News & Events

Bach (Trumpets) on YouTube

There has been a flurry of Bach performances by a number of period instrument ensembles on YouTube including some beautiful baroque trumpet playing.

Historic Trumpet (Cornet) Competition

The 2008 Historic Trumpet Division of the National Trumpet Competition (13-16 March 2008) will expand to include 19th-century instruments. The baroque trumpet competition will be divided into 2 age categories for trumpet with fingerholes, 1 for natural trumpet without fingerholes. The new category is a competition for players of the keyed bugle, cornet, or saxhorn. Except for the youth division of the baroque trumpet category, no age limits are in place and musicians of all nationalities may enter. For rules click here.

National Civil War Field Music School

The National Association for Civil War Brass Music will present a school on the essentials of military field music of the U.S. Civil War (1861-65) at Pamplin Historical Park, near the city of Petersburg, VA from 13–15 June 2008. Participants will experience period-style training in the art of bugling, drumming, and fife playing from experts in the field in a historical setting. The director of the school is Jari Villanueva, a noted expert on field music and director of the Federal City Brass Band and 26th NC Regimental Band (recreated). Other faculty include Bill Bynum, Tim Ertel, Jeb Hague, Doug Hedwig, Joe Korber, David Loyal, Jason Maines, George Rabbai, Stephen Southard, and Chuck Woodhead. The school will provide instruction in novice, intermediate, and advanced levels for participants aged 11 and older. The weekend will be ordered by field music and military drill of the era and will culminate in a public dress parade. For more information and registration forms, go to http://www.nationalcivilwarfieldmusicschool.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Results of Historic Division - 2007 NTC

Judges: Niklaus Eklund, chair
Barry Bauguess, Nationally recognized Baroque Trumpet Artist
Ray Burkhart, Claremont Graduate University
Robert Civiletti, Baroque Trumpet Artist
Dr. Thomas Huener, Eastern Carolina University
Dr. Elisa Koehler, Goucher College
Dr. Stanley Curtis, U. S. Navy Band, George Mason University

Baroque Trumpet Ensemble Award: Kentucky Baroque Trumpets [photo]

Fray Antoni Martín I Coll Award (named in honor of the prolific Catalan trumpet composer-monk, this award is offered as a new solo category not allowing the use of finger holes):

• 1st Prize: Baroque trumpet made by Francisco Pérez of Alicante, Spain awarded to Nathaniel Cox
• 2nd Prizes: Free Tuition to the International Natural Trumpet Making Workshop held from June 25-29 in Rostock, Germany or from July 30-August 3 in Bloomington, Indiana, and taught by Robert Barclay, Richard Seraphinoff, and Michael Munkwitz. Also offered is one week's tuition to the Baroque Performance Institute at Oberlin Conservatory. TIE: Chris Campbell (will be offered the Int. Trumpet Making Workshop)
  Justin Bland (will be offered the tuition at the Baroque Performance Institute at Oberlin)

Shore Award (solo category up to age 18)
1st Prize: A $200 gift certificate from The Baroque Trumpet Shop awarded to Dominic Favia

Fantini Award (ages 19 to 28)

• 1st Prize: A $300 gift certificate from The Baroque Trumpet Shop awarded to David Wharton
• 2nd Prize: The Bendinelli Award, a $100 anonymous cash gift, awarded to Don Johnson III.

Reiche Award (ages 29 and up)
1st Prize: The Naumann Award For Artistry of a Naumann Baroque Trumpet awarded to Nicholas Althouse

New Website for Crispian Steele-Perkins

Members are welcome to download free photos and sound clips of antique trumpets from the collection of baroque trumpeter Christian Steele-Perkins on his new website: www.CrispianSteele-Perkins.co.uk

Baroque Trumpets on YouTube

We have received notice of a number of videos of baroque trumpet playing available on the YouTube video site.

