Brass · Tuba family
Euphonium
A tenor tuba in B♭ with a wide conical bore and a warm, singing tone. A star of wind and brass bands and an occasional guest in the orchestra.
- Section
- Brass
- Family
- Tuba family
- Classification
- Aerophone · lip-vibrated
- Transposition
- None (concert pitch)
- Clefs
- Bass (orchestra); treble in B♭ in brass bands
- Sounding range
- B♭1 – B♭4
Parts of the euphonium
Photo: Yamaha Corporation, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Labels added by Musicians Tools.
Range
C1C2C3C4C5C6C7C8
Soloists play well above B♭4; a fourth valve extends the low register. Playback uses a neutral tone, not the instrument's own sound.
Writing for the euphonium
- In the orchestra it is written in bass clef at concert pitch; in brass bands in treble clef a major 9th higher.
- Lyrical and agile, excellent for long melodies in the tenor range.
- A fourth valve, often compensating, extends the low range and improves intonation.
- In the orchestra it usually plays parts marked “tenor tuba”.
History
The euphonium developed in Germany and Austria in the 1840s as a tenor tuba. It became central to military and brass bands; orchestral examples include Holst's The Planets and Strauss's Don Quixote.
Listen
Key works featuring the euphonium. Each link opens a YouTube search, so you can pick the recording you like.
- Holst – The Planets, Mars
- R. Strauss – Don Quixote
- Mussorgsky/Ravel – Pictures at an Exhibition, Bydło
Useful tools
Tuba family
Also in the family (pages coming):Contrabass tubaBaritone horn
Ancestors:Ophicleide