Picture this in an antique store - looks like a piece of junk doesn't it?
Well, we must congratulate our dance master, Jons Olsson for having hung around the band long enough to realize that it is NOT a piece of junk at all, but a rare cornet. It is a bell-up b-flat cornet (or flugelhorn) with Vienna valves (an obsolete style of twin piston valve) probably dating from the 1850's or before. It is missing a couple of parts, but nothing that can't be replaced. It even has its original mouthpiece. (the braid is kind of nice, too!) Marked "Buzzell and Gove, Rochester, NY".
Now restored (without the braid), the instrument turns out to be red brass (brass with a very high copper content - giving a reddish appearance) with a yellow brass valve section and trim. According to the Schuyler C. Townson Research Library in Rochester, NY, the instrument was made by Luther Buzzell and Benjamin P. Gove, who were listed together as musical instrument makers in the 1849-50 city directory. This is certainly a unique instrument, and we are very glad to have it now in working condition.
Also new to the band is the latest edition to our circular horn family, which completes all the voices for our collection. We acquired a helicon alto horn made by Moses Slater. The instrument has an unusual inverted valve section which makes it most interesting to play. As most of our instruments bear nicknames of some kind (easier than remembering accession numbers), we have been calling it "The pretzel" (referring to the person who will have to play it) or the "Carpal Tunnel Horn". Some of our players find it just as easy to play it left-handed, so possibly that could account for its strange design.
This next addition is this rare two-piece over-the-shoulder Bb cornet. The main bell ferrule is threaded, allowing the instrument to be taken apart for more compact storage. It retains its original case and mouthpiece as well. The instrument is probably European in origin.
People are always asking us where we get our instruments. Some are purchased from collectors or dealers, some are on loan from individuals or museums, a few belong to band members, and occasionally someone just walks up to us after a performance and asks if we could use an old horn they found up in the attic. That's what happened after the performance at the Belleville, WI, sesquicentennial on August 11. Mr. Lyle Stall from Orfordville, WI found an interesting old cornet in his father's attic (interesting because his father was an Eb tuba player). He offered to donate it to the foundation on the spot when he found we could indeed use it. It is a Bb cornet marked Julius Bauer, Chicago, with the original coffin case and mouthpiece - in really fine shape. We are always grateful for people who think of us for a donation, and allow an instrument to be not only preserved, but enjoyed by an audience again after many years of being silent.
Another recent find came to us from a local auction house. It is an early Boston Musical Instrument Manufactory Bb cornet in its original case with 2 bits and a mouthpiece. Apparently, it was played for a few years and put away, because other than some surface pitting and corrosion from the badly deteriorating case lining, it is in near mint condition - no dents, and the valves appear to have never been out of the horn (the valve strings actually rotted away rather than being broken or removed). Unusual to find such a pristine instrument - it is definitely the exception rather than the rule. It obviously hasn't seen the light of day for a long, long time, and we are the more grateful for it. And it plays like new, too!
This cornet is an unusual one. It is an Eb/Bb circular cornet and was made by Emery A. Paine, Thomas Paine's (inventor of the Paine rotary valve) brother. It is silver with gold trim, and the maker's plate reads: Made for Henry F. Rumble by Emery A. Paine, Woonsocket, RI. A second, engraved presentation below the plate reads: W.B.L. July 3, 1876. It must have had an interesting history, because it has been modified somewhat; probably once had 4 valves, and of the 3 remaining, the 3rd is different than the first two. Don't we wish they could talk?
The newest member of our period percussion family is this bass drum. Called a barrel drum because of its shape (nominal 23 x 22 inches in this case), it is certainly a military drum of Civil War vintage or before. It even has a beater to go with it. Not in bad shape for its age, it is very restorable, and we expect it to really add a different sound to our cadences. Marked John Pollard, New York, New York. If anyone knows anything about Mr. Pollard, please let us know. (NOW RESTORED)
A lamp no more!!! We have had this OTS tenor horn on loan from Joyce Seeger (pictured) and family, San Bernardino, CA, for a few years now, and it had the misfortune of being turned into a lamp once upon a time (they bought the instrument as a lamp, and had the foresight to know that it was much more than just an ornament). Unfortunately, as lamps do not require valves, these had been discarded. Now sporting new mechanicals, we debuted it in Stratford on June 8, 2002 - truly an event to hear such a misused instrument play again. It plays very well, too. Made by Klemm & Bro. Our very great thanks to band member Byron Autry for his valve expertise, and great restoration job as well!
This tuba is a 4 valve upright made by Samuel Graves. We have it on loan from the Porter County Historical Society of Indiana, where it was played there by a local musician. As you can see, it required a fair amount of restoration (a huge understatement), but has become a fine, playable instrument once again. Note progress in second set of photos, and complete restoration in last set.
This Eb cornet is in its original velvet-lined carved mahogany case, and was owned by John D. Teal, 2nd Eb soprano player in the Red Hook Cornet Band, from Red Hook, NY. His original band book came with the instrument. The horn is silver, and unmarked.
D. C. Hall is the manufacturer of this OTS silver tenor horn. The instrument is in its original coffin case. It is from a federal Vermont regiment band, and the owner lined the case with parts of blood-stained Confederate butternut trousers to protect the horn. (original coffin cases and box cases were typically bare and unpadded at this time, so cased instruments, though typically in better shape than uncased ones, still usually have dents from the hard surfaces, and often have bending or crushing from the wood shrinkage)
This cornet by D. C. Hall of Boston was presented to John M. James, chief musician of the 22d Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry band. It was purposely destroyed at the battle of Brentwood , TN when the unit was in danger of capture by Nathan Bedford Forrest's Cavalry. The instrument was preserved in four pieces, and restored by the band's founder, Fred Benkovic, who presented it to the Foundation at the 2006 Awards banquet along with a tinted copy of a photo of J. M. James. It is a fine piece, and a fine player as well.
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