1. A Young Friedemann Immer performs the 3rd Mvmt of the Brandenburg no. 2 at

2. Baroque trumpets playing the Biber Sonata Sancti Polycarpi at

3. Crispian Steele-Perkins playing Handel's The Trumpet Shall Sound at

Boston Symphony Orchestra Trombone Quartet Recordings

Doug Yeo has created a new web article about the BSO Trombone Quartet and their 1906 Victor recordings with images and mp3 sound files of some of the recordings. www.yeodoug.com/articles/1906/1906.html

Kaiser Serpents

Kaiser Serpents are hand made, rendered in fiberglass reinforced epoxy resin in the key of C. They feature tapered brass bocals, brass receivers, hand turned mouthpieces. The bell rings and finger rings are made from various woods such as American Walnut and African Blackwood. Each serpent is carefully molded in two halves then bonded together with the same epoxy that reinforces the cloth. The entire instrument would then be covered with two additional coats of epoxy. The epoxy resin is infused with pure carbon to give it a deep black color. The exterior is then lightly sanded and sprayed with a high tech textured paint that is made specifically for bonding to composites. The resulting instrument is extremely strong and should last several lifetimes. Because of the molding process, the bore of the instrument is inherently true and smooth. At a distance of a few feet this instrument resembles a period-produced instrument. At this time Kaiser Serpents are selling instruments on EBay with prices ranging from U.S.$400.00 to 500.00. There is also a waiting / notification list that we alert when there is another finished instrument. If you have any questions or comments or want to see pictures please visit the Kaiser Serpent website: kaiserserpents.com

North American Sackbut Maker

Mike Corrigan has begun to create sackbuts in the Kansas City area. Michael Holmes (Washington Cornett & Sackbutt Ensemble) has offered praise for Corrigan's Schnitzer copy. For more information see the impressive website at bachorndoctor.com/custom.html and click on "sackbuts". Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Tel: (913) 390-1776.

Call for Nominations (IGEB)

Thelen Prize 2008 IGEB (International Society for the Investigation and Promotion of Wind Music) issues a call for nominations for the 2008 Thelen Prize for dissertations in the field of wind music research. Anyone with a dissertation accepted from 1999 to the present is eligible to participate. The deadline for nominations is December 19, 2007. All dissertations in the field of wind music research, in any language, from any country, worldwide are eligible for consideration. The Prize consists of a certificate, the presentation of a paper at the IGEB conference 2008 in Echternach, Luxemburg, and publication in IGEB's Reprints and Manuscripts series or in the Alta Musica series. Self-nominations are welcome. Nominations should include the following: one paper copy; digital file [pdf format]; curriculum vita
NOTE: deadline December 19, 2007
Send to: IGEB c/o. Doris Schweinzer Leonhardstrasse 15 A-8010 Graz Austria Raoul Camus

Francis Johnson Book Released

Francis Johnson (1792-1844): Chronicle of a Black Musician in Early Nineteenth-Century Philadelphia by Charles K. Jones, published by Lehigh University Press, ISBN 0-934223-86-6, was given a publication celebration on October 24, 2006 at Lehigh University. Lorenzo Greenwich, a collaborator on this project and long-time friend of the author, Charles Jones gave a speech regarding the research activities for the book. The event had other speakers (Philip Metzger, Paul Larson and David Diggs) and performers (Diane Monroe [violin] with Paul Saline [piano]; and Jari Villanueva [cornet] with Helen Beadle [piano] in period dress). The musicians performed Johnson compositions and the speaker's remarks were Johnson tailored. Order information: Associated University Press, 2010 Eastpark Blvd., Cranbury, New Jersey 08512, Tele: 609-655-4770, Fax: 609-655-8366, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., (special price until Dec. 31, 2006 $46.00, $57.50 after Jan.1) shipping: $3.95 for the first book and .95 cents each thereafter.

Shofar Service Recorded

The Milken Archive series of Jewish Music on the Naxos label recently released the CD, Herman Berlinski: From the World of My Father, Naxos 8.559446, featuring the shofar in a recording of Herman Berlinski’s (1910-2001) moving work Shofar Service (1964). This three movement work features the shofar playing the traditional High Holiday calls which is, in the words of the composer, “surrounded by brass.” The two modern trumpets, played beautifully by Stephen Keavy and James Ghigi imitate the shofar calls in an imaginative manner. Tim Roseman is the able shofar player.

