ballad horn: expanding the tuba/euphonium playing experience

[imperialbari]

Could have been, if it were British.

Yet the multi-pitch mellophones playable with trumpet mouthpieces to my knowledge are an American-only phenomenon. With the danger of repeating myself: I see the main purpose for these being the function as horn substitutes. Touring operas with minimal pit orchestras could have a trumpet player covering the most important horn entries by doubling on mellophone. The F-E-EB-D&C pitches bypassing most transposition problems.

Klaus

[brendanige]

So.... What is the difference between a ballad horn and a mellophone in C?

[imperialbari]

So.... What is the difference between a ballad horn and a mellophone in C?

You hardly will find a mellophone built to be played in C only.

I haven’t reread the thread, so maybe more repetitive redundancy:

Trumpets in C have been known in classical contexts in long natural/valveless and since in short valved forms for centuries.

If you find oddities like flugelhorns or oval tenors/baritones in C, then with the purpose of their players reading over the shoulders of pianists in dance halls or organists in churches. France had a tradition of baritones and euphoniums in C & Bb with a Bb insertion for the tuning slide in the leadpipe. C in churches. Bb in bands.

Klaus

[TubadudeCA]

Okay, I have a question about Ballad Horns. Perhaps Bloke, you could answer this? Eric Totman has in a his collection a Bell up model Ballad horn, very cool, but I know that there are also bell down models. Would the player put his hand in the bell of the downward model like a F Horn?