Call for Papers

Making the British Sound - Instrumental Music and British Traditions
Sponsored Jointly by the Galpin Society and the Historic Brass Society
London - Edinburgh
July 7-11, 2009
Further Details (Galpin Society website)

Updated Booking Form!

Bryan Proksch New HBS Newsletter Editor

4/28/09 - Mike O'Connor, our longtime HBS e-news/newsletter editor, has stepped down after several years of good and much appreciated service. We thank him! Bryan Proksch has been appointed as the new HBS E-news/newsletter editor in his place. Bryan, a musicologist by trade, is assistant professor of music at McNeese State University. His work in brass history includes several editions with Editions BIM (Cerclier, Snow and others), articles in the ITG Journal (on Snow and Kennan), and an article on Dauverne and Kresser in the next issue of the HBS Journal. He also edits the "repertoire column" for the Trumpet Guild. Those wishing to submit news items for the HBS website can This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or continue to submit to Jeff via email.

CIMCIM Conference

HBS CIMCIM Session
The Historic Brass Society will present a day-long session on Friday September 11, 2009 in Rome at the CIMCIM week-long conference. The HBS session is headed and organized by Sabine Klaus and will involve two parts:

First Part: Innovation and new technologies in the study, cataloguing and display of brass musical instruments

• Louise Bacon
• Eugenia Mitroulia
• Arnold Myers
• Gregor Widholm

Second Part: Free topics

• Stewart Carter
• Herbert Heyde
• Bruno Kampmann
• Renato Meucci

The HBS session will be held in the Parco della Musica Auditorium of the Musical Instrument Museum of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome.

Details of the session will be posted at a later date. The full CIMCIM (International Committee of Musical Instrument Museums and Collections) conference will be held in Florence and Rome from September 7-11, 2009. There will also be pre-conference activities in Milan on September 5-6 and post conference activities in Naples on September 13-14. The conference will deal with all aspects of musical instruments including history, organology, and iconography. The home page of the 2009 meeting with the preliminary program is now online here

5/27 - Inexpensive rooms are still available at the Hotel Colorado in Florence and the Hotel Santa Prassede in Rome.

American Bach Soloists Academy

Johann Friedrich Anderst Instrument Exhibition

5/25 - Those who heard Paul Niemisto's talk about the rather mysterious instrument designs of the maker J.F. Anderst will be interested to know of a special exhibition of his brass instruments at the Kuopio Cultural History Museum in Finland. Accompanying the largest known collection of these instruments is a special exhibiton booklet with a detailed article by Niemisto. Information: www.kuopionmuseo.fi

RSAMD Hosts Inaugural Trumpet Forum

6/15 - The National Centre for Research in the Performing Arts at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama is hosting the first Trumpet Forum on 14th July 2009. Experts from all over the UK will gather in Glasgow for this specialist conference on the trumpet, its music and its history.

Professor John Wallace, Principal of the Academy and internationally renowned trumpeter, will introduce the conference and Professor Trevor Herbert, of The Open University, will be the keynote speaker. Special guest John Webb will be bringing 19th century instruments from his personal collection, which will be heard in performance.

Delegates to the Forum will explore the many dimensions of the trumpet including historical aspects, organological considerations, contemporary performance practices and the collaborative links the instrument has had, and continues to have, with composers.

Click here for more information.

Fred Benkovic (1924-2009)

6/17 - On June 7, 2009 Fred Benkovic died following problems lingering from a fall some three months earlier.  He was 85 years old.

Fred began collecting band instruments while he was serving in the Army during WWII.  At that time there were few others interested in these historical artifacts.  Although his primary focus was always band instruments of the Civil War era, his collecting interests stretched from early primitive brass through instruments of WWI.  Also, centering on the mid-nineteenth century, he gathered together uniforms and accouterments, images, bugles, fifes and weapons.  His place in the collection, restoration and manufacture of reproduction rope tension drums is perhaps best described by George Carroll in his most recent book: “Fred is a master craftsman; the first to restore and to manufacture copies of period drums accurately”.  And, he was a diligent researcher early on, assembling lists of manufacturers, documenting the history of individual instruments and searching out period band music.

Fred assembled perhaps the most significant private collection of these historic instruments.  All publications listing 19th century instruments include examples from the Benkovic Collection.  I suspect that every band that portrays the 19th century is using instruments that were, at one time, a part of the Benkovic collection.
 
Fred was an artist.  His professional career was as a graphic artist for Pabst Brewing in Milwaukee.  Fred's professional skills as an artist / illustrator enabled him to restore and replicate the identifying decorations on many historic drums.  His artistic sensibilities and his attention to construction details enabled him to replicate missing elements of historic wind and percussion instruments.  His artistic talent is on display in all of the print material he generated for the 1st Brigade Band including LP recording jackets.

Fred’s national and international presence as a collector was balanced by his impact on music in Milwaukee and the mid-West.  He was an extraordinary man who made significant contributions to a variety of musical organizations, especially those with a connection to U. S. history.  In 1963 Fred gathered some of his instruments, some music from the Civil War era and some local musicians and began to perform.  In 1964 he was invited to assemble a band to participate in a centennial re-enactment of Grant's return to Galena.  That performance led to the foundation of the 1st Brigade Band and Heritage Military Music Foundation.  Not content with one band in one historical period, Fred participated in the organization of the 4th Continental Band Of Music, a Revolutionary War era portrayal.  Fred took leave from the 1st Brigade Band in the mid 1970s.  He then formed a WWI dough boy band that presented concerts and participated in parades.  Finally Fred organized, and participated in, the Command Performance Band, a portrayal of a WWII dance band, in which he played trombone and which continues as an active musical organization.

Fred was an active musician participating in Milwaukee civic musical organizations and, until recently, was an active bugler at military burials.

Finally, as many collectors and living historian across this country will attest, Fred was a mentor and friend, always ready with information and advice.

-- Dan Woolpert 

Thelen Prize for Wind Music Dissertation

6/15 - IGEB announces for 2010 the 5th Thelen-Prize for dissertations in the field of wind music research. All interested people with dissertations accepted since 2007 are allowed to participate. Deadline October 23, 2009.

