F. Young and J.

Young

Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics

Volume 6, 2009 http://asa.aip.org

157th Meeting
Acoustical Society of America
Portland, Oregon
18 - 22 May 2009
Session 2pMUa: Musical Acoustics

2pMUa5. The double bell descant euphonium

Frederick Young* and Jeffrey K. Young

*Corresponding authors address: Communications and Arts Division, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, 800
Minard Run Road, Bradford, Pennsylvania 16701/3718, youngfj@youngbros.com
A euphonium is presented that has better intonation and is easier to play in the extreme registers. It is a complete double
horn having five double valves in contrast to the incomplete normal double French horn having only three double valves.
The valves descend 2, 1, 3, 4 and 5 semitones from the open tones. A switch valve activates the smaller alto bell in the
key of high E and sends the air through the five shorter valve slides and out the small bell. The fundamental frequency of
the E side is 82.4 Hz being six semitones above the fundamental of the Bb euphonium. The key of E rather than F or Eb
enables all notes in the complete range (about 29 --988 Hz) to be played with single tunable valves thereby eliminating
valve combinations. Either of the other keys would introduce a need for an additional valve or compromise the intonation.

Published by the Acoustical Society of America through the American Institute of Physics

2010 Acoustical Society of America [DOI: 10.1121/1.3521071]

Received 3 Jun 2009; published 8 Nov 2010
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F. Young and J. Young

1. INTRODUCTION1
Although the double bell euphonium was invented more than a century ago
and can be seen in the German Museum in Munich, players search attics, barns
and pawn shops in hopes of obtaining one. It seems that the sole purpose of the
second bell was to provide a more trombone like timbre rather than make the
instrument better in tune or extend its range. The earliest double bell euphoniums
had upright bells that could be muted more easily than the later bell front models.
The companion paper entitled Optimization of valve tube lengths for brass
instruments (2pMUa6) documents the intonation troubles caused by the use
of various valve combinations in a variety of euphoniums. A study of the solo
literature for that instrument reveals no old or new compositions requiring the
conventional double bell euphonium. In the past century many great euphonium
players have been known to play solos with symphonic and small concert bands in
most of the parks in US. Whilst well done those works seem to have not been written
by any of the great composers of the nineteenth century. They are mostly novelty
numbers comprising and introduction, theme and numerous variations. They lack
the character of the waldhorn literature and all sound the same. In recent times
extremely capable euphoniumists have emerged who perform new music written
more or less in the same style. These widely available performances span more than
ve octaves with more emphasis on the high range. To help solve the aforementioned
intonation problems and make it easier to perform the extremely high and low notes
a full, complete double descant euphonium with two bells has been designed and
constructed. Given the successes of the descant waldhorn introduced more than
fty years ago, the complete and full double tuba designed twenty years ago and
the strong desire for the double bell euphonium, it seems logical to enhance the
euphonium in the manner described herein.
1.1. Choice of the fundamental key of each bell. It is clear that the large
section of the descant euphonium should be in the same key as conventional in-
struments and playable with conventional ngerings until the new ones are learned.
More problematic is the key of the small bell. Many players are able E[ tubists
and would prefer that key rather than learn new ngering. Because the low side of
the conventional compensating euphonium is in the same F as the waldhorn others
would prefer that key. Although either choice would aord identical ngerings on
many of the tones on both sides of the instrument it is better to make the high side
in the key of E natural.
Note Name B[ A A[ G G[ F E E[
Frequency in Hz 116.54 110 103.83 98 92.5 87.31 82.41 77.78
Fingering O 2 1 3 4 5 S S2
D D[ C B B[ A A[ G G[ F E
73.42 69.3 65.41 61.73 58.27 55 51.91 49 46.25 43.65 41.20
S1 S3 S4 S5 O 2 1 3 4 5 25 (S1)
Table 1 Fingerings in the low register
In Table 1 are listed the ngerings for the low register of the instrument. Here
O stands for an open tone on the B[ side, S is the switch valve located near the
lead pipe and actuated by the index nger of the left hand. Alternate ngerings
1
Presented at the 157 th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America on 19 May 2009 in
Portland, Oregon

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F. Young and J. Young

are given in parenthesis. For reasons little understood double pedal notes can be
produced with the rst valve on both sides of this instrument and more generally
on most low brass instruments. In addition the E at 41.2 Hz can be produced by
ngering S12345. In Figure 1 is shown the prototype instrument. The keys on
the large side of the instrument are numbered from top to bottom as 1, 2 and 3
as in a conventional instrument. The keys on the small or E side are numbered
from top to bottom as S, 4 and 5 as shown in Figure 1. The ngerings in Table
1 apply to all the open tones of the instrument. Valves 1, 2, 3 and 4 used one at
a time are sucient to span the range of F138:59 to F699:25 . For the high E side
the span for those valves begins at B195 and extends upwards of F699:25 . Here the
subscripts are the frequency of the cited note in Hz, assuming tuning at A440 . In
the low register of th Bb side of the instrument it essential to have a 5th valve to play
C116:54 and F87:3 because using the common 13 combination requires compromising
the intonation of all the other notes. The use of the 24 and/or 123 combination
causes more trouble as demonstrated in the companion paper. Although there is
no question about the key of the lower side of the instrument, there are players
who would wish the high side to be in the familiar keys of F or Eb . In these keys
respectively B61:74 or E82:41 cannot be played in tune. The use of the pedal tone on
the E side produces E82:41 and S5 produces B61:74 very clearly. The six semitones
spanning the interval between the aforementioned B and E are very clear on the E
side of the instrument.

