Re: Re: why Bb & Eb


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Posted by Klaus on March 30, 2002 at 04:57:02:

In Reply to: Re: why Bb & Eb posted by js on March 29, 2002 at 23:23:34:

A long (in more than one sense) shot:

When the pitch standard settled around the present a=440, the most common trombone, the tenor, landed on Bb for exactly one reason:

That was the pitch, where the average male arm could reach the 7 positions needed for full chromatism in the "cash" register.

Before that trombones had varying fundamentals. One article I read even hinted, that a trombone trio, that was considered being in D, A, and E (alto, tenor, bass), when it worked for its archbishop employer together with the organ in the cathetdral, changed assumed pitch when it crossed the town square to assist in the operahouse. There the very same instruments fitted in, when they were considered to be in Eb, Bb, and F (a quite free paraphrasing by me).

Why were the alto and the basso not an octave apart? Again the human anatomy is a factor. I own, and toy with, SATB trombones in Bb, Eb, Bb, and G.

The soprano is a freakish, temperamental, unreliable "tool" for music making. Certain chorales can be learned to be played in tune, but practising scales would drive me mad.

The altos are more reliable, but they are very sensitive to choice of mouthpiece, when it comes to intonation and to funny attack by-products. I have never tried one of the rare altos in F. But I have an idea, that the critical point between freakishness and reliability is positioned between F and Eb. (As an aside view: I am of an orangutang stature with long arms. I can pull the slide off the branches of Bb trombones while playing and put it back on while keeping the buzz. In 20 years with alto trombones, the alto trombone nightmare of pulling the slide off involuntarily only has happened twice. Fortunately in practising at home).

The Bb tenors and basses are pretty much standard, so I will discuss, why the old basses were in F. I never have had a chance to try an F with a handle, but I own an old Hawkes G with a handle. I am no way proficient on it, but I have learned, that the handle should not be too long. The accuracy will suffer, and the strain on the wrist will be far too hard. Pitches below F would not allow for any decent agility. Lower pitches have existed, but have been very rare.

About the standard alto pitch of Eb, there might be one more reason for that choice. When the stopping techniques of the natural horn developped, it was found that they worked best for horns in F, Eb, and D. It hardly was by accidence, that Mozart wrote 3 concertos in Eb and 1 in D.

The Bb and Eb system known in the brass band world comes from the Saxhorn family invented by Adolphe Sax. But Sax made 2 families of saxophones: the well-known one in Bb and Eb for band purposes. And the now almost extant one in C and F for orchestral purposes.

One more reason for the settling on Bb as the most common band pitch: the Bb trumpet is more reliable in intonation than is the C trumpet.

Klaus


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