Posted by Rick Denney on May 11, 2001 at 10:26:53:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Anon posted by Chuck on May 11, 2001 at 10:10:35:
You ought to measure those instruments with a caliper. I think you'll find that modern euphoniums have a larger bore than the rotary euphoniums that you are exclusively calling tenor tubas.
And English baritones are also conical, just they are not quite as conical as euphoniums. The variations between baritone (English-style), euphonium, and tenor tuba are no greater than the variations between contrabass tubas over the years. An English-style baritone has a bore of, what? 0.5"? And the modern compensators have a bore of as much as .6" or even a hair bigger. But BBb tubas have been made with bores as small as 0.65", and as large (without discussing the occasional freak) as about 0.85". The variation is even greater than between the baritones and euphoniums, but we call both of them "tubas." The bell on an English-style baritone is about 8 inches, and on the largest euphonium it is about 12 inches. The bells on BBb tubas range more widely, from around 13 inches to as much as 26 inches.
If there's one thing we know for sure, the term "tuba" is a broad term that encompasses a lot of real estate. Therefore, I submit that the term "tenor tuba" should be used as the general term for instruments pitched in Bb (or even C) that are shaped (in terms of taper) approximately like a tuba. Then we can use the terms English baritone, baritone, compensating euphonium, rotary euphonium, oval baryton, French C tuba, and so on when we want to be more specific, just as we do with bass and contrabass tubas.
Rick "who notes that Holst used the term tenor tuba when he clearly intended a euphonium" Denney