Participation is open to all dissertations in the field of wind music research, in every language, from every country, worldwide. The winner presents a paper at the IGEB conference 2010 in Oberschützen, Austria. The dissertation will be published by IGEB. For consideration, send CV and copy (pdf) of dissertation by October 23, 2009 to: Internationale Gesellschaft zur Erforschung und Förderung der Blasmusik (IGEB), z. H. Doris Schweinzer, Leonhardstraße 15, A-8010 Graz, Austria.

Cornetto Conference

5/23 - The Stiftung Kloster Michaelstein in Germany will be hosting a conference on different aspects of the cornetto and also the serpent on October 23-25, 2009. We will discuss the construction, varities, playing technique, development, repertoire, restoration, copy, and the acoustics of this instrument.

Upcoming Historic Brass Society Events

HBS CIMCIM Session
The Historic Brass Society will present a day-long session on Friday September 11, 2009 in Rome at the CIMCIM week-long conference. The HBS session is headed and organized by Sabine Klaus and will involve two parts:

First Part: Innovation and new technologies in the study, cataloguing and display of brass musical instruments

• Louise Bacon
• Eugenia Mitroulia
• Arnold Myers
• Gregor Widholm

Second Part: Free topics

• Stewart Carter
• Herbert Heyde
• Bruno Kampmann
• Renato Meucci

The HBS session will be held in the Parco della Musica Auditorium of the Musical Instrument Museum of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome.

Details of the session will be posted at a later date. The full CIMCIM (International Committee of Musical Instrument Museums and Collections) conference will be held in Florence and Rome from September 7-11, 2009. There will also be pre-conference activities in Milan on September 5-6 and post conference activities in Naples on September 13-14. The conference will deal with all aspects of musical instruments including history, organology, and iconography. The home page of the 2009 meeting with the preliminary program is now online here
Further Details - Nov. 2008

New York Times Article on the Trombone

6/23 - In an article in the June 23, 2009 issue of the NY Times, Anthony Tommasini wrote about a performance of "Orbits" (1979)  by Henry Brant scored for soprano, organ and 89 trombones. The piece was given two performances on June 21st at New York's Guggenheim Museum. One could imagine the composer, who died in 2007 at age 94, being thrilled with the sight and sound of the 89 trombonists lined up on the famous Guggenheim spiraling structure. Brant regarded space as the fourth dimension of music, along with pitch, time and timbre. According to Tommasini this piece is one of the most mesmerizing and eclectic musical works ever written. It must have been a great day for a sizable fraction of New York's trombonists.

HBS Hosts Half-Day Session at Annual CIMCIM Meeting in Italy

9/28/09 - This year’s annual meeting of the International Committee of Musical Instrument Museums and Collections (short CIMCIM for Comité International des Musées et Collections d'Instruments de Musique) was a week-long event in three beautiful Italian cities: Florence, Rome, and Naples. Well over one hundred participants (museum curators and conservators, private collectors, instrument makers, and scholars) from around the world flocked to this event for inspiring conversations, museum visits, concerts, and lectures, as well as to celebrate the organization’s 50^th anniversary.

Gabriele Rossi Rognoni, the main organizer and coordinator of the event, had kindly invited three related organizations to participate: AMIS (the American Musical Instrument Society), the Galpin Society (the British Musical Instrument Society), and the Historic Brass Society. Each of these societies arranged special paper sessions on two days of the conference in the new venues of the Accademia Nazionale di S. Cecilia in Rome.

The HBS session, coordinated by Sabine Klaus, took place in the afternoon of 11 September after a visit to the Vatican Museums. It consisted of two parts, the first reflected one of the meeting’s topics, “Innovation and New Technologies in the Study, Cataloguing and Display of Brass Musical Instruments,” the second comprised free papers with an emphasis on iconography.

Louise Bacon from the Horniman Museum in London discussed the fascinating non-destructive technology of “Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry” for determining the metal content of brass instruments. Gregor Widholm from the Institut für Wiener Klangstil in Vienna gave a report on the latest version of the Brass Instrument Analysis System (BIAS) that provides a means of acoustical testing. A student at the same institute, Hannes Vereecke, spoke about the use of laser scanners and three-dimensional CAD/CAM software to recreate a historical brass instrument to an accuracy of up to 0.01 mm. Arnold Myers and Eugenia Mitroulia from the University of Edinburgh explained their method of measuring brass instruments for the purpose of taxonomy, and they offered a hands-on course on how to make physical measurements on the following day.

The second part was particularly well attended as it featured three Christopher Monk Award laureates, Renato Meucci, Stewart Carter, and Herbert Heyde, all presenting new iconographical evidence on the early history of the trumpet and the trombone, and each providing enthralling insights into little-known documents and new interpretations of materials from the 13^th through the 17^th century. The afternoon concluded with a report on methods for distinguishing between instruments made by Adolphe Sax and his son Adolphe Edouard presented by Bruno Kampmann and Eugenia Mitroulia. During the coffee break attendees had the opportunity to inform themselves about a recent discovery of a trumpet mouthpiece fragment from the late 16^th or early 17^th century excavated at Jamestown Island in Virginia in a poster prepared by Stewart Carter and Sabine Klaus.

For brass enthusiasts, the excursions to Italian musical instrument collections were most enlightening. At the Museo degli strumenti in Rome we had the chance to inspect a rare crescent-shaped horn by the little known Nuremberg maker Georg Barth from the 1680s, a maker by whom no trumpets survive as he was not a master and thus limited to the making of smaller items such as hunting horns. The vast storage area of this museum, which was opened for the conference participants, contains numerous fancifully-shaped brass instruments that were used in festive parades until the 19^th century, and illustrate a long-lasting tradition described by Herbert Heyde in his lecture. The highlight was undoubtedly the visit to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli during the post-conference excursion to Naples. This museum houses two almost complete Roman cornua excavated in nearby Pompeii that were used to open gladiator games.

It was important for the Historic Brass Society to be represented at this outstanding conference and to mingle with the international fraternity of musical instrument specialists. Our wholehearted thanks go to Gabriele Rossi Rognoni, Annalisa Bini, Laura Bognetti, Franca Falletti, Renato Meucci and their team of helpers who made this memorable event possible.

