Tenor horn

The Tenor horn (British English; Alto horn in American English, Althorn in Germany; occasionally referred to as E♭ horn) is a brass instrument in the saxhorn family and is usually pitched in E♭. It has a bore that is mostly conical, like the flugelhorn and euphonium, and normally uses a deep, cornet-like mouthpiece.

It is most commonly used in British brass bands, and Mexican banda music whereas the French horn tends to take the corresponding parts in concert bands and orchestras. However, the tenor horn has occasionally been used as an alternative to the French horn in concert bands.

The tenor horn is a valved brass instrument (in E♭) which has a predominantly conical bore like that of the euphonium and flugelhorn. It uses a deep funnel- or cup-shaped mouthpiece. The tenor horn's conical bore and deep mouthpiece produce a mellow, rounded tone that is often used as a middle voice, supporting the melodies of the trumpets, cornets, or flugelhorns, and fills the gap above the lower tenor and bass instruments (the trombone, baritone horn, euphonium, and tuba). Its valves are typically, though not exclusively, piston valves.

The tenor horn has been made and is made in various shapes: the most common in the United States and the UK, and in most other parts of the world, is a sort of mini-tuba shape, with the bell pointing upward, which may help the voice blend before reaching the audience. In contrast, the solo horn (found mainly in Europe) looks like (and indeed effectively is) an enlarged flugelhorn, with the bell pointing forward, projecting more toward the audience.^{[citation needed]} Another older and lesser-known variant has the bell facing backward (for military marching bands that preceded the soldiers, thus helping them hear better and keep better time in marching). Still another variant has a detachable bell, easily rotated to point in the direction of the player's choice.

The standard bell-up horn comes in two basic shapes - one with the beginning of the bell looping over the top of the valves and the other looping below the valves.

These types are the most frequently encountered in the United States and UK. Only the standard upright instrument is seen in UK brass bands.

Within the British brass band, the tenor horn section usually plays part of the alto and tenor lines in the middle of the band, with the Solo Horn player having occasional solo passages. Historically, the tenor horn has gained little recognition as a solo instrument in its own right, but in recent years this has been gradually changing. The instrument's timbre, with a relatively soft attack and mellow sound, aids it in its ability to blend into the overall band sound, along with the other members of the saxhorn family. Modern tenor horn manufacturers aim to create instruments with improved power and projection, whilst preserving their characteristic mellow tone. Among these, models made by Besson, Yamaha, and Geneva have been particularly successful.

Tenor horns with rotary valves also exist, notably in Europe. The German Tenorhorn (described as a different instrument than the Althorn) is pitched in B♭ with 3 to 4 rotary valves and a distinctive oval shape. It differs from a rotary baritone mostly in its smaller bore and bell size, and is traditionally used in Blasmusik and German folk music. Miraphone is a successful manufacturer. This style of horn is similar to some older Soviet tenor and alto horns.