Trumpets and other high brass: a history inspired by the Joe R. and Joella F. Utley Collection

Abstract

"Volume 4 explores the history of the piston-valve B-flat cornet. It 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 bass ranges, such as the ballad horn and mellophone, are also considered. Like the three earlier volumes, the present one is based primarily on the Utley Collection, but includes examples from other collections at the National Music Museum and from some other museums and private collections. The subjects described in this volume are richly illustrated with numerous drawings, patent documents, manufacturer catalogs, and over 800 photographs. The trumpeters Vince DiMartino and Don Johnson bring selected instruments from the Utley Collection to life in the enclosed DVD"--Provided by publisher.