Re: Re: [Finale] Turn-of-the-century Band Music

[Daniel Wolf]

There is a great deal of continuity between Sousa's instrumentation and 
that of contemporary bands, but there are couple of features worth 
noting.  All flutes doubled on piccolo. Two oboes, 2nd doubling EH. The 
Bb clarinet section was large (12-27 players), with only one alto and 
one bass clarinet.  Earlier Sousa bands used Eb Clarinet, but he 
discontinued this in favor of adding more flutes.  The use of 
contrabassoon (or, in one season, contrabass sarrusaphone) was limited 
to a few seasons and was doubled by the second (of two) bassoonists. The 
sax section varied from four to eight players.  Trumpets and cornets 
were strongly segregated, not doubling, usually in a two trumpet to four 
cornet ratio, although in the earlier years the lower cornet parts were 
taken by flugelhorns.  Always four horns, and four trombones to two (or 
later) one euphonium.  Sousa only had upright-bell sousaphones, and the 
earlier bands used a mixture of tubas and sousaphone, while the later 
bands used sousaphones exclusively. Always three percussionists.  The 
band membership also included a female vocalist, a violinist, and a 
harpist as soloists, with the harpist also a standard member of the full 
ensemble, seated front center between woodwinds and brasses.

Daniel Wolf
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