The flugelhorn ( / ˈ f l uː ɡ əl h ɔːr n / ), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet and cornet. It has a wider, cone-shaped tube compared to those instruments. Most flugelhorns are tuned to B♭, though some are in C. It is a type of valved bugle, created in Germany during the early 1800s from a traditional English bugle that did not have valves. In 1828, Heinrich Stölzel of Berlin sold the first version of a valved bugle. This invention inspired Adolphe Sax, the creator of the saxophone, to design B♭ soprano (contralto) saxhorns. The modern flugelhorn is based on these saxhorns.

Etymology

The German word Flügel means "wing" or "flank" in English. In the early 1700s in Germany, a leader of a noble hunt called a Flügelmeister used an instrument called a Flügelhorn to guide the hunt. The Flügelhorn was a large, curved horn made of brass or silver that had no valves. Later, during the Seven Years' War, this instrument was used by the military as an early version of the bugle.

Structure and variants

The flugelhorn is usually tuned to B♭, like most trumpets and cornets. It often has three piston valves and uses the same fingerings as other brass instruments. Some flugelhorns have four valves or rotary valves instead. Because of this, trumpet and cornet players can play the flugelhorn, though it has different playing features. The flugelhorn’s mouthpiece is more cone-shaped than those of trumpets or cornets, but less cone-shaped than a French horn’s mouthpiece.

Some modern flugelhorns include a fourth valve that lowers the pitch by a perfect fourth. This is similar to the fourth valve on euphoniums, tubas, piccolo trumpets, or the trigger on trombones. The fourth valve adds a lower range, which, along with the flugelhorn’s deep sound, improves the instrument’s range. Players can also use the fourth valve instead of combining the first and third valves, which can make the pitch slightly sharp.

A smaller version of the rotary valve flugelhorn is the oval-shaped kuhlohorn in B♭. It was created for German Protestant trombone choirs.

Two bass flugelhorns in C, called fiscorns, are used in Catalan cobla bands. These bands play music for sardana dancers.

Timbre

The flugelhorn has a thicker sound and is often considered more mellow and darker than the trumpet or cornet. Its sound is similar to a mix between a trumpet and a French horn, while the cornet's sound is similar to a mix between a trumpet and a flugelhorn. The flugelhorn is just as agile as the cornet but harder to control when playing higher notes, such as those around G5. In general, it has more difficulty staying on pitch in these higher ranges.

Use and performances

The flugelhorn is a common instrument in British-style brass bands and is often used in jazz music. It also appears sometimes in orchestral and concert band music. Well-known orchestral pieces that include the flugelhorn are Igor Stravinsky's Threni, Ralph Vaughan Williams's Ninth Symphony, and Michael Tippett's Third Symphony. The flugelhorn is occasionally used instead of the post horn in Gustav Mahler's Third Symphony and in place of the soprano Roman buccine in Ottorino Respighi's Pines of Rome. In HK Gruber's Trumpet Concerto Busking (2007), the soloist is instructed to play the flugelhorn during the slow middle movement. The flugelhorn was a key instrument in many of Burt Bacharach's 1960s pop song arrangements. It plays a solo part in Bert Kaempfert's 1962 recording of "That Happy Feeling." Flugelhorns are sometimes used as the alto or low soprano voice in drum and bugle corps.

Another use of the flugelhorn is in Dutch and Belgian "Fanfareorkesten" or fanfare orchestras. In these orchestras, flugelhorns, usually between 10 and 20 in number, play an important role and form the foundation of the orchestra. They are tuned to B♭, with occasionally an E♭ soloist. Because of poor tuning accuracy, these E♭ flugelhorns are often replaced by E♭ trumpets or cornets.

The 1996 film Brassed Off includes a flugelhorn performance of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, Adagio, as a key scene. The solo is played by Paul Hughes.

Notable players

Joe Bishop, who was part of the Woody Herman band in 1936, was one of the first jazz musicians to play the flugelhorn. In the early 1950s, Shorty Rogers and Kenny Baker began using the instrument, and Clark Terry played it in Duke Ellington’s orchestra in the mid-1950s. Chet Baker recorded many albums on the flugelhorn during the 1950s and 1960s. Miles Davis helped make the flugelhorn more popular in jazz through his albums Miles Ahead and Sketches of Spain, both arranged by Gil Evans, although he used the instrument less in later projects. Other well-known flugelhorn players include Hugh Masekela, Donald Byrd, Freddy Buzon, Freddie Hubbard, Tom Browne, Lee Morgan, Bill Dixon, Wilbur Harden, Art Farmer, Roy Hargrove, Randy Brecker, Feya Faku, Tony Guerrero, Gary Lord, Jimmy Owens, Maynard Ferguson, Terumasa Hino, Woody Shaw, Bobby Shew, Guido Basso, Kenny Wheeler, Tom Harrell, Bill Coleman, Thad Jones, Arturo Sandoval, Lee Loughnane of the rock band Chicago, Roddy Lorimer of the Kick Horns, Mike Metheny, Harry Beckett, Till Brönner, and Ack van Rooyen. Most jazz flugelhorn players use the instrument as a secondary choice to the trumpet, but in the 1970s, Chuck Mangione stopped playing the trumpet and focused only on the flugelhorn, especially on his jazz-pop song "Feels So Good." Mangione, in an interview during the 1980 Winter Olympics, called the flugelhorn "the right baseball glove" for the theme song he wrote, "Give It All You Got."

Pop music flugelhorn players include Probyn Gregory (Brian Wilson Band), Ronnie Wilson of The Gap Band, Rick Braun, Mic Gillette, Jeff Oster, Zach Condon of the band Beirut, Scott Spillane of the band Neutral Milk Hotel, Terry Kirkman of the band The Association, Annie Chappell and Rashawn Ross of the Dave Matthews Band. Marvin Stamm played the flugelhorn solo on "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" by Paul and Linda McCartney.

Classical flugelhorn players include Sergei Nakariakov and Kirill Soldatov.