TubaForum.net

I saw this in an old catalog on ebay. Thought it was strange. The wiki definition makes it sound like a normal bass tuba, yet almost nobody uses this term anymore? Or am I mistaken?

It is an old term for tuba, specially in the homeland of the rotary valves (South Germany, Austria...)

I too have come across it as well.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle played the Bombardon.

(I forget whence i heard that... I might have Mr. Detwiler to thank for that bit of wisdom)

In Italy Bombardone is an obsolete term indicating the Flicorno Basso, this last again an obsolete name for Tuba.
The term "Bombardino" though still survives as a common name for the Flicorno Baritono ( and as a bit derogatory name for the Euphonium.. )
I don't know why, but I wouldn't feel offended if someone would tell me I play a Bombardone, while an Euphonium player generally goes mad if you tell him he's playing a Bombardino

Merriam-Webster:
bombardon noun
bom·​bar·​don | \ ˈbäm-bər-ˌdōn , bäm-ˈbär-dᵊn \
Definition of bombardon
1: a bass tuba
2: the bass member of the shawm family
First Known Use of bombardon
1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for bombardon
French, from Italian bombardone

Oxford Music Dictionary:
bombardon
Subject: Music
1 Form of bass tuba with 3 piston valves, in B♭, C, CC, F, or E♭. Replaced by Sax's E♭ or BB♭ bass tubas, 1842 (double letter indicates specimens with wider bore).

For what it's worth, Bombardon can also refer to an organ stop, and that's what immediately came to mind when I noted the title of this thread.

On the couple that I've encountered, the stop--to my ears--combines the worst properties of a bass tuba and a sarrusophone. Usually the loudest pedal stop on an organ, it is obnoxious when played solo. On English organs, it probably only gets used for fanfares when the ruling sovereign is about to enter the building. That's the only time I would dare to activate it.

You can hear the Bombardon activated here in the closing bars of the introduction as the crescendo reaches its peak, at 0:29:

The very old Boosey&Hawkes printed marches often used the term "Bombardon" at the top.

Funny. In all my years I never heard the tuba called that!

lost wrote: ↑Fri Oct 09, 2020 6:51 pm Funny. In all my years I never heard the tuba called that!

You should get out more...

In some regions of South Germany not only the instrument is still called Bombardon but the player as well!

Thought I'd chime in . . .

After poking around a bit, there is significant evidence in America that helicon basses were sometimes referred to as bombardons (or is the plural bombardon?).

For example, here is a mention of bombardon(s) in an American newspaper from 1851, where they are distinguished from saxhorns, tubas, and ophiclides. I'm not sure what else it would be referring to at that time, if not helicons.



The great John Kuhn was said to have played a bombardon while in college, and that horn is defined as a large helicon:




The same connection is made in this explanation from 1937 (note the last sentence):

...

peterbas wrote: ↑Sat Oct 10, 2020 10:20 am

Snake Charmer wrote: ↑Sat Oct 10, 2020 3:47 am In some regions of South Germany not only the instrument is still called Bombardon but the player as well!

Same here in Belgium but it is starting to dwindle.
The instrument nowadays is simple called "bas" where it used to be "bombardon" or "keizerbas".
Bombardon was also frequently used and the tuba part mainly because everything used to be more French orientated back in those days.
Nowadays everything is getting more Englisch dominated so the part is now mostly called "Tuba", again a lost of culture and tradition.

Same in the Netherlands. I have some old sheet music (especially marches) with the instrument called "Bombardon". The newer notations are "Bas", but nowadays it's often called "Tuba".

The term Bombardon is from the old era when most bands in the Netherlands/Belgium played "Tuba" on a nickel-plated-piston-valve-helicon.

P@rick wrote: ↑Fri Oct 16, 2020 6:21 am

peterbas wrote: ↑Sat Oct 10, 2020 10:20 am

Snake Charmer wrote: ↑Sat Oct 10, 2020 3:47 am In some regions of South Germany not only the instrument is still called Bombardon but the player as well!

Same here in Belgium but it is starting to dwindle.
The instrument nowadays is simple called "bas" where it used to be "bombardon" or "keizerbas".
Bombardon was also frequently used and the tuba part mainly because everything used to be more French orientated back in those days.
Nowadays everything is getting more Englisch dominated so the part is now mostly called "Tuba", again a lost of culture and tradition.

Same in the Netherlands. I have some old sheet music (especially marches) with the instrument called "Bombardon". The newer notations are "Bas", but nowadays it's often called "Tuba".

The term Bombardon is from the old era when most bands in the Netherlands/Belgium played "Tuba" on a nickel-plated-piston-valve-helicon.

This is all very interesting. Belgium is split Flemish and Walloon, but I would have expected German-ish languages (like Dutch) and French-ish languages to have different words for all this.
'Bas' is French for low.

...

peterbas wrote: ↑Tue Oct 20, 2020 1:22 am Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French and German.
But like I said, most was French-based, like companies selling sheet music. Even sheet music by Dutch speaking composers used the French words for the instruments.

Hautbois, that is really something! (using the corrupted English pronunciation of the French word to turn a common English slang phrase)

Oedipoes wrote: ↑Wed Oct 21, 2020 7:55 am A lot of the English language is actually derived from the corrupted pronunciation of Dutch/ Flemish dialects...

And German, and Spanish, and French, and Latin, and Saxon, and....