- Sabine K. Klaus

25th Annual Historic Brass Society Early Brass Festival, July 2009

7/29 - Jeff Nussbaum has completed his Report on the 25^th Annual Historic Brass Society Early Brass Festival, New London, CT, July 2009.

Jazz Scholars to Present Research in The Louis Armstrong Symposium

11/2 - Jazz scholars will discuss the work and career of Louis Armstrong at the College of Staten Island.  

A number of notable jazz scholars will present their research on various facets of Louis Armstrong’s life and music at the College of Staten Island on Saturday, November 21 in the Center for the Arts Recital Hall (Building 1P, Room 120) from 9:00am to 5:00pm.  

The Louis Armstrong Symposium will feature a keynote address by Dan Morgenstern, jazz historian, author, editor, archivist, current Director of the Institute of Jazz Studies, and former chief editor of Down Beat magazine. The list of presenters includes Ricky Riccardi, Michael Cogswell, John Szwed, James Leach, William R. Bauer, and Jeffrey Taylor. In morning and afternoon sessions, each presenter will offer a distinct perspective on his subject. Each session will be followed by an open-ended panel discussion and question-and-answer session that will elaborate on themes that emerged during the talks. A conceptual jam session for jazz scholars, this format will give scholars and audience members alike a forum for in-depth discussion about Louis Armstrong’s musical and cultural legacy.  

The presenters will explore a range of topics. Ricky Riccardi, who is currently writing a book about Louis Armstrong’s later years, will use Armstrong’s renditions of “Back Home Again in Indiana!” to challenge the negative critical reception that the trumpeter often received during the latter part of his career. Michael Cogswell, Director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum and curator of the Louis Armstrong Archive at Queens College’s Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library, will share and discuss samples from Armstrong’s vast collection of LPs and 78s. John Szwed, Professor of Music and Jazz Studies at Columbia University and John M. Musser Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, African American Studies, and Film Studies at Yale University, will explore Armstrong’s role in Orson Welles’s unfinished movie The Story of Jazz, and in other projects the filmmaker was undertaking in 1941.  James Leach, who teaches jazz history and theory at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, will focus on Armstrong’s vocal and instrumental renditions of the Hoagy Carmichael classic “Stardust” in order to set in relief Armstrong’s approach to singing and trumpet playing. William R. Bauer, from the College of Staten Island and CUNY Graduate Center faculties, will present research from his current book project, an investigation into the jazz vocal techniques that Armstrong used in his early recordings. Jeffrey Taylor, Director of the H. Wiley Hitchcock Institute for Studies in American Music and Professor of Music at Brooklyn College, who also teaches in the CUNY Graduate Center’s PhD Program in Music and its American Studies Certificate Program, will consider the impact of various pianists on Armstrong’s work during the trumpeter’s Chicago years in the 1920s. The scholarship presented at this symposium will both deepen and expand our understanding of this giant of 20th-century music.

The symposium is open to the public and admission is free of charge. However, due to limited seating capacity, advance reservation is strongly suggested. To make reservations and for more information, contact William R. Bauer at 718.982.2534. The Louis Armstrong Symposium is produced with funding from the CUNY Research Foundation, and with support from the College of Staten Island and the Center for the Arts.  

HBS Now on Facebook

7/29 - For those members on Facebook looking to connect with each other more directly (since the website doesn't have a blog/email server yet), I have created the "Historic Brass Society" group on Facebook. Membership in the group requires only that you are on Facebook and that I approve you as a group member (didn't want to leave it open to everyone so we wouldn't get spammed all the time). Once you are a member you'll be able to see other members, contact them, start discussions and treads, post news and videos, and all the other things that normal groups do on Facebook. You'll also be able to contact me directly with news, etc. for the HBS website.

Bryan

Shofar/Trombone Concerto Premiered

11/16 - A concerto for Shofar, Trombone and Orchestra, Tekeeyah, by Meira Warshauer was premiered on October 24^th with soloist Haim Avitsur and the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra in Wilmington, N.C. The work is one of a growing number of contemporary compositions that call for the ancient instrument (see Malcolm Miller’s fine article “The Shofar and its Symbolism” in the Historic Brass Society Journal vol. 14, 2002). In a recent phone interview, Avistur, a trombone teacher at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, CUNY, explained that he can get about a dozen notes from his four foot shofar, E and C being the most stable and the others relatively unstable. Bending into the notes is the only way to produce them effectively. He further mentioned that the soloist’s responsibility is about equally shared between playing the trombone and the shofar. More information can be found www.meirawarshauer.com.

2009 Natural Horn Workshop

Rick Seraphinoff will be directing a natural horn workshop at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington on June 15-20, 2009. Activities will include master classes, ensemble sessions, lectures, private lessons and performances. Info: www.music.indiana.edu/special_programs/nhw; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Phone: (812) 856-6064.

World's Biggest Cornetto!

4/24/09 - Roland Wilson sends us news of his latest creation, the "world's biggest" cornetto (bass at a= 440 lowest note G).  

Although Mersenne provides us with much information about  the bass cornett, there is  no actual surviving instrument at this pitch.  (Brussels 1225 is listed as a Bass but it is actually only a tone lower than a normal tenor) The bore was therefore scaled from a tenor cornett in Verona with adjustments made to compensate for the fingerholes being closer together than their theoretical positions.  Jamie Savan made 2 mouthpieces for it and came by to try it out. Although we are both normally used to plying high cornetts, we were both able to play a two-octave range down to the low G more or less straight away. Craig Kridel, the first purchaser plans on bringing the cornett to the EBF this July!

Lincoln Era Star-Spangled Banner

4/28/09 - The Smithsonian is conducting a contest for best rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, called "Oh Say Can You Sing". The First Brigade Band, Watertown, WI, has posted their entry on

25th Annual Brass Festival

25th Annual Historic Brass Society Early Brass Festival
July 17-19, 2009
Connecticut College, New London
New London, CT

In addition to the papers, the playing sessions and, of course, the annual pizza party, the Sunday concert will be an exciting event that will include world premiers of several new works for early brass instruments including Mendelssohn's Seasons by Clifford Bevan and conducted by Wim Becu, HBS Fanfare by Simon Proctor, De bronze et de lumiere by Therese Brenet, Jump In by Jonathan Miller as well as works by Stamitz, J. Michael Haydn, Anton Reicha and others.

