transposing instrument

American  

noun

1. a musical instrument played at a pitch different from that indicated in the score.

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transposing instrument British  

noun

1. a musical instrument, esp a horn or clarinet, pitched in a key other than C major, but whose music is written down as if its basic scale were C major. A piece of music in the key of F intended to be played on a horn pitched in F is therefore written down a fourth lower than an ordinary part in that key and has the same key signature as a part written in C

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Etymology

Origin of transposing instrument

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

It sounds an octave higher than is indicated by the notes in its part, and so is what is called a transposing instrument of four-foot tone.

From How to Listen to Music, 7th ed. Hints and Suggestions to Untaught Lovers of the Art by Krehbiel, Henry Edward

Like the clarinet, the clarina is a transposing instrument, for which the music must be written in a key a tone higher than that of the composition.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 4 "Cincinnatus" to "Cleruchy" by Various

Like the clarinet, the basset horn is a transposing instrument, its music being written a fifth higher than the actual sounds.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3 "Banks" to "Bassoon" by Various

If the harpsichord was not intended to be tuned to this standard and used for this purpose, it must have been tuned to choir pitch and treated as a transposing instrument.

From Italian Harpsichord-Building in the 16th and 17th Centuries by Shortridge, John D.

The euphonium is treated by French and German composers as a transposing instrument; in England the real notes are usually written, except when the treble clef is used.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 8 "Ethiopia" to "Evangelical Association" by Various