Brasswind History

Today, brass is made by combining copper and zinc in in varying ratios. All brass is certainly NOT the same. Some brass is really soft, and other brass in incredibly hard. In ancient times, no one knew what zinc was. However, ancients were able to find calamine. Calamine brass dates to Neolithic times; it was probably made by reduction of mixtures of zinc ores and copper ores. In ancient documents, such as the Bible, the term brass is often used to denote bronze, the alloy of copper with tin.. They used calamine in combination with copper to make brass. The Greeks called brass "oreichalcos" and the Romans called it "aurichalum." Romans used brass for their helmets and jewelry. Before the 1700's, zinc could not be found or taken in its pure form because the technology did not yet exist that could melt it. Zinc's melting point is 420 degrees Centigrade. In order to make brass, ground calamine ore and copper were mixed together and then heated in a crucible. This did not melt the copper, but it did release vapors from the zinc in the calamine into the copper. After zinc vapors permeated the copper, brass was formed. The brass was then melted down to make the metal uniform. In 1746, zinc was isolated by Andreas Marggraf.

In the Middle Ages, a flourishing brass industry grew up in Europe. It centered in the Meuse Valley of Belgium, where zinc was found. Magnificent ornamental brasses were cast into objects for cathedrals, including fonts, lecterns, chandeliers, candlesticks, and locks. Monumental brasses (large engraved plates of brass) were used to commemorate the dead. These brass plates were set into the surface of the tomb. They were decorated with figures of the deceased, coats of arms, and inscriptions. Sometimes the deeply etched lines were filled with enamels or were inlaid with silver.

A manufacturing industry producing brass objects developed quickly after the Middle Ages. Bowls, jugs, basins, lamps, candlesticks, chandeliers, clocks, and numerous other household items were made of brass. Decorative brass plates and bowls were in enormous demand by those people who could afford them. These showpieces were embossed and hammered with beautiful designs and were displayed in the owners' homes. Sundials and fine instruments for astronomy, surveying, navigation, and other scientific pursuits were also commonly made of brass.

Brass was also widely used to make cannons until the middle of the 19th century, when steel supplanted brass and other metals for this use. High quality brass furnishings remain popular today, although they are generally costly compared with household items made of more common materials.

Brass is sometimes coated with either enamel, or laquer. This is done to prevent the brass form forming a green "PATINA" over the surface. This tarnish can be removed by any number of polishes, yet one should use caution when attempting to shine a brass instrument that has some of the laquer remaining, as it may very well strip off what little laquer remains.

There are many different kinds of brasswind instruments:

Baritone, Bugle, Cornet, Flugelhorn, Euphonium, Sousaphone, Trombone, and of course Trumpet.  

The technical term for a brass instrument is aerophone, which means it is an instrument which means the musician must blow air into the instrument. The musician produces the tone by buzzing the lips into what is generally a cup-shaped mouthpiece. It does not mean that the instrument is necessarily made of brass, since instruments that are made of other metals, wood, horn, or even animal bone are included in the family of brass instruments. Likewise, other instruments that are made of brass or metals, such as the flute or saxophone, do not constitute members of the brass family of instruments.

Brass instruments, like all other pitched musical instruments, are dependent on the overtone series which was first studied and analyzed by the Greek philosopher Pythagoras. It basically states that a string, or the vibrating air column in the case of a brass instrument, will tend to vibrate at certain frequencies based on the length of the string or tube. The fundamental pitch is the lowest natural note. Other possible notes then follow Pathagorus' formula, one octave above the fundamental, followed by a perfect fifth above that, followed by a perfect fourth, and on up.

Because the overtone series leaves a lot of gaps between pitches musicians and instrument manufacturers developed ways of playing the notes in between. Modern brass instruments usually alter the length of the tubing through valves. The slide, still used by trombonists today, was one of the earliest methods of changing the length of tubing. Other methods of producing additional pitches include replacing different lengthened crooks in the instrument and placing the hand deep into the bell, in the case of early horns, to alter the pitch.

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