Performers will include Ralph Dudgeon (keyed bugle), Douglas Yeo (serpent), David Loucky (trombone), Craig Kridel (ophicleide), Jeffrey Snedeker (natural horn) and others and will include The Anglican Singers, Simon Holt, conductor.

Festival Schedule and Abstracts

2009 Historic Division of the NTC Winners

The winners of the 5th Annual National Trumpet Competition Historic Division, which took place on March 14, 2009 at George Mason University in Virginia are:

• The Reiche Award (open age, with the use of fingerholes): Don Johnson, leader of the Kentucky Baroque Trumpets. The prize is a Naumann baroque trumpet--a $2400 value.
• The Fantini Award (open to contestants age 23 and younger): Aaron Witek, a student at Florida State University. The prize is two weeks tuition to the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute, June 21-July 5, 2009, at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music--a $925 value.
• The No-Holes Award: Dominic Favia, of Vienna, Virginia, age 15. The prize is tuition to the 2009 Natural Trumpet Making Workshop--a $670 value--held in Bloomington, Indiana from June 29-July 3, 2009 at the workshop of Rick Seraphinoff.
• The No-Holes Award runner-up: Benjamin Malick, a student at George Mason University. The prizes are various items from the HBS.
• The No-Holes Award, Honorable Mention: Don Johnson, who played a circular natural trumpet by Robert Barclay and an antique natural trumpet by Ehe.

The judges for the event were Dr. Stanley Curtis, George Mason University; Dr. Kathryn James Adduci, San Jose State University; Dr. Robert Birch, George Washington University; Dr. Ralph Dudgeon, SUNY Cortland; Dr. Elisa Koehler, Goucher College; Mr. Nathaniel Mayfield, Trumpet Soloist.

2009 Natural Trumpet-Making Workshop

The International Natural Trumpet Making Workshop, which has been held each year since 1993, in Bloomington, Indiana, and in various European locations, will be offered again during the week of June 29 - July 3, 2009 at the workshop of Seraphinoff Historical Instruments in Bloomington, Indiana.

Under the supervision of Dr. Robert Barclay, assisted by instrument makers Richard Seraphinoff and Michael Münkwitz, participants will make a natural trumpet using the tools and methods described in Dr. Barclay's book, The Art of the Trumpet-Maker, and also illustrated and described in Making a Natural Trumpet, the workshop textbook for the course.

The design which participants will make this year will be based on an original by the Nuremberg maker Hanns Hainlein (1632). Familiarity with tools and metal working techniques is desirable, but not by any means necessary. In past workshops everyone has been able to complete a playable instrument over the course of the week. The work schedule consists almost exclusively of hands-on workshop time from 9:00am until 5:00pm each day, Monday through Friday. Most participants finish their instruments by Friday early afternoon, making it possible to depart from Bloomington that afternoon or evening.

Tuition for the Bloomington workshop is US$670.00, which includes all materials, tools and supplies which will be used during the workshop, as well as a copy of Making a Natural Trumpet - and Illustrated Workshop Guide, published by the University of Edinburgh. Enrollment is limited to 12 participants, and reservations are made on a first come, first served basis.

To reserve a space, send a check for US$50.00 (payable to Richard Seraphinoff, organizer of the course) to the address below. This deposit will be refundable until June 1, 2009. The balance of US$620.00 will be due on the first day on the workshop. Non-U.S. participants may pay the entire amount on the first day, due to the costs of currency exchange and transfers.

Since my own workshop, where the course will be held this year is outside of Bloomington in a rural wooded area, going into Bloomington for lunch will take a substantial amount of time out of the work day, so we will offer the possibility of having lunch at our house for those who don't want to bring their own lunch each day. The cost will be $30 for the week, or $6 per day for those who would like to take part.

Richard Seraphinoff
2256 Birdie Galyan Road
Bloomington, IN 47408
Tel/Fax: 812-333-3114
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

New Book on Historical Temperaments

Thirty years after the successful launch of the best-selling treatise Unequal Temperaments and their Role in the Performance of Early Music, Claudio Di Veroli's new book Unequal Temperaments: Theory, History and Practice includes the musicological findings of the last decades, with hundreds of photos and computer-produced charts. The book deals extensively on TUNING BRASS INSTRUMENTS in early temperaments, with detailed treatment of natural trumpets and horns.Please find a detailed free preview and a link for online purchase in temper.braybaroque.ie.

FCCB Plays for Lincoln

Members of the Federal City Brass Band performed for the Abraham Lincoln's 200th Birthday on Feb 12, 2009 at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC, the location of his assassination is April 1865. Jeff Stockham plays taps on a period bugle, a call adopted by the Union Army ony 2 years before Lincoln's death. Click here for a video link.

Richard Burdick - Classical Horn

Richard Burdick, principal horn of the Regina Symphony Orchestra, performed Heinrich Domnich's Horn Concerto No. 1 on his Classical-era natural horn. Eventually he will post a recording on www.naturalhorn.com. Heinrich Domnich was one of the first horn teachers at the Paris Conservatory. He was a student of Punto and the teacher of Dauprat. To Burdick's knowledge, this concerto has not been performed since the 1820s. The concert took place at Westminster United Church, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada on Sunday 4 January 2009. He will be performing Dauprat's horn quintet, Opus 6, No. 2 on the same instrument for the Regina Symphony Orchestra's Government House Series, 14-15 March 2009. See www.reginasymphony.com/ for more information.

EBF 24 Report

Jeffrey Nussbaum's A Report on the 24th Annual Early Brass Festival and a gallery of photos can be seen in the "Articles" menu - select 2008 Articles.

Doug Yeo Activities

Doug Yeo reports that he recently premiered new serpent concerto with orchestra, and played a solo on ophicleide at the same concert. Read the Boston Globe review here. You may also hear an interview with him on WBUR's syndicated radio program (PRI) Here and Now. The website also features photos and a short video of Doug playing ophicleide.

