The Five valve euphonium (noncompensating) is an extremely rare variation of the euphonium manufactured in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Britain's Besson musical instrument company and Highams of Manchester Musical Instrument Company. Besson and Highams's Clearbore five valve vintage euphoniums are among the rarest and most valuable in existence.
The Besson five valve euphonium featured the standard three piston valves horizontally on top, but had an additional two piston valves off the side. The standard euphonium has eight possible fingering and non-fingering positions by which sound is produced. The Besson and the Highams 'clearbore' model rare fourth and fifth extra 'side' valves change the possible fingering and non-fingering positions from eight to thirty-one.
The term 'five valve euphonium' does not refer to variations of the double bell euphonium made by various brass instrument companies during the same time period. Some of the double-bell euphoniums had five valves, with the fifth valve either on top with the other four, or by itself off to the side, but the double-bell fifth valve was used for switching the sound to the second smaller trombone-sized bell, and not for changing the fingering pitch of the instrument. Also, Cerveny Musical Instruments manufactures several euphoniums with five vertical rotary valves today, but this is an unrelated recent development.
Joseph Highams of Manchester, England, was one of the outstanding brass musical instrument makers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly euphonium and tuba.
Open
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
12, 13, 23, 14, 24, 34, 15, 25, 35, 45
123, 124, 134, 234, 125, 135, 145, 235, 245, 345
1234, 1245, 1345, 2345
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