Fun fact: I actually started my musical journey playing the euphonium at the age of 11. It’s very close to my heart and I still play with a few ensembles around town. But there isn’t exactly a ton of music composed for euphonium (excluding transcriptions). Even less so when involved with small ensembles. So when something catches my attention, I tend to latch onto it. And that’s exactly what happened when I heard the piece for tuba and euphonium quartet “Old Legend” by Etienne Crausaz (who I recommend checking out).

Have a listen to the piece performed by the tuba and euphonium quartet “Les Tubadours”.

How beautiful is that? I absolutely love this piece. There is so much going on in here. Dorian mode. Tuba multiphonics. Variety of emotion in the different sections.

But probably my favorite thing is how each part takes on a different role throughout the piece. For example, at roughly 3:00 in, the upper tuba takes the melody while both euphoniums take on a harmonized counterpoint line.

As a euphonium player, I get a fair amount of diversity in my parts. But I can’t tell you how annoying it is to just double the bass and be left there the entire piece. Showcasing other roles like this is just brilliant.

Final Thoughts on Tuba and Euphonium Quartets

A euphonium and tuba quartet is not something I would imagine working well. That’s a lot of low end. But to my surprise, an ensemble of all low brass works. I would have loved to have an opportunity to perform with a group like this.

In fact, ever since listening to this particular piece, I’ve had an idea going in the back of my head. What if start focusing my composing on euphonium? Become sort of the “euphonium composer” (although I know there are already several other great ones). Just for fun, I could even perform all the parts myself and record.

What do you think of tuba and euphonium quartets? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.