Saxhorn family
Family of conical brass instruments.
What it means
Instruments of the Bügelhorn (saxhorn) family are brass instruments with a predominantly conical bore: the tube widens steadily from the mouthpiece to the bell. The result is a softer, rounder sound with fewer overtones than the cylindrically built trumpets and trombones. The family includes the B♭ flugelhorn as the soprano instrument, the tenor horn and the baritone, the euphonium, and the tubas as bass representatives. All are valved instruments; most are notated as transposing instruments, although the conventions vary by country and scoring.
Musical use
The true home of the Bügelhorn family is the concert band, the brass band, and wind ensembles, where they carry the middle voices and provide the warm, covered overall sound. There the flugelhorn takes the soft melodies that would sound too hard on the trumpet; tenor horn and euphonium lead singing lines in the middle register and have a solo repertoire of their own that is technically demanding. In the symphony orchestra they appear less often but are occasionally called for explicitly when a composer seeks the soft sound. What distinguishes them from the trumpet is above all the bore, not the fingering technique.
Performance practice
Use a deeper, more conical mouthpiece than on the trumpet; a shallow trumpet mouthpiece takes away the instrument's characteristic sound. The airstream may be broad and calm — these instruments reward fullness, not pressure. The intonation of the valve combinations deviates noticeably in the low register; if available, use a fourth valve or an adjustable slide for correction, and check regularly by ear. When changing register, aim for a consistent tone colour so that the singing lines do not break. Empty the condensation often; with the many bends it collects quickly and makes the response sluggish.
Bear in mind that notation habits vary by country and scoring: the same part appears in German wind-band music at sounding pitch in the bass clef, in the brass band transposed in the treble clef. Check this before rehearsing and keep both ways of reading ready. In the ensemble these instruments carry the middle voices; take care not to cover the melody. For singing lines it is worth planning breathing places like a singer. Check the fourth valve or the slide correction for smooth movement.