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Last week I subbed twice in a brass band on E-flat tenor (alto) horn, for a project underway with the ASU bands. I have played in brass bands before, but always on a normal French horn. The one thing that really struck me was playing on marches in particular; you can really kick out those off beats on an alto/ten
or horn! No wonder Sousa and all those other march composers called for exactly that, the E-flat alto/tenor horn is the ultimate off beat playing machine.
The tradition of giving the middle brass off beats goes way back. Someday I would love to play alto/tenor horn in a serious, period instrument brass band such as that put together by the American Brass Quintet in their CD The Yankee Brass Band. They sound wonderful on this classic recording, one to seek out if you are fan of music of mid-nineteenth century America performed beautifully on period instruments.
For more information on the alto/tenor horn see A Tenor Horn/Alto Horn FAQ.
