Tenor Horn

Tenor horn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Known in the US as alto horn, in Germany as althorn, and in the UK as tenor horn, this brass instrument pitched in Eb has a conical bore (gradually widening), and normally uses a deep, cornet-like mouthpiece. It is most commonly used in marching bands, brass bands and similar ensembles, whereas the French horn tends to take the corresponding parts in symphonic groupings and classical brass ensembles. In the US and Germany the name tenor horn is identical with baritone horn.

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1 Description
2 Playing technique
3 Naming Issues
4 History

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Description

The tenor horn has a conical bore like the orchestral (french) horn and uses deep funnel or cup shaped mouthpieces depending on the model. It is used in British Brass bands and is very rarely included in the orchestra where its place is taken by the orchestral horn. The conical bore and deep mouthpiece produces a mellow, rounded tone which is most often used as a middle voice, supporting the melodies by the trumpets, cornets or flugelhorns, and fills in the gap above the lower tenor and bass intruments (the trombone, baritone horn, euphonium and Tuba). Solos for the Tenor Horn are very occasional, and are usually taken by the solo horns. Most Tenor Horns are pitched in Eb and are transposing instruments. Their typical range is from the A below middle C to the Eb above the C above middle C.The standard bell-up horn comes in two basic shapes. One with the beginning of the bell looping over the top of the valves and the other looping below the valves.

, or , and fills in the gap above the lower tenor and bass intruments (the , , and ). Solos for the Tenor Horn are very occasional, and are usually taken by the solo horns. Most Tenor Horns are pitched in Eb and are transposing instruments. Their typical range is from the A below middle C to the Eb above the C above middle C.The standard bell-up horn comes in two basic shapes. One with the beginning of the bell looping over the top of the valves and the other looping below the valves.

Playing technique

Tenor horns are very free-blowing instruments and intermediate players should be able to reach the high register (from the F above middle C onwards). Its beautiful mellow tone is most evident in this register and the notes at the bottom of its range sound less mellow.

There are many bad habits a player can develop while learning a Tenor Horn. 1)Do not press the mouthpiece onto your lips firmly. Although it may help reaching the high register, it will hamper future development. 2)Never puff your cheeks out. By doing this, you are forcing the air out using your cheek muscles and this will cause a bad sound. Always use your diaphragm muscles to control the air stream. 3)Always breathe through your mouth, and not through your nose. Breathing through your mouth will help to take in more air deeper into your lungs. 4)Always sit up straight. Slouching will cramp up your lungs, making breathing technique harder. It also looks very unsightly!

To produce a tone a player buzzes his lips by tightening them and gently forcing air out. The mouthpiece should be pressed gently against the lips and the rim of the mouthpiece is used to sustain the correct embouchure.

To reach higher notes, the lips are tightened further and the player should blow the air at a faster speed. Without using the valves, the player can play Eb, Bb, Eb, G, Bb, C# and double high Eb (concert pitch) in ascending order. These notes are part of the horn's harmonic series.

, the player can play Eb, Bb, Eb, G, Bb, C# and double high Eb (concert pitch) in ascending order. These notes are part of the horn's harmonic series.

The three valves lower the notes by 2 semitones, 1 semitone and 3 semitones respectively. By using a certain combination of these valves, all the notes in the chromatic series can be played; for example:

 To play a D#(as on the Tenor Horn)

Since the valves only lower the note, the closest harmonic note above D# is used, in this case a G (Bb in concert pitch). From G to D# is 2 tones or 4 semitones, the pitch to be lowered by. Therefore the valve fingering is 2-3 (which means the 2nd and 3rd valves are depressed) because 3 semitones (the 3rd valve) + 1 semitone (the 2nd valve) = 4 semitones (the pitch difference between D# and G).

Naming Issues

There has never been an issue in the history of music that served to confuse as many people as did the naming issues of the Tenor Horn, Baritone Horn and the Euphonium.

When this instrument was first used in the UK, it was called a Tenor Horn instead of an alto as advertised in Sax's catalogue, because the cornet was concidered an alto instrument in the UK when it was called a soprano in the US. In the US, the terms 'baritone' and 'tenor horn' were used similarly to the way Adolphe Sax called them.

However in the UK, because of the different names for the same voice range, Adolphe's 'Eb Alto Horn' was called a 'Tenor Horn', his small-bore 'Bb Tenor Horn' was called a 'Baritone Horn' and the original 'EEb Baritone Horn' became obsolete. At the same time in the US, there was already a large-bore Bb instrument called a 'Baritone Horn'.

Worse still, people began to use the term 'Baritone horn' on the Euphonium when it was a completely different instrument with a very large-bore related to the Tuba. The appearance of the UK Tenor Horn looked just the same as the small-bore UK Baritone Horn or US Tenor Horn, and their names began to muddle up even further.

And yet, in other countries, there are yet more names for the Teno(Alto) Horn; for example, 'Althorn' in Germany and even 'Eb Horn'. But just remember that the Tenor(Alto) is pitched in Eb, unlike the Baritone(Tenor) Horn, which is pitched in Bb. Also, of the three Bb instruments mentioned above, the UK Baritone Horn has the smallest bore, followed by the US Baritone horn, and the Euphonium has the largest Tuba-like bore of the three. (from 'Al's Tenor Horn Page')

History

It was invented as a tenor (or alto in the US) voice in the saxhorn family invented in the mid-1800s by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian who is best remembered for the saxophone. It has been made in various forms: most common is a sort of mini-tuba shape, with the bell pointing upward, which may help the voice blend before reaching the audience; the solo horn looks like (and indeed effectively is) an enlarged flugelhorn, with the bell pointing forward, projecting more toward the audience; another variant has the bell facing backward (for military marching bands that preceded the soldiers, thus helping them hear better and keep better time in marching). Of these types only the standard upright instrument is seen in UK brass bands and remains the most common configuration seen.

by , a who is best remembered for the . It has been made in various forms: most common is a sort of mini- shape, with the bell pointing upward, which may help the voice blend before reaching the audience; the solo horn looks like (and indeed effectively ) an enlarged flugelhorn, with the bell pointing forward, projecting more toward the audience; another variant has the bell facing backward (for military that preceded the soldiers, thus helping them hear better and keep better time in marching). Of these types only the standard upright instrument is seen in UK brass bands and remains the most common configuration seen.by , a who is best remembered for the . It has been made in various forms: most common is a sort of mini- shape, with the bell pointing upward, which may help the voice blend before reaching the audience; the solo horn looks like (and indeed effectively ) an enlarged flugelhorn, with the bell pointing forward, projecting more toward the audience; another variant has the bell facing backward (for military that preceded the soldiers, thus helping them hear better and keep better time in marching). Of these types only the standard upright instrument is seen in UK brass bands and remains the most common configuration seen.

Other saxhorns include the Baritone horn (tenor in US, baritone in UK).