Doug's sabbatical from the BSO starts in January (through June) and he says he is looking forward to a few serpent/ophicleide events. In February he'll be in San Francisco playing ophicleide on Mendelssohn's Overture to "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (celebrating the 200th anniversary of Mendelssohn's birth), and in May, he'll head to England to do some research at the Bate Collection and a few other museums, and then take part in the annual "Serpentarium" event with Phil Humphries. When Humphries's Mellstock Band travels to Boston for the annual "Christmas Revels" at Harvard University's Sanders Theater, Doug and Phil will give two pre-concert talks on the serpent, playing duets and otherwise acquainting the audience with their obsession.

Early Brass at Trinity

Announcing the Trinity College of Music Brass Experience 2009 (February 23-27, 2009) featuring Portuguese über-tuba player Sérgio Carolino as Artist in Residence. This is the sixth year of the week-long festival at Trinity which aims to highlight brass playing of all genres and this year features a diversity of music from Early to Jazz. It's a great opportunity to experience a wide range of brass performances from talented players of all ages, and with many events free, it won't break the bank.

The festival opens at Blackheath Halls on February 23, 6:00pm with the high profile Philip Jones Brass Competition. Open to all TCM Brass Ensembles, the competition is named after ex-Trinity Principal and trumpeter Philip Jones CBE, founder of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. The festival celebrates his life and groundbreaking work which paved the way for the modern brass ensemble experience. The performance will be a vibrant mix of diverse brass groups playing everything from baroque to pop under the watchful eye of adjudicator Sérgio Carolino (admission free).

On February 24, at 1:05pm, the Old Royal Naval College Chapel at Trinity College of Music's home - the resplendent baroque Old Royal Naval College - will echo with the sounds of early brass as the TCM Early Music Brass Ensemble present Venice in Greenwich. Come along to hear cornetto, sackbut and natural trumpet players under the direction of Richard Thomas (admission free).

For more information on other brass activities, and there are plenty, at the Experience, please see www.tcm.ac.uk/whatson.

Making the British Sound

Making the British Sound - Instrumental Music and British Traditions
Sponsored Jointly by the Galpin Society and the Historic Brass Society
London - Edinburgh
July 7-11, 2009
Further Details (Galpin Society website)

Updated Booking Form!

(link updated 5/8/09)

25th Annual Early Brass Festival Update

4/5 - Details have been announced for the 25th Annual Early Brass Festival of the Historic Brass Society, July 17-19 at Connecticut College, New London, CT. 

Tentative speakers include Gunther Schuller, Ralph Dudgeon, Paul Niemisto, Jeff Nussbaum and Barbara Hersey. 

In celebration of the twenty-fifth Early Brass Festival, there will be three world premiere performances.

Doug Yeo, bass trombonist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, will perform the world premiere of De bronze et de Lumnire for Serpent and Piano by T. Brenet. 

In addition, the world premiere of Music for Natural Trumpets by Jonathan Miller will be performed.

Finally, in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Mendelssohn's birth, Berlioz Historical Brass, including Doug Yeo, David Loucky, Craig Kridel, Ralph Dudgeon and Lowell Greer, will perform the world premiere of Clifford Bevan's Mendelssohn's Seasons for chorus, horn, trombone, English bass horn and ophicleide.

In addition to these special activities, there will be lectures, concerts, the annual HBS membership meetings, informal playing sessions, and, of course, the famous annual HBS pizza party!

For more details and the registration form, download this form.

Louisiana State Museum's Music Collection

During Hurricane Katrina, the LSM's Old U.S. Mint, a National Historic Landmark located in the French Quarter and constructed in 1835, was severely damaged. Its copper roof blew off; water ruined interior finishes and the HVAC system ceased to function. At the time of the hurricane, the 71,000-square-foot facility housed exhibitions on jazz, Louisiana decorative arts, and the history of the Mint itself. In addition, approximately 60% of the LSM's collections were stored in the building - including its entire, internationally renowned jazz collection. While a relatively small number of artifacts were water damaged, the threat of mold forced the emergency evacuation of artifacts to a temporary, 20,000-square-foot storage facility in Baton Rouge.

The project was carried out over a period of eight months and involved both LSM permanent staff as well as professionals specially recruited for the purpose.

As repairs and renovations were completed in the Old U.S. Mint, LSM contracted Williamstown Art Conservation Center (WACC) to inventory, document, rehouse, and transport the collections back to the Mint.

The Louisiana State Museum music collection is now open to researchers and a new exhibit about jazz and other forms of Louisiana music is planned to open in 2010 at the Old US Mint building.

This project would not have been possible without the generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the Getty Foundation, and FEMA.

A full article entitled "Rehousing the LSM Jazz Collection" on the move with pictures of Louis Armstrong's and Johnny Wiggs' cornets is available in the Articles section of this website.

Keyed Trumpet Website
Will Russell has launched a website on all aspects of the keyed trumpet www.thekeyedtrumpet.co.uk This site stems from Russell's performance and research interests on the keyed trumpet.

Shofar Authenticity

Early brass musicians often debate the topic of authenticity. Discussion on the proper use of natural trumpets, horns, sackbuts and other instruments is common. But when there has been a rash of inauthentic shofars being sold as the genuine thing, well, as a certain kosher hotdog and salami advertisement used to say, someone has to answer to a higher authority! An article by Nathan Jeffay in the October 3, 2008 issue of the Forward reports that hundreds of shofars are being sold in Israel that are full of holes (vent holes??) and secretly filled with glue. This makes these horns not kosher or suitable for religious use.

William Dongois Cornetto Masterclass

William Dongois will present an extensive masterclass on cornetto technique, repertoire, rhetoric and improvisation at the Michaelstein Foundation on January 15-18, 2009. The Michaelstein Foundation presents many interesting conferences, workshops and masterclasses throughout the year and is located in Blankenburg, German. Information: http://www.kloster-michaelstein.de; Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Hunting Horn Workshop

The American Hunting Horn Society announces its second annual workshop in Chautauqua, NY, October 3-5, 2008. This year's event features two featuring two French Champion Trompe players. For more information go to: www.huntinghornsociety.org/home.html

19th-Century Band Conference

The School of Music at The State University of New York at Fredonia will present "The Band in 19th-Century America - A Symposium" from 3-4 October 2008. All events are free and open to the public. For more information contact Jim Davis at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Program
FRIDAY, 3 OCTOBER 2008
12:00pm: "The Keyed Bugle"
Ralph Dudgeon (SUNY Cortland)
6:30pm: "Wind Scoring Practices in the 19th Century - An Overview of Writing from 1810-1890"
Donald Hunsberger (Professor Emeritus, Eastman School of Music)
8:00pm: Concert of Early American Music for Winds and Brass, Fredonia Concert Band

