An Analysis of the Scope of Methods and Etudes Originally Composed for the Euphonium in Relation to the Difficulty of the Modern Solo Repertoire, and New Advanced Studies for the Euphonium

Abstract

Although the euphonium has often been overlooked relative to its orchestral brass counterparts, its potential as a unique solo instrument has continued to grow and be acknowledged by renowned composers and performers of the modern era. Its voice-like tenor sound, technical facility, and wide useable range have continued to inspire challenging and exciting new solo works. However, when preparing to perform the advanced repertoire, most of the method and etude materials available to euphoniumists are dated, mostly relevant for solo music of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Many resources were actually composed for other instruments, such as the trumpet, trombone, or tuba.

In this document, multiple seminal solo works, commonly used method books, and commonly used etude books are assessed to determine the specific musical and technical gaps between study materials and solo works. Materials are assessed by their uses of atonal scales and musical figures (including quarter tones and four-valve alternate fingerings); expanded upper and lower registers; degree of flexibility between registers; lip slurs and lip trills; and uncommon or extended techniques such as lip bends, valve glissandi, alternate valve tremolos, flutter tonguing, and multiphonics. Finally, a New Advanced Method for Euphonium is presented as well as a collection of etudes in order to bridge the gap between existing studies and advanced solo works.