Thesis (D. Mus. Arts)--University of Washington, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. [179]-198).

The purpose of this thesis is to bring to light some of the music written for, or especially adaptable to, brass ensembles before the close of the eighteenth century. This study must concern itself with the music which has been preserved and is available, and with such music as can be played on modern instruments. It must be stated that some of the music mentioned herein was not written specifically for brass instruments, but the style and general character of the music make it adaptable for a brass instrumentation.

Mainly, the purpose of this work is to give the brass instrument player a more thorough understanding of how to improve the many factors which combine to make up his technique as a whole; also, to give the brass instrument player a more thorough understanding of the construction and history of his instrument, as well as a list of books which can be useful in developing specific phases of brass instrument playing. In other words, this book is intended to be a help to all brass instrument players who want to learn more about their instrument as well as to improve on it.

The geometrical characteristics of acoustical radiation are of great importance in instrument design and synthesis, and multiple simplified models have been developed in the past to describe them. In this work two experimental methodologies are proposed and carried out, studying the frequency-dependent radiation in a collection of popular brass instruments with different grades of flaring, and making use of the axis-symmetry of these instruments. The first method uses a scanning linear array and is carefully designed to extract the linear properties of the radiation field. The results of this experimental method are a database of impulse responses distributed in space, and effectively covering a bidimensional on-axis section of the radiation field approximately 0.6 m by 0.9 m. These data can then be used for the validation of a number of simplified physical models used to describe the radiation of these types of instruments. The second method aims at visualising radiation for high amplitude excitation, where shock waves are generated inside the instrument due to non-linear propagation of the plane wave. In this case, the experimental methodology used, taking advantage of the strong density and temperature gradients generated in the air, is an on-axis schlieren optical system. General results of this visualisation show a strong increase in focused directivity at high frequencies and loud playing dynamics, due to the spectral enrichment typical of this family of instruments. The second section of this thesis focuses on the study of playing gestures in the trombone, and could also be applicable to other slide instruments. During glissando playing in the trombone the length of the cylindrical slide section within the bore is altered while waves are propagating. Slide velocities of 2 metres per second are not unusual and result in a (small but measurable) Doppler shift in the wave coming from the mouthpiece before it arrives at the bell. An additional effect is observed in terms of the volume of air within the instrument changing telescopically, leading to a localised change in DC pressure and a resulting flow, which generates infrasound components within the bore. The effects of these playing gestures are investigated in two different setups; one with a high frequency sinusoidal excitation generated by a compression driver, and another one using an artificial mouth to play the instrument. In both experiments the pressures at the mouth or mouthpiece, water key and bell were tracked using microphones and the position of the slide was tracked using a laser distance sensor. Both Doppler shifting and infrasound components were detected for both experimental setups, although the effect on a soft termination such as the artificial lips requires further examination.

Šiame magistro darbe nagrinėjama grojimo variniais pučiamaisiais instrumentais specifika ir pagrindiniai principai. Variniai pučiamieji nuo kitų instrumentų grupių visų pirma skiriasi tuo, kad už instrumento skleidžiamą garsą didžiąja dalimi atsakingas atlikėjo kūnas - koordinuota įvairių organų veikla. Atlikėjui tai reiškia, kad sėkmingas grojimas neišvengiamai priklauso nuo atlikėjo grojimo aparato - veido, kaklo, liežuvio raumenų, kvėpavimo organų, rankų pirštų tinkamo parengimo. Šio darbo tikslas yra nustatyti grojimui variniais pučiamaisiais instrumentais reikalingas žmogaus organų grupes ir išsiaiškinti kaip jos turi būti lavinamos, siekiant ugdyti visapusišką ir profesionalų varinių pučiamųjų instrumentų atlikėją. Siekiant išsikelto tikslo buvo atlikta grojimo variniais pučiamaisiais instrumentais metodinių priemonių, kitos teorinės ir mokomosios medžiagos analizė. Tyrime nustatyta, kad esminėmis atlikėjo grojimo aparato dalimis laikytinas taisyklingas kvėpavimas, ambušiūro raumenys, liežuvio artikuliacija ir rankų pirštų veikla. Darbe pateikiami šių dalių lavinimo pratimai ir atskleista, kad sėkmingam ir pasamoningam atlikimui būtina kasdienė praktika ir treniravimasis. Darbe pateikiami šių treniruočių pavyzdžiai. / This masters thesis is focused on specifics and main principles of playing brass instruments. Brass instruments are different from other instrument groups mainly because the main thing that is responsible for the generation of sound is not an instrument itself, but the body of the player - coordinated action of different organs of the player. This means that successful playing is inevitably dependant on the condition an preparedness of 'playing apparatus' of the player - facial, tongue, neck muscles, breathing organs, fingers etc. The aim of the thesis is to identify the main groups of body organs needed to successfully play brass, and to find out how they should be trained to prepare universal and professional brass player. In order to reach the aim, a research of brass teaching literature an other theoretical material, was conducted. Research shows that the main parts of 'playing apparatus' are: correct breathing, embouchure, tongue articulation and actions of the hand and fingers of the player. This thesis contains different training exercises. This thesis also concludes that in order to be successful the player must be subjected to daily training and practicing. The thesis also contains examples of such daily training.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency modulations and the intensity modulations of the hand vibrato and the jaw vibrato as they relate to performance on selected brass instruments. Ten trumpet players and ten trombone players were recorded performing a musical exercise which was written in three different registers. Five performers in each group used a hand vibrato and five used a jaw vibrato.