SATURDAY, 4 OCTOBER 2009
11:00am: "The Band in the Age of Gilmore and Sousa"
Frank Cipolla (Professor Emeritus, SUNY Buffalo)
1:30pm: "The Military Band in Civil War America"

3:00pm: Concert of Civil War Band Music, Fredonia Wind Symphony
6:30pm: "Band Composers of the Late 19th-Century"
George Foreman (Centre College)
8:00pm: Concert of the Music of Sousa and Contemporaries, Fredonia Wind Ensemble

New Review
See a recording review of a CD by the King Oliver Band in the Reviews section

26th Annual HBS Early Brass Festival and Vintage Brass Festival II

The Annual HBS Early Brass Festival will once again join forces with the Vintage Band Music Festival in beautiful Northfield, MN from 5-8 August 2010. The VBF II will feature fifteen bands giving "Fifty Concerts in Four Days". This is very early notice, but the organizers want vintage bands and vintage band enthusiasts to put this on their calendars. Ensemble interested in participating are should contact Paul Niemisto to discuss possibilities. Email <paul.niemisto>. Watch the website for more information. A call for papers for the EBF will go out at the usual time. Papers on band music, instruments, and personalities will be especially welcome.</paul.niemisto>

http://www.vintagebandfestival.org

Conference on Brass Metallurgy

The Historical Metallurgy Society's annual conference "Metals in Musical Instruments" will be held from 12-14 September 2008 in Oxford. The conference will be held in the Holywell Music Rooms of Wadham College, which is the oldest surviving purpose built concert hall in Europe. The Holywell Rooms were built in 1748 and Handel is among the many famous musicians and composers who have appeared there. Papers will reflect the theme of the conference on the technology of metals with particular relation to musical instruments. As well as a full lecture programme there will be concerts on the Friday and Saturday evenings, themed to the conference, and opportunities to see “behind the scenes” at the Bate Collection of Historical Musical Instruments. There will be a number of other relevant venues to visit on Saturday afternoon. A full program for the event can be downloaded from www.hist-met.org/conf2008prog.pdf Further information can be obtained at www.hist-met.org/conf2008.html"

Greenberg Award

The AMS Noah Greenberg Award is intended as a grant-in-aid to stimulate active cooperation between scholars and performers by recognizing and fostering outstanding contributions to historical performing practices. Both scholars and performers may apply, since the Award may subsidize the publication costs of articles, monographs, or editions, as well as public performance, recordings, or other projects. The award consists of $2,000 and a certificate, conferred at the Annual Business Meeting and Awards Presentation of the AMS by the chair of the committee.

Deadline: 15 August 2008

Full details: www.ams-net.org/awards/greenberg.php

Civil War Band Organization

The National Association for Civil War Brass Music announces the publication of its first newsletter. Information about the organization is included in the newsletter, which is free for download here. Future editions will be distributed to members only, but information may also be found at the website www.historicbrassmusic.com. Membership information is also included in the publication.

Roman Reliefs Show Roman Trumpeters

A series of previously stolen 1st-century B.C. reliefs depicting images of gladiators and two musicians, a tuba player and a cornu player has been recently recovered. Archaeology magazine has an article and photos of these reliefs. The images of the tuba and cornu player are remarkable for the detail in which they show the mouthpieces, players embouchures, and playing position. An abstract of the article can be read at www.archaeology.org/gladiators/.

Pictures of the gladiators and musicians can be seen also at http://gladiatorprime.com/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=10108&sec_id=504

2008 Natural Trumpet-Making Workshop

The International Natural Trumpet Making workshop, which has been held each year since 1993, in Bloomington, Indiana, and in various European locations, will be offered again during the week of June 16 - 20, 2008 at the Hoosier Hills Career Center in Bloomington, Indiana, and in Rostock Germany, July 28 - August 1, 2008.

Under the supervision of Dr. Robert Barclay, assisted by instrument makers Richard Seraphinoff and Michael Münkwitz, participants will make a natural trumpet using the tools and methods described in Dr. Barclay's book, The Art of the Trumpet-Maker, and also illustrated and described in Making a Natural Trumpet, the new workshop guide for the course.

The design which participants will make this year will be based on an original by the Nuremberg maker Hanns Hainlein (1632). Familiarity with tools and metal working techniques is desirable, but not by any means necessary. In past workshops everyone has been able to complete a playable instrument over the course of the week. The work schedule consists almost exclusively of hands-on workshop time from 9:00am to 5:00pm each day, Monday through Friday. Most participants finish their instruments by Friday early afternoon, making it possible to depart from Bloomington that afternoon or evening.

Tuition for the Bloomington workshop is $660.00, which includes all materials, tools and supplies which will be used during the workshop, as well as a copy of "Making a Natural Trumpet - and Illustrated Workshop Guide", published by the University of Edinburgh. Enrolment is limited to 12 participants, and reservations are made on a first come, first served basis.

To reserve a space, send a check for $50.00 (payable to Richard Seraphinoff, organizer of the course) to the address below. This deposit will be refundable until May 1, 2008. The balance of $610.00 will be due on the first day on the workshop. Non-US participants may pay the entire amount on the first day, due to the costs of currency exchange and transfers.

Richard Seraphinoff 2256 Birdie Galyan Road Bloomington, IN 47408 Tel/Fax: 812-333-3114 E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Web site: www.seraphinoff.com

For tuition and other details on the workshop in Rostock, or to reserve a space, see www.trompetenmacher.de

New Trombone History Association

The Society of Trombone History of Central Germany (Verein für Mitteldeutsche Posaunengeschichte e.V.) has been founded in the city of Halle near Lipsia (Leipzig) by a small but enthusiastic group of trombonists, trombone manufacturers, and trombone collectors.