1.2. Extended range of the double instrument. The high E side is meant to
make the high notes easier to play and may extend the range higher by several
semitones. In addition it oers an alternative to the notes near the sixth open tone
of the Bb side which tend to be rather sharp on many euphoniums. For general
usage each side of the instrument should be played by depressing only one key at
a time. The switch valve may by used when needed. However, six valves oers
sixty-four (64) valve combinations. The best of them are listed in Figures 2 and 3.
Although the twenty-two notes given by these Figures descend considerably below
the usual range of the euphonium they may be of considerable usefulness in solos
tending toward the extreme. In Table 2 (appearing at the end of this paper) all
ngering combinations are listed. They are the same on both the E and the Bb
side of the instrument. It is clear that only nine of them are acceptable for musical
performance.
The 234 and 45 combinations are 4.2 cents sharp and 8 cents at of the desired
D, respectively. The 1245 and 345 combinations are 5 cents at and 2 cents at
of the desired C, respectively. These are the best valve combinations falling on the
well tempered scale. The 234 combination is a Eb and its associated open tones
that is about 12 cents at. This could be a useful ngering for playing the third of
a major scale in just intonation. The 123, 15, 1234 and 2345 combinations yields
some reasonably good quarter tones and might possibly allow part of a quarter
tone scale to be played in a high register. Table 2 also contains a few 1/8th tone
ngerings.

1.3. Construction considerations. The design and fabrication of Bb eu-

phoniums and Eb alto horns with three and four valves is well developed and might

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F. Young and J. Young

Figure 1. The prototype of the double bell complete double des-

cant euphonium

seem to indicate the fabrication of the instrument considered here would be very
easy. However, double valves are not available in the correct size for large bore
euphoniums and the closest size is for the double Wagnerian tuba. The present
instrument has been proportioned to use such valves. Getting the correct amount

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F. Young and J. Young

Figure 2. Fingerings on the E side of the instrument

Figure 3. Fingerings on the Bb side of the instrument

of tubing required into the available space whilst giving access to the back side
of the valves and having space to regulate all of the tuning slides is also a design
problem. The solution to this problem is illustrated in Figure 4. The long slide in
the foreground is the ve semitone descent tube for the Bb side of the instrument.
The tube sticking out is the Eb rst valve tube. It passes between the long tubes
under the ve semitone descent tube. Those tubes are the four semitone descent
tubes and have a slide pull ring on the front of the instrument.
It is also very important to have the correct taper for both sides of the instru-
ment to yield open notes within !5 cents of the correct frequencies. There are no
conclusions in this paper because the instrument is not in nal form yet and must

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F. Young and J. Young

Figure 4. Back side of the instrument

undergo several improvements before it is satisfactory. The Bb side is playable but

the E side is about 30 cents at. However, it can be used with the proper mute.
Fing- Length Cents Cents from Fing- Length Cents Cents from
ering /L0 Sharp 1/4 tone ering /L0 Sharp 1/4 tone
0 1.00000 0.00 0.000 234 1.50859 -711.84
2 1.05946 -100.00 0.000 125 1.51676 -721.2 -3.803
1 1.12246 -200.00 0.000 35 1.52405 -729.49 4.489
12 1.18193 -289.37 134 1.57159 -782.67
3 1.18921 -300.00 0.000 235 1.58351 -795.75 -4.249
23 1.24867 -384.47 45 1.59476 -808.01
4 1.25992 -400.00 0.000 1234 1.63105 -846.97 -3.035
13 1.31167 -469.68 135 1.64651 -863.29
24 1.31938 -479.84 4.838 245 1.65422 -871.39 -3.614
5 1.33484 -500.00 0.000 1235 1.70597 -924.71 -0.287
123 1.37113 -546.44 -3.559 145 1.71722 -936.09
14 1.38238 -560.59 1245 1.77669 -995.03 -4.973
25 1.39430 -575.45 0.453 345 1.78397 -1002.10 2.108
124 1.44185 -633.50 2345 1.84343 -1058.87 8.872
34 1.44913 -642.22 -7.778 1345 1.90643 -1117.05
15 1.45730 -651.96 1.960 12345 1.96589 -1170.22 -4.778
Table 2 The list of all ngering combinations in order of semitones of descent
from the open tone

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