Five Valve Euphonium
Encyclopedia
The Five valve euphonium (noncompensating) is an extremely rare variation of the euphonium
manufactured in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Britain's Besson
musical instrument company and Highams of Manchester Musical Instrument Company. Besson and Highams's Clearbore five valve vintage euphoniums are among the rarest and most valuable in existence.
The Besson five valve euphonium featured the standard three piston valve
s horizontally on top, but had an additional two piston valves off the side. The standard euphonium has eight possible fingering
and non-fingering positions by which sound is produced. The Besson and the Highams 'clearbore' model rare fourth and fifth extra 'side' valves change the possible fingering and non-fingering positions from eight to thirty-one.
The term 'five valve euphonium' does not refer to variations of the double bell euphonium
made by various brass instrument companies during the same time period. Some of the double-bell euphoniums had five valves, with the fifth valve either on top with the other four, or by itself off to the side, but the double-bell fifth valve was used for switching the sound to the second smaller trombone
-sized bell, and not for changing the fingering pitch
of the instrument. Also, Cerveny Musical Instruments manufactures several euphoniums with five vertical rotary valve
s today, but this is an unrelated recent development.
.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
12, 13, 23, 14, 24, 34, 15, 25, 35, 45
123, 124, 134, 234, 125, 135, 145, 235, 245, 345
1234, 1245, 1345, 2345
12345
Euphonium
The euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced"...
manufactured in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Britain's Besson
Besson (company)
Besson is a manufacturer of brass musical instrument. It is owned by Buffet Crampon, which bought Besson in 2006 from The Music Group.The company was formed in 1837 by Gustave Auguste Besson, who at the age of 18 produced a revolutionary design of cornet which surpassed all contemporary models. His...
musical instrument company and Highams of Manchester Musical Instrument Company. Besson and Highams's Clearbore five valve vintage euphoniums are among the rarest and most valuable in existence.
The Besson five valve euphonium featured the standard three piston valve
Piston valve
A piston valve is a device used to control the motion of a fluid along a tube or pipe by means of the linear motion of a piston within a chamber or cylinder.Examples of piston valves are:...
s horizontally on top, but had an additional two piston valves off the side. The standard euphonium has eight possible fingering
Fingering
In music, fingering is the choice of which fingers and hand positions to use when playing certain musical instruments. Fingering typically changes throughout a piece; the challenge of choosing good fingering for a piece is to make the hand movements as comfortable as possible without changing hand...
and non-fingering positions by which sound is produced. The Besson and the Highams 'clearbore' model rare fourth and fifth extra 'side' valves change the possible fingering and non-fingering positions from eight to thirty-one.
The term 'five valve euphonium' does not refer to variations of the double bell euphonium
Double bell euphonium
The double bell euphonium is an instrument based on the euphonium. Larger bell produces the mellow tone of a standard euphonium. The second smaller bell has a brighter tone, similar to a baritone horn or valve trombone...
made by various brass instrument companies during the same time period. Some of the double-bell euphoniums had five valves, with the fifth valve either on top with the other four, or by itself off to the side, but the double-bell fifth valve was used for switching the sound to the second smaller trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
-sized bell, and not for changing the fingering pitch
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
of the instrument. Also, Cerveny Musical Instruments manufactures several euphoniums with five vertical rotary valve
Rotary valve
A rotary valve is a type of valve in which the rotation of a passage or passages in a transverse plug regulates the flow of liquid or gas through the attached pipes. The common stopcock is the simplest form of rotary valve...
s today, but this is an unrelated recent development.
History
Joseph Highams of Manchester, England, was one of the outstanding brass musical instrument makers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly euphonium and tubaTuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
.
Besson five valve fingering and nonfingering positions
Open1, 2, 3, 4, 5
12, 13, 23, 14, 24, 34, 15, 25, 35, 45
123, 124, 134, 234, 125, 135, 145, 235, 245, 345
1234, 1245, 1345, 2345
12345