Euphoniums are some of the least known brass instruments of our day. Euphoniums and Baritones used to be some of the most common instruments of their day. (sorta like what the Trumpets are today)

Most of us players got threw the same method of explaining the Euphonium, and either get looks like were the crazyest person that's ever walked the earth, or we resort to the baby tuba description. Well, when I was doing my reacherch to get this page up, i found out that we arn' t really wrong.

The shape of the Euphonium(/baritone) is of no mistake the same as the tuba (of corse with it's differences) the Euphonium is actually a tenor member of the Tuba Family.The shape of a modern day horn, has a REALLY long history (wich makes it alot better than the trumpet right??? ^_^)

All this started in the early 18th centurary with and instrument called the serpent. The Serpent had 6 finger holes (valves came at a later day) and later more finger holes were added. The Sperment was usualy nade of wood brass or silver. It was usually used in marching bands.

The serpent was later replaced by a combo of a basoon and a sax. It was nade by a french company called Halary, and was called the ophicleide

By the time of the ophicleide (ABOVE), valves were invented but it still had keys (of corse this was a step up from the finger holes) It was quick to become popular, but by the end of the centry it had dissapered. About 1815, with the evention of the valve brass instruments were completely revolutionized. Valves made the pitch clearer and tuneing much easyer. Of corse technology was new and at it's peek, so it took almost 10 years before something similar to the Euphonium (the tenorbasshorn) was used.

With the tenorbasshorn, came the first attempt at a tenor range horn. There was (as with anything) a great deal of experments going on. With these experments came the tenor tuba (Mortz invented), the sax horn (Adolph Sax was the guy.) At the time the B flat baritone sax horns and the B flat Bass Sax Horn, were the same as the Euphonium and the Baritone (the brass changed not the sax's) Eventually the germans got tired of the french ruleing the market, so they envented some of their own. In the early 1840's (1843) Sommer designed a "wide bore, Valved bugle of baritone range" this was first called the euphonium, but later the name was changed to Baryton (not baritone). Durring the same time in Vienna, Someone by the name of Ferdinadhell, produced something similar called the Hell Horn, and theyn Cerveny Created the Phontkon.

This soon became very confuseing from about 1850 to 1864 there were 10 plus bass horns called the euphonium being produced, and most of them wern't close to the others.

The horn was the closest to that of what it is today when in mid 1860 some one by the name of Phases (he lived in England) Enlarged the bore of the instrument. The Larger bore and the lighter bell was added and you started too see shoulder euphoniums abnd a doubble belled Euphoniums

In 1921 a meating was called in order to get all these horns symplified. Eventually a "pure" euphonium and baritone were picked, and thats where we are today. Also, Baritones were taken out of wind bands and limited to brass. Euphoniums became the usual for military, marching, and concert bands. (the next section kinda runs from this, so read it!!)

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