A close-knit group of historic brass lovers and performers recently enjoyed the first post-pandemic Historic Brass Festival at the Vintage Brass Festival in July in Northfield Minn., USA. The two festivals have collaborated about every three years since 2006. 

This year, there were 11 presentations, an informal Baroque trumpet playing session, a virtual presentation of this year’s Christopher Monk Award, and around 35 musical groups played in about 75 total performances over the duration of the festival. Some of the performers even included four members of the Historic Brass Society’s executive board. Stanley Curtis (HBS president,) Elisa Koehler (HBS vice-president,) and Steven Lundahl (HBS Executive Board member,) and Michael Connor (managing editor of Hisoric Brass Today) all played in Connor’s Newberry’s Victorian Cornet Band. Connor was one of the presenters. Curtis also played in the Kentucky Baroque Trumpets group.

The festival was also an opportunity to present the 2022 Christopher Monk Award to Charles Toet. Read more about Toet and this prestigious award.

The North American Baroque Trumpet Competition and Conference (NABTCC) was held April 11-12, 2022, at the University of Kentucky (UK). The event was sponsored by the Historic Brass Society (HBS), and organized through the HBS Events Committee. Additional sponsors included Maller Brass, Brass for Beginners, The Baroque Trumpet Shop, the UK School of Music, and the Singletary Center for the Arts.

The event began with a master class by Stanley Curtis, President of HBS and assistant professor at Colorado State University. Curtis discussed Girolamo Fantini's 1638 trumpet treatise and how it provides valuable pedagogical information for those learning Baroque natural trumpet. At 11am, Barry Bauguess (trumpet), Paige Whitley-Bauguess (dancer), and Steven Plank (organ), presented a lecture-recital, "Dance and Rhetoric in Baroque Music"; They were assisted by trumpeters Elisa Koehler, David
Wharton, Stan Curtis, and Jason Dovel.

Following the competition, a closing concert featured all of the guest artists and members of the UK
Baroque Trumpet Ensemble. The event was hosted by Jason Dovel, associate professor at the University of Kentucky, along with
support from UK teaching assistants Victor Yuen, Austin Stunkard, and Madison Barton.

Guest artists perform in the closing concert.

The fourth volume of Sabine Kalus's definitive series, Trumpets and Other High Brass -- A History Inspired by the Joe R. and Joella F. Utley Collection, is now available. Subtitled Heyday of the Cornet, Volume 4 explores the history of the piston-valve B-flat cornet.

This new volume describes the beginnings and initial model standardization of cornets in Paris and London, and the arrival of European designs and makers in the United States. It traces the unique exuberance of cornet models by American manufacturers and their advertising practices. The social phenomenon of the cornet as an affordable, mass-produced commodity in the most remote places of the American heartland is investigated through cornets made by central European manufacturers, modeled after American designs, and sold through dealers. Related developments of the E-flat cornet, the pocket cornet, the echo cornet, and some cornet cousins in the alto, tenor, and brass ranges, such as the balla horn and mellophone, are also considered.

Available only in hardcover, Volume 4 includes 352 pages in an 8-1/2" x 11" format. It features more than 800 color illustrations and includes a DVD of musical examples performed on instruments in the Utley Collection at the National Music Museum. Previous volumes in the series are also available:

Volume 1: Instruments of the Single Harmonic Series (2012) explores western and ethnic trumpets and bugles without slides, tone holes, keys or valves.

Volume 2: Ways to expand the Harmonic Series (2013) presents the history of the slide trumpet, the cornetto and serpent, the keyed trumpet, and the keyed bugle.

Volume 3: Valves Evolve (217) explores and documents the invention and development of valves for brass instruments.

In 2017 Sabine Klaus received the Historic Brass Society's highest honor, the Christopher Monk Award.

European orders should be made through Edition Whitehall.

Orders from the US and outside of Europe should be made through the National Music Museum directly. Use code CCXXII to receive a $25 (US) promotional discount through July 30, 2022.

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Frank Hosticka and Jeff Nussbaum recently visited Metropolitan Museum of Art musical instrument curator Bradley Strauchen to examine a fascinating coiled 19^th century instrument by Jahn of Paris.

The Queen has approved the award of Her Majesty’s Medal for Music for the year 2021 to John Wallace CBE.

An internationally renowned Scottish trumpet soloist, composer and educator, John Wallace is the seventeenth recipient of the award, following the celebrated organist Thomas Trotter, who received The Queen's Medal for Music 2020.

It's here!

The inaugural edition of Historic Brass Today, an all-new publication of the Historic Brass Society to be published two times a year, bringing you news items from the historic brass community around the globe, articles on a wide variety of topics, interviews, instrument reports, reviews, and even a cartoon!

The Historic Brass Society is happy to share goings-on in the historic brass world to our followers on our social media accounts, including Facebook and Instagram. Please feel free to submit information about past or future projects you think would be relevant to our audience, including but not limited to:
• Concerts / Events
• Videos of performances
• CD releases
• Educational workshops
• Publications / Podcasts
• News / Announcements

For more information, Submissions to Our Social Media Accounts.

The online edition of the NY Times has been running a series of articles exploring the beauty of many different types of music and instruments with short blurbs by leading composers, writers and musicians. The latest in this series is on the trumpet and accompanied by short audio clips. Among the excerpts chosen were the "Itrada" by Honegger played by Hakan Hardenberger, Terrence Blanchard chose his own performance of his "Funeral Dirge". Louis Armstrong would, of course be on the list and he was chosen twice. A NY Times writer chose a 1947 recording of "Dear Old Southland" rather than the famous virtuosic recordings from the late 1920s and early 1930s. The second selection was Armstrong's 1929 recording of "Black and Blue." Joan Tower chose her own composition "Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 5" performed by the American Brass Quintet. Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith chose Miles Davis's "Calyspso Frelimo". The Post Horn solo from Mahler's 3rd played by John Ware with Bernstein conducting the NY Philharmonic was another great choice. Perhaps a surprising vote was "I had the Craziest Dream" played by Kenny Dorham. No list of great trumpet music could be without "The Trumpet Shall Sound" from the Messiah and the recording selected was by Dunedin Consort with Chris Dicken doing the honors. The conductor Leonard Slatkin chose "Bugler's Dream" by Leo Arnaud, a piece that was commissioned by Felix Slatkin. This piece has gained universal acclaim as "The Olympic Fanfare." Two more surprising choices were Witness" as performed by Ron Miles and Johnny Coles playing Sunken Treasure"  by Gil Evan. A transcription of an oboe concert by Marcello as interpreted by Tine Thing Helseth on piccolo trumpet was on the list.  Susan Slaughter's recording of "A Trumpeter's Lullaby" was next and the last selection was Markus Stockhausen's performance of his father's "Michaels Reise um die Erde".

Now, if you don't end up loving the trumpet after hearing those wonderful recording, well, ... I just don't know.

Jeff Nussbaum

The North American Baroque Trumpet Competition and Conference will be held April 11-12, 2022, at the University of Kentucky. The event consists of concerts, masterclasses, paper presentations, and a competition For full details, or to register, visit the website at: https://finearts.uky.edu/music/events/north-american-baroque-trumpet-competition-and-conference

Competitors and paper presenters must apply by January 15, 2022, and will be notified of their acceptance by February 1.

Host: Jason Dovel This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Competition Chair: Stanley Curtis This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Call for Papers Chair: Sarah Herbert This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Check out the Facebook page North American Baroque Trumpet Competition and Conference for forthcoming updates about the event.