often have a fourth valve as an alternate fingering for 1 & 3 split fingering with improved intonation. The fourth valve can also be viewed in the same way as an F trigger on trombone, re-pitching the instrument to expand the lower range. A fourth valve is less common on baritones, but absence of a fourth valve is not a defining characteristic.^[21]

An "American baritone", featuring three valves on the front of the instrument and a curved forward-pointing bell, was common in American school bands throughout most of the twentieth century. While this instrument is in reality a conical-cylindrical bore hybrid, neither truly euphonium nor baritone, it was almost universally labeled a "baritone" by both band directors and composers.^[21]

Notable Repertoire and Artists

Repertoire

The baritone is highly applauded in its soloistic tendencies, with many brass band compositions using the solo baritone (or the first chair for American counterparts) as a solo voice. Its rich, lyrical tone bridges the gap between the trombone and euphonium, offering warmth, agility, and expressiveness ideal for melodic lines. Below are notable performances of key repertoire works for the instrument.

• The Holy Well - Peter Graham^[22]
• The Swan (Il Cigno) - Camille Saint-Saëns^[23]
• Donegal Bay - Paul Lovatt-Cooper^[24]
• Rhapsody for B♭ Baritone - Philip Sparke^[25]

Artists

Notable artists who are today referenced as great baritone players include and

• Katrina Marzella has been hailed as the leading baritone horn player of her generation. Her musical development owes much to the rich brass band heritage she encountered growing up in West Lothian, Scotland. Katrina now lives in Manchester and has played with many of the UK's most accomplished bands. She currently plays solo baritone with Black Dyke Band.^[26]
• Helen Harrelson is a British baritone horn soloist, educator, and brass band advocate based in the United States. She has performed with top brass bands like the Black Dyke Band and Fountain City Brass Band (of which she currently plays solo baritone with), and has earned numerous national titles as both a soloist and ensemble performer. A dedicated music educator and founder of the Fountain City Youth Brass Academy, she continues to promote brass band music through teaching, performance, and research.^[27]
• Robert Richardson is a distinguished baritone and euphonium player originally from Lenzie, near Glasgow, Scotland. He began his musical journey on piano and cornet at age 10, later transitioning to low brass. Richardson held principal positions in the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland and has performed extensively with the Brass Band of Columbus.^[28] He has also published some of the primary scholarly sources regarding baritone repertoire.
• Mike Cavanagh (B. 1994) is from Stockport and began playing the Baritone at the age of 8. He is currently Principal Baritone of the world-famous Black Dyke Band, and the professor of baritone horn at the Royal Northern College of Music.^[29]
• Simone Mantia was an American baritone horn/euphonium virtuoso and also trombone artist at the turn of the twentieth century. He was both a performer and administrator with many American band and orchestral ensembles.
• Leonard Falcone was a virtuoso of the instrument, and one of the first so. The Leonard Falcone International Tuba and Euphonium Festival is a notable venue for aspiring artists on euphonium, but its namesake played baritone on his many recordings.^[30] He had also published a rather fiery NAfME article advocating for the soloistic voice of the baritone, stating "anyone well acquainted with the instrument cannot deny that the baritone is one of the most, if not the most, expressive of the brass instruments."^[31]

Trumpeter Maynard Ferguson used a baritone in the song "Gospel John"^[32] and in one of his three solos (the other two involving a valved trombone and a trumpet) in a live performance of his song "Great Guns".^[33] The instrument used in "Great Guns" may have been a euphonium, but with the American naming system, it has been classified as a baritone through this article.

Japanese free-improvisation trumpeter Toshinori Kondo has played baritone on some dates and recordings (e.g., Jazz Bunker), as has saxophonist Ralph Carney (e.g., Night on Earth).