Flugelhorn: what is it, sound range, difference from a pipe

When an instrumental performance of a brass or jazz band needs to emphasize a certain passage, the weather vane comes into play. It has a high sound, sounds soft, natural, not loud. For this feature, he was loved by composers who write music for wind, symphony or jazz bands.

What is flugelhorn

The instrument is part of the copper-wind group. Sound reproduction occurs by blowing air through the mouthpiece and passing it through the conical bore of the barrel. Trumpeters play the weather vane. External similarity allows you to compare it with the closest family instruments – trumpet and cornet. A distinctive feature is a wider scale. The wind musical instrument is equipped with 3 or 4 valves. The origin of the name comes from the German words for “wing” and “horn”.

Difference from a pipe

The difference between the instruments is not only in the more enlarged section of the conical channel of the flugelhorn and the wider bell. It also lacks a tuning elbow on the main channel tube. Adjustment is made by changing the position of the mouthpiece. It is slightly pushed in or, conversely, put forward. You can adjust the flugelhorn right during the Play using a special trigger on the side branch of the third valve. The trumpeter is easily rebuilt when changing instruments.

sounding

Like most saxhorns, the flugelhorn is of Austrian origin. It was used in the army for signaling, mainly used in the infantry. The instrument was not suitable for playing in a brass band. But in the XNUMXth century, in the course of improvements, it became more suitable for accompanying additional parts in an orchestral sound.

Most often, flugelhorns are used in the B-flat tuning with a range of sound from the “E” of a small octave to the “B-flat” of the second. Due to the limited sound range, they are not often used, mainly for improvisation and placement of accents in orchestral music.

History

The emergence of the instrument goes deep into past centuries. Some believe that the sound of saxhorns is based on postal horns, others find a connection with hunting signal horns. The flugelhorn was widely used during the Seven Years’ War. With the help of signals that were blowing air through the bell, the infantry flanks were controlled. Translated from German, the name means “pipe that transmits sounds through the air.” The parts for the instrument were written by the most famous composers of the world, including Rossini, Wagner, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky. It has a specific French horn sound, which was widely used by jazz performers at the beginning of the XNUMXth century.

Despite the limited range of sound within only three octaves and a quiet sound, the merits of the flugelhorn in music cannot be belittled. With his help, Tchaikovsky created the most striking part in the “Neapolitan Song”, and Italian symphony orchestras always have from two to four performers – real virtuosos of the Play.