Cette thèse s'inscrit dans le contexte de la robotique, de l'automatique et de l'acoustique musicale. Elle propose une étude d'un banc de test robotisé pour le jeu des cuivres et se décompose selon trois volets: la modélisation passive du système, sa simulation et son développement. La modélisation utilise le formalisme passif des systèmes hamiltoniens à ports. Les principaux éléments du système sont: l'alimentation en air pour le souffle, l'excitateur (composé de deux lèvres et d'un jet d'air) et un résonateur acoustique. Un nouveau modèle de jet d'air généré entre les lèvres est proposé. Ce modèle a pour but de restituer un bilan de puissance plus proche de la réalité physique que les modèles couramment utilisés. Pour la simulation à passivité garantie, la méthode du gradient discret est présentée. Elle ne garantit pas l'existence et l'unicité d'une solution et est limitée au second ordre de consistance numérique. De plus, son exécution nécessite des algorithmes d'optimisations non linéaires. Pour pallier ces limitations, une méthode à plusieurs étapes de type Runge-Kutta double et basée sur un changement de variable est proposée. Des résultats de simulations sont interprétés et comparés à ceux issus d'un modèle classique de la littérature. Le banc de test, ainsi que les développements techniques sont présentés. Ils permettent la mise au point d'expériences de cartographies répétables pouvant être utilisées pour caractériser différents instruments de musique. Enfin, des résultats numériques et expérimentaux sont comparés afin de mettre en avant les défauts et les qualités du modèle proposé. / This thesis is to be seen against the robotic, the automatic, and the musical acoustic backgrounds. It provides a study of a robotized test bench for brass instruments and is divided into three parts: the passive modelling of the system, its simulation and its development. The modelling uses a passive formalism, namely, the ports-Hamiltonian systems. The main parts of the complete system are: an air supply for the breath, an acoustic exciter (composed of a couple of artificial lip and an air jet) and an acoustic resonator. A new model for the air jet generated between the lips is proposed. This model aims at providing a power balance, which is closer to the real system than other commonly used models. The discrete gradient method is presented to perform passive simulations. It does not generally guaranty the existence and uniqueness of a solution and is limited to the second order of numerical consistency. Moreover, its execution needs nonlinear optimisation algorithms. To compensate for these limitations, a multi-stage method of double Runge-Kutta type and based on a change of variable is proposed. Results from simulations are interpreted and compared to those coming from a Bernoulli type model. Finally, the test bench and the technical developments are presented. They enable the performance of repeatable cartographies experiments which can be used to characterise music instruments. Finally, experimental and numerical results are compared in order to highlight the defaults and the qualities of the proposed model.

The French tuba was a much-needed addition to the brasswind musical instrument family, adding depth, projection and a unique color to French orchestral literature. Its ancestors the serpent and ophicleide both lacked the tonal stability and sonic power to adequately present the bass wind role in a robust orchestra. Through the efforts of its developer and patent-holder Adolphe Sax, the French tuba made converts among players and composers, effectively creating its own niche in music history. Musical tastes change however, and the French tuba has been largely supplanted by tubists using instruments twice its size. Since French composers composed specifically with the distinct timbre of the French tuba in mind, this unique and characteristic musical entity deserves a resurgence in performances of French orchestral repertoire.

The English horn has a background of historical confusion because the instrument was built in many different shapes and was given a new name for each change of form.

The tenorhorn and baryton (euphonium), as members of the valved conical brass family, were highly regarded by Oskar Böhme (1870-1938) and Victor Ewald (1860-1935). This study examines the role the tenorhorn and baryton played in selected works by these two composers of the Russian Chamber Brass School. A chronology of the research leading to the discovery and naming of the Russian Chamber Brass School is included as well as a discussion on brass chamber music performance practice both then and now.