The Brass Family Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bugle

One of the simplest of brass instruments, the bugle has no valves or slides to alter the pitch; only the player's embouchure and the natural harmonic series of notes that all brass instruments work with.

The word 'bugle' originates with the Latin word 'buculus', which translates as bullock, or castrated bull. This, of course, refers back to the original animal horns from which brass instruments developed.

Answer: Piccolo trumpet

The piccolo trumpet is pitched one full octave above the normal Bb trumpet, although there are some rare ones that can be found pitched in C, a full tone higher.

The development of the diminutive instrument came out of a need to play music of the Baroque era (many years later) with more ease than could readily be accomplished on a modern trumpet or cornet. Much of the music of the period had trumpet parts written in the high 'clarino' register, and nothing apart from a musician's skill level could determine the music's playability.

Answer: Trombone

Within the trombone family, ordered from the lowest-pitched to the highest, are the contrabass trombone, bass trombone, tenor trombone, alto trombone, soprano trombone, and the sopranino and piccolo trombones. Valved versions of the trombone have been made for the four lowest-voice trombones (contrabass up to alto), but by far the most common valved trombone is the tenor.

Answer: Germany

The (French) horn began its life as a horn used for hunting, and it was generally curled into a circle with a flared bell. When these 'natural' horns began to first be used in orchestral settings, they were almost exclusively used to simulate that hunting call for which they were known. Without valves (originally), hornists had to have a selection of crooks (different lengths of tubing) to substitute into the instrument to change its basic key, allowing it to play music that often modulated to different tonal centers.

The horn that is commonly used today has a system of rotary valves; this was the valve system developed in Germany. The French variant of the horn used piston valves. For some reason, the name 'French horn' managed to take hold, despite the discrepancy in the developmental origins.

Answer: Sackbut

The sackbut was the name given to a family of instruments with movable slides that ranged from trumpet-like in size to larger than our modern trombones. The origin of the name likely stems from the Middle French words sacquer (to push) and bouter (to pull), although some argument can be made for the Spanish terms sacar (to draw or pull), and bucha (tube or pipe).

Answer: Euphonium

The distinction between the baritone and the euphonium can be difficult to determine, especially upon first glance. Over the years, the lines have sometimes been blurred enough that an instrument could rightly have fit into either category and carried either name. Generally, though, baritones have a cylindrical, slightly narrower, bore than euphoniums, and consequently have a somewhat brighter and lighter tone. Conversely, the euphonium's larger, conical bore (and typically larger bell), grant it a darker and more powerful sound than the baritone.

Regardless of their similarities, it should be noted that the two instruments developed from different families, as can be seen by their formal names: the baritone horn, and the tenor tuba (euphonium).

Answer: True

Patented in 1845 by Adolphe Sax, the family of brass instruments known as saxhorns extended in range from contrabass up to soprano, a total of seven different instruments, alternating Bb and Eb in key, just like the saxophone family. For many years after 1845, Sax's claims on inventing his family of instruments was contested by the various other brass instrument manufacturors.

Used extensivly in US civil war bands, the saxhorn was designed in such a way that when played, the bell pointed slightly backwards, which allowed for members at the rear of a marching band to better hear the ones up front.

Answer: Alphorn

The technical term for brass instruments by the definition given in the question is 'labrosones', which means 'lip-vibrated instruments'.

The alphorn (also known as the alpenhorn, or alpine horn) is a long, wooden instrument with a conical bore and a wooden, cup-shaped mouthpiece. Famously known in Switzerland, the alphorn was used not only there, but through most of the mountainous regions in Europe, as a means of long-distance communication.

Answer: Tuba

The tuba is one of the most recent additions to the modern orchestra with the earliest version of the contemporary tuba having been patented (as the 'basstuba') in 1835 by Wilhelm Friedrich Wieprecht and Johann Gottfried Moritz in Prussia. While the orchestra usually only uses one, the tuba (and its marching counterpart the Sousaphone - developed in the 1890s at the request of John Philip Sousa), are often seen in multiples in brass and concert bands.

Answer: Vuvuzela

The vuvuzela is a simple, straight instrument that produces a monotone sound, typically a Bb below middle C, although some are made in two parts, which actually allows for pitch variation. During the World Cup in South Africa, the continuous drone of the multitude of vuvuzelas being played was annoying, to say the least. Their use was widely disliked by the players and officials, although obviously well-liked by many fans.

The name 'vuvuzela' is from the Zulu language, and literally means 'to make a vuvu sound'.