The region of Central Germany, with Saxony in particular, added fresh momentum to the trombone’s technical development: the modern trombone with its large-sized bore and bell was invented in Lipsia during the 1830ies by C.F. Sattler. His apprentice and son in law J.C. Penzel further improved Sattler’s invention, which later on was adapted by many other manufacturers in Central Germany. Migrants from Saxony disseminated the “Lipsia” or “Penzel” model; not only all over Germany, but also to Russia and America. Characteristics of the historic German Trombone are the snake ornaments and, frequently, the so called “Heckelrand” (i.e., the broad German silver bell-rim). The large bore and bell together with the relatively thin brass result into the typical dark and smooth sound with an extreme dynamic range as compared to its predecessor from the Renaissance and baroque epochs.

The Society’s objectives are to perform research on the history of the trombone with regional focus on Central Germany (Saxony and Thuringia) and about biographies of trombone players and manufacturers. Another important aim of the association is to collect, conserve, classify and catalogue antique instruments with focus on the late 19th and early 20th century. Finally and importantly, expositions, workshops and concerts with historic trombones will be organized in order to keep Central German trombone tradition alive.

The Society’s official inaugural celebration will take place in Halle in the Gertraudenkapelle on June 15th, 3 p.m. The Society’s members will play compositions for four to twelve trombones on historic instruments. Dr. Enrico Weller from famous musical instrument manufacturer’s town Markneukirchen, who is an expert on Saxon wind instrument history, will give the commemorative speech about trombone makers from Vogtland (South-Saxon central region of musical instrument producers).

Contact (chairman): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Monk Workshop

Jeremy West provides a first-hand report on activities at the Monk Workshop in the aftermath of Keith Rogers's death.

I spent last week at Keith's home and workshop with Kathryn and with Nicholas Perry. Nicholas has now completed his first serpent (that is to say the pieces are all cut and together in one piece, prior to being finished and the whole prior to being leathered and keys fitted). This serpent is one that Nicholas started making with advice and guidance from Keith during the last months of his life. Keith's wisdom was poured out from his armchair in the sitting room (this an utterly uncanny echo of the situation in 1991 during Christopher Monk's decline, when I would visit him by his fireside at Stock Farm in Surrey for advice and guidance). Nicholas is encouraged by this first instrument; by the way he is getting the hang of Keith's copy router (the big Bridgeport cutter from Christopher had to be sold when we moved out of commercial premises in London to go to Norfolk); and he is (cautiously) expressing interest in carrying on serpentine work for the next generation. It is still too early to say how, or even if, this will happen, but the preliminary signs are promising.

---Jeremy West

The Hunt for Arban's Recording

The following is a reproduction of Ed Tarr's letter to the editor of the HBS Journal regarding news of a recording of J. B. Arban

Wouldn't it be a revelation if we could hear how Arban played? Up to now it was thought that he lived too early for him to have made any recordings.

It has recently come to my attention, however, that J.-B. Arban in fact made at least one recording on a cylinder for the Edison Phonograph Co. shortly before his death in 1889! This was publicized in a Helsinki newspaper, Hufvudstadsbladet (no. 96, from April 11, 1890, p. 2), announcing two sessions in which the new-fangled phonograph was to be demonstrated in public. My Dutch friend Eric Roefs recently made this text available to me.

Here is a translation of the pertinent part of the text (from the original Swedish):

Phonograph: Today Mr. Gillin and Droese will give the first two phonograph shows in Helsinki. The lecture and demonstration of Edison's phonograph will take place in F. B. K.'s assembly hall at 2 and 8:30 [p.m.] with an admission fee of 2 [Finnish] marks.

Edison's phonograph will make its debut with us today with a rich phonograph repertoire such as speech, song, musical instrument solos, vocal and orchestral phonograms [i. e. recordings, translators' note].

Among the phonograms a particular one must be mentioned: a solo on cornet à pistons, played by the famous French virtuoso, Monsieur Arban, called “Fanfare d'Edison;” [another is] a phonogram for large orchestra, “Marche d’Exposition Universelle 1889” by Olivier Métra. This march was played by 60 military musicians in the presence of Edison when he visited the Exhibition [Universelle] in Paris last year. Further, a solo on the piccolo-flute, played by Monsieur Damaré, member of the orchestra of the large opera in Paris; [etc. etc.]

A Norwegian friend of mine, Ole J. Utnes, who helped with the translation, has put the pertinent information (including a facsimile of the article in question) on his website:

http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/arban/edison/

Since other recordings from this time period still exist, it is not too far-fetched to think that Arban's recording of the "Fanfare d'Edison" might survive in somebody's collection. I hope that ITG members with connections to record collectors and dealers will make a serious effort to locate this historic cylinder.

Best wishes,
Ed Tarr

EBF 2007 Recording

Sabine Klaus reports that there is an official recording of the 2007 Early Brass Festival available. It is available for $US 5.00 per CD. The access money (after making the CDs and shipping them) will go to the Joe Utley Student Travel Award Line Item. To order, contact Sabine Klaus at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Pre-College Brass Day at Julliard

The Julliard School of Music will be hosting a series of masterclasses and chamber music playing sessions offered by the pre-college faculty on March 1, 2008, commencing at 1:00pm. Faculty include Per Brevig, trombone; Julie Landman, horn; and Raymond Mase, trumpet. For more information or to RSVP contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Keith Rogers 1943-2008

Keith Rogers, cornett, serpent and oboe maker at Christopher Monk Instruments (CMI), died on the 21st January after a lengthy struggle with pancreatic cancer.

Following a career in teaching, which culminated in the positions of Director of Music at two leading Northern Ireland grammar schools, as well as spending several years as a recorder maker, Keith joined the Christopher Monk workshops in April 1992. Here, in partnership with the cornett player Jeremy West, and succeeding the late Christopher Monk (founding father of the cornett and serpent revivals), Keith spent the remainder of his life making copies of historic wind instruments. Building on his skills and experience as a recorder maker, he quickly adapted to the demands made by “all instruments that wiggle” (as they are affectionately known at CMI); instruments which are demanding on both player and maker alike. Using the treasure trove of clues and evidence extant in Christopher Monk’s own workshop, Keith picked his way through this mysterious and vexing labyrinth. But it was his unique mix of powerful intellect and enviable manual dexterity that enabled him so successfully to create fabulous wind instruments. Examples of his work live (and play) on and may be found across the world from New York to New Zealand, Aberdeen to Argentina.

