Hi All, I'm currently making a (sortof) database of orchestral instruments (including symphonic band) and their siblings, and was hoping you could help me out.
I'm looking for any/all brass instruments, their keys and transposition (if transposition is at all relevant), and if you have any useful or interesting background information I'd love to hear that too!
Full Version: Calling All Brass
This is an enormous subject, so I'm giving you those that appear in the symphony orchestra. Wind and military bands have varied a good deal more in their choice of brass instruments.
Main orchestral families are
Horns: originally without valves and either built or crooked in all keys from Bb alto (c. 8 ft. long) to Ab basso (c. 17 ft.). Now in a variety of layouts. The main design since c. 1930 is the double horn in F and Bb, which has valves to give lengths from Bb alto to B basso. Players treat this as an F instrument. Others currently available include single F horns with three valves, single Bb horns with three, four and five valves, double horns in Bb and F alto, often with five valves, and triple horns (at least two substantially different layouts for these) in F, Bb and F alto. Since about 1880, a substantial fraction of French players have preferred to use instruments with a third valve that lifts the pitch by a tone instead of lowering it by a tone and a half, and a similar range of instruments to the above exists with this characteristic.
Associated with the horns are the Wagner tubas. These are more like saxhorns than tubas. They are three-valve instruments, built either in F or Bb, and played from appropriately transposed parts (with some confusion about octave transpositions). A set of four (two of each size) is used in Wagner's "Ring" and in Bruckner's 7th and 8th symphonies; Stravinsky asks two of his horn players to double on Bb Wagner tubas in "The Rite of Spring".
Trumpets: originally without valves and often built in the key of D (F and Eb also existed). Nowadays, trumpets in A, Bb, C and Eb and Bb basso normally have three valves. Shorter instruments, in D, Eb, F, A and Bb (the last two usually called piccolo trumpets) may have four valves.
Cornets: AFAIK, only cornets in A and Bb are scored in the symphony orchestra, mostly in French music, including that of Berlioz and Dukas, both of whom write parts of very different character from what they write for trumpet. There is also an Eb soprano cornet in most brass bands.
Trombones: derived from the sackbut, which had a narrower bore and a smaller bell than modern trombones, and was built in three main sizes, alto, tenor and bass. Pitches were not standardised and a soprano was added later. All these are notated in concert pitch, as are orchestral trombones. From about 1750 to 1850, the trombone section usually consisted of three instruments of different sizes, alto in D (occasionally Eb), tenor in Bb and bass in G. After 1850, and especially in France, some composers preferred two tenors and a bass and others three tenors. In most countries, all these instruments are equipped with a single slide, but in Italy an instruments with three valves was preferred. During the 19th C, in Germany, a double bass trombone in Bb was made with a double slide, and Italy had the cimbasso, a valve instrument of similar pitch. Since about 1950, these instruments have been largely superseded by two main designs: a tenor in Bb and F, with a thumb valve to extend the length, and a bass with two such valves, one giving F and the other E. The basic length (slide in first position, valves open) of both these instruments is the same, but the bore of the bass is larger, and it is optimised for the lower register.
Tubas: Bb tenor tuba is also known as euphonium. In the orchestra it usually plays from concert pitch parts, in brass bands usually from Bb treble clef (sounding a 9th lower), in wind bands either. Bass tubas are built in several pitches, F, Eb, C and Bb (the last an octave below the euphonium) being the usual ones. In the orchestra all these play from concert pitch parts. Bb bass parts in brass bands are notated in treble clef, sounding two octaves and a tone (a major 16th) lower. Three valves are the minimum, but four-valve models allow alternative fingerings for improved tuning, and allow the F and Eb models to cover the range of the three-valve instruments in C and Bb respectively.
Two other major brass families exist, but I don't have time to treat them in detail. Bugles are used in Britten's "Noe's Fludde". Saxhorns exist in a large range of sizes. One is used in one of Mahler's symphonies, IIRC, but nowadays their main use is in the brass band.
Main orchestral families are
Horns: originally without valves and either built or crooked in all keys from Bb alto (c. 8 ft. long) to Ab basso (c. 17 ft.). Now in a variety of layouts. The main design since c. 1930 is the double horn in F and Bb, which has valves to give lengths from Bb alto to B basso. Players treat this as an F instrument. Others currently available include single F horns with three valves, single Bb horns with three, four and five valves, double horns in Bb and F alto, often with five valves, and triple horns (at least two substantially different layouts for these) in F, Bb and F alto. Since about 1880, a substantial fraction of French players have preferred to use instruments with a third valve that lifts the pitch by a tone instead of lowering it by a tone and a half, and a similar range of instruments to the above exists with this characteristic.
