Why not brass quartet?

[stevel]

Originally Posted by Gryvix

You are forgetting the Flügelhorn,

Nahh, we didn't forget it - no one actually plays it! Ok, I take that back, Chuck Mangione did at some point. He's like the Zamfir of the Flugelhorn!!!!

Seriously though - correct me if I'm wrong (and I probably am) - I thought the Flugelhorn was a sort of replacement for Horn? I have this impression from high school when, in marching band, the cats who played horn could not march with that thing, so they played Flugel instead. My understanding was that the mouthpiece and valving were the same so it was easy for them to transfer.

But even now, I rarely encounter it - we have a Wind Ensemble (in which I played many years ago) and I never see Flugels at all. Baris, Euph. - among the "common" instruments - including cornets, but no Flugels -

are they more common in Europe or something? Enlighten me fellas.

Thanks,
Steve

[Boneman]

Originally Posted by stevel

What do you think about the following cobinations Boneman - problems, concerns, practicality, etc.:

2 Tr, 2 Hn
2 Hn, 2 bone
2 Hn, 2 Tuba
1 Tr, 1, Hn, 1 Bone, 1 Tuba

2 Tr, 1 bone, 1 Tuba
2 tr 1 Horn, 1 Tuba

2Tr 2Hn-This one is okay for music that has a light texture

2Hn 2 bone- Another good one for a majestic sort of sound

2Hn 2 Tuba-Interesting but the tone difference is to large to make it really work

1Tr,1Hn,1Tbn,1Tuba-Too much middle and bottom, not enough top

The next two examples might work okay

[Thorolf]

Two notes:
The Flügelhorn is probably more common in Europe than in the US of A. It’s main function in Norway, is to give trumpet players a fuller solo instrument for lyrical pieces in the lower registers. Note that the top register of the Flügelhorn doesn’t sound very interresting, but conversely, the sound is smooth and nice to the very bottom of the register, as opposed to trumpet, which dries up in the bottom.

As for familiarity, it’s the top instrument of the horn/euphonium/tuba family, the widest bore variety, but has nothing to do with waldhorn/french horn, either mouthpiece-wize, bore, fingering charts, or core sound type. It should be noted that all the brass band instruments, trumpets and cornets in Eb, tumpets, cornets and flügelhorns in Bb, alto horns in Eb, tenor horns, baritone horns, trombones and euphoniums in Bb, and all tubas (F, Eb, C, Bb) have the same core register notated in treble clef, and indeed exactly the same fingering/trombone position charts. (But the default clef for Tubas and Trombones outside the brass band world is non-transposing bass clef!)

It’s a beautiful instrument, but due to the register and availability limitations, it remains a specialist instrument, except for in certain hard core brass band situations, (and some rare symphonic band arrangements), and is mainly played by trumpeters, not horn players.

As for the last two quartets commented by Boneman

2 Tp 1 Hn/Bone 1 Tuba

the quartet will have to meet towards the middle register to make it sound full, any time the tuba moves downwards to the lower registers, it needs to be partly followed by the hn/bone to make it blend, or else takes a very soloistic role quickly.



Regards

[Boneman]

Originally Posted by Thorolf

The Flügelhorn

It’s a beautiful instrument, but due to the register and availability limitations, it remains a specialist instrument, except for in certain hard core brass band situations, (and some rare symphonic band arrangements), and is mainly played by trumpeters, not horn players.

I think that any crossover players enjoy playing the flug some of them then go on to specialise and get so much from the instrument.

[stevel]

Originally Posted by Thorolf

Two notes:
The Flügelhorn is probably more common in Europe than in the US of A. It’s main function in Norway, is to give trumpet players a fuller solo instrument for lyrical pieces in the lower registers. Note that the top register of the Flügelhorn doesn’t sound very interresting, but conversely, the sound is smooth and nice to the very bottom of the register, as opposed to trumpet, which dries up in the bottom.

As for familiarity, it’s the top instrument of the horn/euphonium/tuba family, the widest bore variety, but has nothing to do with waldhorn/french horn, either mouthpiece-wize, bore, fingering charts, or core sound type. It should be noted that all the brass band instruments, trumpets and cornets in Eb, tumpets, cornets and flügelhorns in Bb, alto horns in Eb, tenor horns, baritone horns, trombones and euphoniums in Bb, and all tubas (F, Eb, C, Bb) have the same core register notated in treble clef, and indeed exactly the same fingering/trombone position charts. (But the default clef for Tubas and Trombones outside the brass band world is non-transposing bass clef!)

It’s a beautiful instrument, but due to the register and availability limitations, it remains a specialist instrument, except for in certain hard core brass band situations, (and some rare symphonic band arrangements), and is mainly played by trumpeters, not horn players.

As for the last two quartets commented by Boneman

2 Tp 1 Hn/Bone 1 Tuba

the quartet will have to meet towards the middle register to make it sound full, any time the tuba moves downwards to the lower registers, it needs to be partly followed by the hn/bone to make it blend, or else takes a very soloistic role quickly.



Regards

Thanks for the updated info - see my Marching band days led me astray (yet again!).

Later,
Steve