Posted by Rick Denney on October 17, 2003 at 11:39:30:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Learn Baritone? Or not? posted by uhhhh? on October 17, 2003 at 07:13:35:
I going to challenge Leland and bit and claim that the difference between what we call a euphonium and what we call a baritone is not much. They are no more different from each other than a King BBb tuba is from a Miraphone BBb tuba.
As used in America, the term "baritone" or "baritone horn" comes from the same era that called tubas "basses" or "bass horns". That was a few decades ago and more, and the baritone instruments used in that day tended to have smaller bores and a little different shape than they do today. I have a Reynolds baritone made in 1937 with a .56" bore, that looks much like a Yamaha 321 euphonium of today. The bell is a half-inch smaller, the wrap is a bit different, and the bore slightly smaller. Again, these differences are minor compared to routine differences between one contrabass tuba and the next.
Note that we are NOT talking about "English baritones." Those instruments are conical equivalents of tenor trombones, while euphoniums and American-style baritones are conical equivalents of bass trombones. English baritones are used in British Brass Bands, but you won't find them in any other usage in the U.S. Any instrument called a baritone by a school in a America is just an euphonium from the days before they were called euphoniums.
The picture is my 1937 Reynolds. Is it a baritone or a euphonium? Would the answer be different if the valves poked out the front and the bell curved forward?
Rick "thinking euphonium species are too narrowly defined" Denney