Editing Euphonium (section)

== History and development ==

{{Multiple image
  | total_width = 220px | align = right
  | image1 = Mondstuk van een serpent, BK-NM-11430-77-1.jpg
  | image2 = Bass Ophicleide in C MET DP249364.jpg
  | alt1 = A serpent
  | alt2 = An ophicleide
  | footer = Euphonium ancestors: [[serpent (instrument)|serpent]], {{circa|1800}}, ''left''; [[ophicleide]], {{circa|1825}}, ''right''. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York | footer_align = left
}}
As a baritone-voiced brass instrument, the euphonium traces its ancestry to the [[ophicleide]] and ultimately back to the [[Serpent (instrument)|serpent]]. The search for a satisfactory foundational wind instrument that could support massed sound{{Definition needed|"massed sound" is not a familiar term and I couldn't find a definition|date=March 2024}} above its pitch took many years. While the serpent was used for over two centuries dating back to the late [[Renaissance]], it was notoriously difficult to control its pitch and tone quality due to its disproportionately small open finger holes. The ophicleide, which was used in bands and orchestras for a few decades in the early to mid-19th century, used a system of keys and was an improvement over the serpent but was still unreliable, especially in the high register.

With the invention of the piston valve system {{circa}} 1818, the construction of brass instruments with an even sound and facility of playing in all registers became possible. The euphonium is said to have been invented, as a "wide-bore, valved bugle of baritone range", by Ferdinand Sommer of Weimar in 1843, though [[Carl Wilhelm Moritz|Carl Moritz]] in 1838 and [[Adolphe Sax]] in 1843 have also been credited.{{by whom|date=October 2019}} While Sax's family of [[saxhorn]]s were invented at about the same time and the bass saxhorn is very similar to a euphonium, there are also differences—such as the bass saxhorn being narrower throughout the length of the instrument.<ref>{{Cite thesis|title=An Argument in Favor of the Saxhorn Basse (French Tuba) in the Modern Symphony Orchestra |last=Kleinsteuber |first=Carl |date=2017 |institution=University of North Texas |degree=DMA |url= https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc984120/m2/1/high_res_d/KLEINSTEUBER-DISSERTATION-2017.pdf |access-date=9 May 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190509133600/https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc984120/m2/1/high_res_d/KLEINSTEUBER-DISSERTATION-2017.pdf |archive-date=9 May 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The "British-style" compensating euphonium was developed in 1874 by [[David Blaikley]], of [[Boosey & Hawkes|Boosey & Co]],<ref>{{cite web |title=The History & Development of the Euphonium |url=http://www.davechilds.com/reviews-and-articles/article=the-history |publisher=David Childs |access-date=2021-04-16 |archive-date=19 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019170247/http://www.davechilds.com/reviews-and-articles/article=the-history |url-status=live }}</ref> and has been in use in Britain since then, with the basic construction little changed.

Modern-day euphonium makers have been working to further enhance the construction of the instrument. Companies such as Adams<ref>{{cite web |title=Adams Euphoniums |url=https://www.adams-music.com/en/adams/brass/adams_euphoniums |publisher=Adams Musical Instruments |access-date=2021-04-16 |archive-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416010212/https://www.adams-music.com/en/adams/brass/adams_euphoniums |url-status=live }}</ref> and Besson<ref>{{cite web |title=Euphoniums |url=https://www.besson.com/en/instruments/euphoniums/ |publisher=Buffet Crampon |access-date=2021-04-16 |archive-date=11 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411153217/https://www.besson.com/en/instruments/euphoniums |url-status=live }}</ref> have been leading the way in that respect. Adams euphoniums have developed an adjustable lead-pipe receiver, which allows players to change the timbre of the instrument to whatever they find preferable. Besson introduced an adjustable main tuning-slide trigger, which allows players more flexibility with intonation.{{cn|date=May 2025}}