Associated with the horns are the Wagner tubas. These are more like saxhorns than tubas. They are three-valve instruments, built either in F or Bb, and played from appropriately transposed parts (with some confusion about octave transpositions). A set of four (two of each size) is used in Wagner's "Ring" and in Bruckner's 7th and 8th symphonies; Stravinsky asks two of his horn players to double on Bb Wagner tubas in "The Rite of Spring".
Trumpets: originally without valves and often built in the key of D (F and Eb also existed). Nowadays, trumpets in A, Bb, C and Eb and Bb basso normally have three valves. Shorter instruments, in D, Eb, F, A and Bb (the last two usually called piccolo trumpets) may have four valves.
Cornets: AFAIK, only cornets in A and Bb are scored in the symphony orchestra, mostly in French music, including that of Berlioz and Dukas, both of whom write parts of very different character from what they write for trumpet. There is also an Eb soprano cornet in most brass bands.
Trombones: derived from the sackbut, which had a narrower bore and a smaller bell than modern trombones, and was built in three main sizes, alto, tenor and bass. Pitches were not standardised and a soprano was added later. All these are notated in concert pitch, as are orchestral trombones. From about 1750 to 1850, the trombone section usually consisted of three instruments of different sizes, alto in D (occasionally Eb), tenor in Bb and bass in G. After 1850, and especially in France, some composers preferred two tenors and a bass and others three tenors. In most countries, all these instruments are equipped with a single slide, but in Italy an instruments with three valves was preferred. During the 19th C, in Germany, a double bass trombone in Bb was made with a double slide, and Italy had the cimbasso, a valve instrument of similar pitch. Since about 1950, these instruments have been largely superseded by two main designs: a tenor in Bb and F, with a thumb valve to extend the length, and a bass with two such valves, one giving F and the other E. The basic length (slide in first position, valves open) of both these instruments is the same, but the bore of the bass is larger, and it is optimised for the lower register.
Tubas: Bb tenor tuba is also known as euphonium. In the orchestra it usually plays from concert pitch parts, in brass bands usually from Bb treble clef (sounding a 9th lower), in wind bands either. Bass tubas are built in several pitches, F, Eb, C and Bb (the last an octave below the euphonium) being the usual ones. In the orchestra all these play from concert pitch parts. Bb bass parts in brass bands are notated in treble clef, sounding two octaves and a tone (a major 16th) lower. Three valves are the minimum, but four-valve models allow alternative fingerings for improved tuning, and allow the F and Eb models to cover the range of the three-valve instruments in C and Bb respectively.
Two other major brass families exist, but I don't have time to treat them in detail. Bugles are used in Britten's "Noe's Fludde". Saxhorns exist in a large range of sizes. One is used in one of Mahler's symphonies, IIRC, but nowadays their main use is in the brass band.
QUOTE(kenm @ Oct 25 2005, 09:20 PM)
Trombones: derived from the sackbut, which had a narrower bore and a smaller bell than modern trombones, and was built in three main sizes, alto, tenor and bass. Pitches were not standardised and a soprano was added later. All these are notated in concert pitch, as are orchestral trombones. From about 1750 to 1850, the trombone section usually consisted of three instruments of different sizes, alto in D (occasionally Eb), tenor in Bb and bass in G. After 1850, and especially in France, some composers preferred two tenors and a bass and others three tenors. In most countries, all these instruments are equipped with a single slide, but in Italy an instruments with three valves was preferred. During the 19th C, in Germany, a double bass trombone in Bb was made with a double slide, and Italy had the cimbasso, a valve instrument of similar pitch. Since about 1950, these instruments have been largely superseded by two main designs: a tenor in Bb and F, with a thumb valve to extend the length, and a bass with two such valves, one giving F and the other E. The basic length (slide in first position, valves open) of both these instruments is the same, but the bore of the bass is larger, and it is optimised for the lower register.
Ooh if only you'd posted that a year ago, I could have borrowed bits of that for my presentation on the trombone!
QUOTE(Alibonebone! @ Oct 26 2005, 10:29 AM)
QUOTE(kenm @ Oct 25 2005, 09:20 PM)
Trombones: [...]
Ooh if only you'd posted that a year ago, I could have borrowed bits of that for my presentation on the trombone!
You didn't ask, but that is just as well, because:
1) I had only just become a forum member, so you didn't know whether I was any use;
2) You really ought to get your information out of books and learned publications in which papers are refereed. Then you can can give references that the reader can check for himself, rather than "A N Other, private communication", which is much less convincing.
QUOTE(kenm @ Oct 26 2005, 09:39 PM)
You didn't ask, but that is just as well, because:
1) I had only just become a forum member, so you didn't know whether I was any use;
2) You really ought to get your information out of books and learned publications in which papers are refereed. Then you can can give references that the reader can check for himself, rather than "A N Other, private communication", which is much less convincing.
I was only joking
QUOTE(Alibonebone! @ Oct 27 2005, 08:20 AM)
I was only joking
On the internet, no body language, no tone of voice -> my legs come off
Tis but a flesh wound 
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