Paris Conference

Call for Papers
The Cité de la Musique in association with the Historic Brass Society presents an international conference with concerts and other events on the topic Paris, the factory of ideas: The influence of Paris on brass instruments c.1840- c.1930, to be held at the Cité de la Musique, Paris 29, 30 June to 1 July 2007. The conference is intended to cast light on the main topic and the three themes of this event. All applicants should familiarise themselves with the stated objectives and present their proposals in a way that makes the relationship with the themes explicit. However, the organisers are keen to encourage a wide interpretation of these themes and to elicit a rich variety of presentations. The languages for the conference are French and English. Submissions can be for formally read papers or other presentations. There is a choice of 20-minute or 40-minute slots. All submissions must contain an indication of which type of slot is being asked for. Submissions must be in the form of an abstract of no more that 300 words. It must contain the title, the name of the presenter, summary information about the presentation and a statement of how it meets one or more of the themes for the event. All submissions must be sent electronically to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by November 1 2006. No submissions received after this date will be considered. The program committee will reach a decision on presentations and inform all applicants by February 1 2007. Presenters will not receive fees or expenses but the full conference fee will be waived. Rooms at preferential rates will be available in local hotels. All presentations will be in the Cite de La Musique which has excellent acoustics, PowerPoint and audio playback facilities.

Natural Trumpet Cases

Trumpet maker Francisco Pérez reports that one of his customers, Renato Bajardo, is starting his own business in making cases for natural trumpets.
Contact:
Renato Bajardo
Via Lomellini, 5/2
16124 Genova
GE
Italia
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Natural Trumpet Competition Applications

Stanley Curtis reports that there have been continuing problems this year with the online registration for the historic division on the NTC website. He is now personally accepting all applications. If you are interested in entering this competition, please send your contact information (including phone and address), your age, what categories you are entering, a recording on cd or tape, and a check for the fees of all the categories that your are entering (payable to National Trumpet Competition Association). Please do not record the arias with soprano (that is only for the live round). You may send this as late as Dec. 15, due to the technical problems encountered (originally the deadline was Dec. 1). The NTC hopes to have this smoothed out next year for online registration.

Please forward this information along to all interested trumpeters. More information about this competition is found at www.nationaltrumpetcomp.org.

Cassone Brandenburg Video

Trumpet virtuoso Gabriele Cassone is featured on a video recording the Second Brandenburg Concerto and is available to view online at www.rtsi.ch/barocchisti.

London Gabrieli Brass Ensemble

The Georgian Concert Society invited the LGBE to give a recital in St Cecilia’s Hall (second oldest concert hall in the U.K. after Oxford’s Holywell Room) and, of course, the spot where the Reid Collection houses their magnificent collection of keyboard and plucked instruments. Andrew Clark and Martin Lawrence performed on hand-horns and trompes de chasse. along with David Blackadder (trompette demilune, keyed trumpet and F trumpet) and Peter Harvey (1862 Courtois trombone). We gave a programme of original brass ensemble music dating from 1814 to circa 1830 entirely on period instruments. Arnold Myers allowed us to use his trompette demilune to give four of the Cherubini marches and also his trompe dauphine (the Le Brun which in fact dates from 1721 and not 1729 - the year that the Dauphin of Louis XV was actually born - thus exploding another myth - in this case perpetrated by Morley-Pegge), which I used to play one of the great Marquis de Dampierre’s fanfares, La Choisy.

Martin and I then used my Raoux (Napoleon III) and Bauer (1880s) trompes to give La Choisy in two-part harmony and then the three of us played Handel’s La Rejouissance and some Kozeluch fanfares.

Then came five Reicha horn trios (Andrew playing the 1818 Raoux that once belonged to Dennis Brain), the Beethoven Adagio (a self-contained sketch for 3 horns dating from 1815) and one of Dauprat’s trios with the horns crooked in three different keys). After the interval we did Neukomm’s Quatuor pour etre executer dans la Grotte Tuonante pres le Scoglio di Virgilio dans la Golfe de Naples but with Blackadder sounding the echo alone (rather than an echo horn trio) on his keyed trumpet. We finished up with a set of dances by the Erbprinz (Carl Friedrich von Lowenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg) dating (I reckon) from about 1830.

