Wednesday, May 23, 2001
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Wednesday, May 23, 2001 |
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Wind ensemble enjoys the rich sound of the euphonium By MICHAEL
BOYLAN The Peachtree Wind Ensemble Community Band features many different instruments, including flutes, trumpets, trombones and clarinets. Perhaps the most different instrument in the band, though, is the euphonium. A euphonium is a member of the brass instrument family, usually finished with brass or silver. It has between three and five valves and has the same range of pitch as a trombone. It looks like a small tuba and sounds like a french horn. The word euphonium comes from the Greek "euphonia," meaning well-sounding. The predecessor of the euphonium was an instrument known as the serpent. Col. John V. Barson is the euphonium player for the Peachtree Wind Ensemble. Barson is an Army physician specializing in aerospace and preventive medicine who has played the euphonium for over 30 years. He began playing the instrument in high school and continued in college as a member of the University of Michigan marching band, which performed in the 1972 Rose Bowl and the Parade of Roses. After college, Barson stopped playing because he did not own his own euphonium, but found one on an exchange assignment with the Royal Air Force in Farnborough, England. He found a euphonium that had come from the Royal Irish Rangers' regimental band at a store in Aldershot. The case still has the band's name stenciled on it. Since purchasing the euphonium, he and the instrument are nearly inseparable. They play every Monday night with the Peachtree Wind Ensemble, which meets at McIntosh High School at 7:30 p.m. The group performs a number of concerts around the community during the year and is always looking for new members.
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