7.2 The Different Kinds of Brass Instrument
361
There are various systems of crooks. Where a crook contributes to the sounding
length by an appropriately tapered tube which is inserted between the mouthpiece
and the body of the instrument, it is called a terminal crook (the crooks shown
in Figs. 7.18 and 7.25 are terminal crooks). An orchestral hand horn has a set of
terminal crooks giving most tonalities from 9-ft B (occasionally 8-ft C) down to
18-ft B . Lower pitches, even down to 22-ft G, are called for in some Italian operas
of the 1830s and 1840s. Where the different sounding lengths are obtained by using
tuning-slides of different tube lengths the crooks are called ‘inventionshorn crooks’
or simply ‘tuning-slide crooks’. These crooks are essentially cylindrical, and the
bore taper from the mouthpiece to the tuning-slide is built into a fixed mouthpipe.
The horn shown in Fig. 7.37 has tuning-slide crooks for 11-ft G, 12-ft F, 13-ft E and
E , and 14-ft D; this model is called a ‘cor solo’ because these tonalities were those
favoured for solo (as opposed to orchestral) horn music (Scott et al. 2019). The
crookings higher or lower than this central group are less well served by a single
mouthpipe taper.
With valve horns such as that shown in Fig. 7.32 the hand technique is not
needed to supply the ‘missing’ notes, but hand-in-bell technique is used by valve
horn players for fine control of intonation and timbre. For many decades after the
invention of the valve and its application to horns, instruments continued to be
supplied with sets of crooks for facility in playing in different tonalities, though
fewer crooks than the ten or so of a fully-equipped orchestral hand horn. As late as
the mid-twentieth century, french horns for military band used crooks for 12-ft F
and 13-ft E .
The horn shown in Fig. 7.32 is a ‘double horn’; the most commonly used model
today is a double horn in both 9-ft B and 12-ft F. In this model the mouthpipe
leads from the mouthpiece receiver to the fourth valve (operated by the left thumb)
which in one position directs the windway through the three valves for the left-hand
fingers, back through the fourth valve and on to the bell. In the other position the
fourth valve directs the windway through separate, longer tubing through the three
valves (with longer valve loops), back through the fourth valve and on to the bell.
Players of a double horn in 9-ft B and 12-ft F typically use the B ‘side’ most of
the time, and always for high passages; they use the F side for some low passages
and when the tone quality of longer tubing (with higher brassiness potential) is
preferred. Some double horns are in 6-ft F and 9-ft B , others are in 6-ft F and 12-ft
F. A double horn in 9-ft B and 12-ft F incorporates tubing with sounding lengths
from 9-ft B down to 18-ft B, equivalent to most of the crooks of the orchestral
hand horn—though players do not generally think in terms of the valves offering an
instantaneous change of crook.
The instruments with greater expansion of bore correspond to the bass voice and
lower; they include members of the tuba family. The bass Wagner tuba in 12-ft F has
a narrow minimum bore, like that of the tenor Wagner tuba, to be used with a french
horn mouthpiece; the bore expands rapidly and terminates in a euphonium-like bell.
Figure 7.39 shows an orchestral bass tuba in 12-ft F with five valves, allowing
the lowest notes of the repertoire to be played. Many tubas, both for orchestral and
band use, are pitched in 13-ft E . Although there is a solo repertoire for the tuba, the
361
There are various systems of crooks. Where a crook contributes to the sounding
length by an appropriately tapered tube which is inserted between the mouthpiece
and the body of the instrument, it is called a terminal crook (the crooks shown
in Figs. 7.18 and 7.25 are terminal crooks). An orchestral hand horn has a set of
terminal crooks giving most tonalities from 9-ft B (occasionally 8-ft C) down to
18-ft B . Lower pitches, even down to 22-ft G, are called for in some Italian operas
of the 1830s and 1840s. Where the different sounding lengths are obtained by using
tuning-slides of different tube lengths the crooks are called ‘inventionshorn crooks’
or simply ‘tuning-slide crooks’. These crooks are essentially cylindrical, and the
bore taper from the mouthpiece to the tuning-slide is built into a fixed mouthpipe.
The horn shown in Fig. 7.37 has tuning-slide crooks for 11-ft G, 12-ft F, 13-ft E and
E , and 14-ft D; this model is called a ‘cor solo’ because these tonalities were those
favoured for solo (as opposed to orchestral) horn music (Scott et al. 2019). The
crookings higher or lower than this central group are less well served by a single
mouthpipe taper.
With valve horns such as that shown in Fig. 7.32 the hand technique is not
needed to supply the ‘missing’ notes, but hand-in-bell technique is used by valve
horn players for fine control of intonation and timbre. For many decades after the
invention of the valve and its application to horns, instruments continued to be
supplied with sets of crooks for facility in playing in different tonalities, though
fewer crooks than the ten or so of a fully-equipped orchestral hand horn. As late as
the mid-twentieth century, french horns for military band used crooks for 12-ft F
and 13-ft E .
The horn shown in Fig. 7.32 is a ‘double horn’; the most commonly used model
today is a double horn in both 9-ft B and 12-ft F. In this model the mouthpipe
leads from the mouthpiece receiver to the fourth valve (operated by the left thumb)
which in one position directs the windway through the three valves for the left-hand
fingers, back through the fourth valve and on to the bell. In the other position the
fourth valve directs the windway through separate, longer tubing through the three
valves (with longer valve loops), back through the fourth valve and on to the bell.
Players of a double horn in 9-ft B and 12-ft F typically use the B ‘side’ most of
the time, and always for high passages; they use the F side for some low passages
and when the tone quality of longer tubing (with higher brassiness potential) is
preferred. Some double horns are in 6-ft F and 9-ft B , others are in 6-ft F and 12-ft
F. A double horn in 9-ft B and 12-ft F incorporates tubing with sounding lengths
from 9-ft B down to 18-ft B, equivalent to most of the crooks of the orchestral
hand horn—though players do not generally think in terms of the valves offering an
instantaneous change of crook.
The instruments with greater expansion of bore correspond to the bass voice and
lower; they include members of the tuba family. The bass Wagner tuba in 12-ft F has
a narrow minimum bore, like that of the tenor Wagner tuba, to be used with a french
horn mouthpiece; the bore expands rapidly and terminates in a euphonium-like bell.
Figure 7.39 shows an orchestral bass tuba in 12-ft F with five valves, allowing
the lowest notes of the repertoire to be played. Many tubas, both for orchestral and
band use, are pitched in 13-ft E . Although there is a solo repertoire for the tuba, the