LGBE: L to R: Chris Larkin, Andrew Clark, Martin Lawrence, Peter Harvey, David Blackadder.

 

--- submitted by Chris Larkin

2006 Maryland Early Brass Day

The 2006 Maryland Early Brass Day was held on April 1 at Goucher College in Towson, MD (USA).  This year's ensemble-in-residence was Newberry's Victorian Cornet Band, who offered a workshop on late 19th-century American brass band music and a short concert of the same.  [Photo1] [Photo 2] For information on the 2007 MEBF, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Toulouse Symposium

The First Toulouse International Symposium of Ancient Brass Instruments, co-sponsored by the HBS and Les Sacqueboutiers, will be held April 20-23, 2006 in Toulouse, France. Registration for competition is now closed.  Adjudicators will include cornettos: Bruce Dickey, Jeremy West, Jean-Pierre Canihac and sackbuts: Sue Addison, Wim Becu, Jean-Pierre Mathieu. Information for the competition at http://www.les-sacqueboutiers.com or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Herbert Trombone Book

HBS Board Member and trombone scholar, Trevor Herbert, has just released a book, The Trombone, published by Yale University Press.  This looks to be the definitive study on the history of the trombone.

Phil Holcomb Website

Phil Holcomb has a new website with images of his amazing brass collection. Check it out. www.rugs-n-relics.com

History of the World from the Horn Section

That intriguing headline accompanied an article by Josh Kun in the April 9, 2006 issue of the New York Times. It’s not often that brass history is dealt with in the mainstream press, particularly the publication that purports to present, "All the news that’s fit to print," but this extensive article examined much recent brass activity. There was a focus on world music and how many brass music traditions were inter-related. It was demonstrated that the brass section is the common factor in music from diverse areas as; Macedonia, Mexico, India, Brazil, and Benin. Musical excerpts mentioned in the article are on the New York Times website [in the archive pages].

Trumpet-Making Workshops

The International Trumpet-Making Workshop offered three courses this year, at Bloomington in Indiana; Rostock, Germany; and Kremsmünster near Linz in Austria. In the space of a week participants make a natural trumpet in brass by hand, from the flat sheet stock to a playable instrument. In recent years, with increases in efficiency and improved tools, some participants have even been able to finish their work in four days. We have noticed that decorative details and general finish have also improved over the time we have been teaching the course. As in the past few years, Michael Münkwitz joined Rick Seraphinoff and Bob Barclay again in teaching the workshops. Well over 250 people have now made natural trumpets under our direction, and the course appears to be as popular as ever. Often, the workshop is concluded with a concert on the finished instruments. This was especially the case in Kremsmünster, where the concluding reception in the courtyard at Schloß Kremsegg featured trumpet music by Paul Hainlein, (nephew of Hanns Hainlein, on whose design the workshop trumpets are based), Johann Ernst Altenburg, and pieces for trumpet ensemble by an anonymous composer of the 18th century found in the music archives of Kremsmünster, all played by the participants on their newly made instruments, and led by Jean-François Madeuf. It was exciting to imagine that this music could have been played in the same courtyard by trumpet players in the 17th and 18th centuries on similar instruments.

Interestingly, we hear rumours from time to time that European brass instrument makers feel our courses are in some way in competition with their products. Nothing could be further from the truth. Making one's own instrument in a course like this does not avoid the years of training and study that a true instrument-maker must follow. All it does is provide the participants with simple working tools for further exploration, and gives them a greater appreciation for the fine workmanship found on well made instruments. Often, they become customers of brass instrument makers, and few, if any, ever go on to make more instruments themselves. We have always maintained that our participants gain such an understanding of the instrument, and a heightened interest in the early brass world, that it can only benefit the whole community.

Details of future courses can be found at:

www.seraphinoff.com/workshop.htm
www.trumpetmaker.com/