An experiment to make an oboe da caccia using the same methods employed to manufacture a serpent, lead to a lasting partnership with leading oboe player and authority, Dick Earle. A da caccia (eventually built in the traditional way rather than using the method above), along with several models of historic oboe, became available as a result. For more than a decade these beautiful instruments have been sent to appreciative players from five continents.

Keith Rogers was born and brought up in Sussex; he studied music at the University of Wales at Bangor (BA Honors 1st Class 1965), lived in Belfast, then in London and, most recently, in rural Norfolk. He is survived by his wife, Kathryn, four daughters and six grandchildren.

--Jeremy West

Mary Rasmussen 1930-2008

One of the pioneers of historic brass research and recipient of the HBS Monk Award, Mary Rasmussen died on January 26. Her articles in the Brass Quarterly and A teacher's Guide to the Literature of Brass Instruments sparked the interests of those who launched the historic brass movement.

I only met Mary once. It was at the 1998 Early Brass Festival where she was awarded the Christopher Monk Award for her exemplary scholarship in historic brass. I found her to be a warm and vital woman who was genuinely honored by the event.

Her colleague, Prof. Mark DeVoto has kindly agreed to let us publish his remembrance of Prof. Rasmussen

----------

With sorrow I inform our fellowship of the death of Mary Helen Rasmussen, Professor emerita of Music at the University of New Hampshire, on 26 January in Durham, New Hampshire. She was 77 years old and had suffered from cancer, intermittently but eventually finally, since the early 1970s.

Mary was a splendid colleague and a treasured friend of many of us, a "true polymath," as the minute on her retirement described her in 1997. We knew her as a self-taught musicologist of remarkable ability and accomplishment and amazing versatility, skilled in many areas of music-making and a tireless researcher in a wide variety of areas. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a bachelor's degree in 1952 and then went to the University of Illinois, receiving a Master of Music in low brass performance in 1953 and a Master of Library Science in 1956. For two years, she taught public school in Gorham, New Hampshire, and was always proud that of all the music faculty at UNH, where she was appointed in 1968, she was the only member to have actually taught in the New Hampshire school system.

That Mary never received a doctorate was of no consequence to her productivity and learning. She was the recipient of a Fulbright award and grants from the Ford and Guggenheim foundations. She was a regular contributor to the CMS and to AMS meetings locally and nationally, and lectured at many different institutions, including Harvard, Boston University, and the University of Wisconsin. On the UNH faculty she taught several historical courses but also directed the string methods program, finding time to become a decent cellist who performed regularly, and achieved a statewide renown as a skilled repairer of stringed instruments.

Mary published articles and reviews in a number of different journals, but also became her own publisher. She founded Brass Quarterly in 1957, merging it soon with Woodwind Quarterly, and the combined journal continued until 1969. From the 1970s she became increasingly active in the field of musical iconography and collected photographs from all over the world. Her magnum opus, Musical Subjects in Western European Art, was the focus of more than two decades of effort, but it remains unfinished.

A memorial service for Mary is in the planning stage, to occur sometime in the spring.

--Mark DeVoto formerly Associate Professor of Music and the Humanities, the University of New Hampshire, 1968-1981

Jean-François Madeuf News

Trumpeter Jean-François Madeuf sends us news of his many activities. He writes, “Things are going well for the revival of the real baroque trumpet (without holes). More and more players are interested in playing in this way because they hear that it is possible now to play safely, in tune and musically, and all with authentic instruments and performance techniques. So many students are coming each year in Basel and Lyon and I obtain the same results, in a shorter time, than a few years ago. It is like they don't have the mental limitations that we have traditionally in the brass family. I am very busy and have concerts not only in France but throughout Europe and occasionally in Japan. It seems that things are changing in Germany and the UK where it is now possible to play without holes, thanks to people who studied in Basel in recent years. Makers such as Graham Nicholson (Den Haag) or Markus Raquet (Bamberg) are producing fine instruments and have full list of orders.

I performed the 2nd Brandenburg twelve times in concert in 2007 (8 times connected with the 1st Brandenburg on horn and ensemble La Petite Bande with Sigiswald Kuijken). We know that this very difficult piece is playable like it was done in the past on a natural instrument with an appropriate and historically accurate mouthpiece. I recorded it last August for a little label. I will play it again in 2008 in France and Japan and perhaps record it again. In 2009 a tour is planned with La Petite Bande as well as a recording. Another important project will be the tour of French ensemble Le Concert Spirituel in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Japan the following October, performing the Handel Water Music and Royal Fireworks. This ensemble recorded these works with 9 natural trumpets and 9 natural horns.

On 19th-century music for period instruments great progress is also being made. I participated recently in a project performing and recording the Dvorak 9th Symphony and Schumann's Konzertstück for 4 horns and orchestra. David Guerrier played a Viennese pump system horn (1st) with Antoine Dreyfus (2nd) Emmanuel Padieu (3rd) and René Schirer (4th). The orchestra was La Chambre Philharmonique conducted by Emmanuel Krivine. With Les Cuivres Romantiques, we continue the exploration of 19th-century brass band repertoire. Patrick Fraize (Bourges) made for us very good 19th-century natural trumpets with crooks after Raoux (1800-1830).”

Classical Period Trumpet by Graham Nicholson

Trumpeter and instrument maker Graham Nicholson has recently developed a classical trumpet after a 1794 Viennese Huschauer. He reports that there is only one left in the world and it is housed in the Edinburgh Colelction of Historic Instruments. He says that it is sublime as a classical trumpet, there is nothing that comes close to it. The bore is 12.2mm which is a lot bigger than the baroque bores. As a 3 holed trumpet it has the advantage of the other models that it does not go flat in the bottom and sharp in the top range as you add crooks. Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Storied History of Two Gilded Horns

The September 18th issue of the New York Times ran a news story about two small guilded horns with a remarkable history. A pair of gilded horns which were reproductions of the fifth-century originals stolen 205 years ago and melted down by a debt-ridden watchmaker and goldsmith, were stolen from the Jelling Museum in South Jutland, Denmark. They were on loan from the Danish National Museum. Two days later the Times ran another story with a happy ending. The horns were recovered by the Danish police and the gang of bad-guys were arrested!

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

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
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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/