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• Sovereign Cornet Serial Numbers

The Cornet: Fascinating Facts About the Brass Band Instrument

A cornet is what is known as an aerophone, which means it makes music through the vibration of air. Because the quality of the sound is also influenced by the player's lips, it's also called a labrosone. The cornet is found in the brass section of the orchestra along with instruments such as the trombone, trumpet, and tuba.

There are several different kinds of cornets, and you can find them all on eBay. The instrument is usually shaped like a trumpet, but it's shorter and a bit wider. Also, its bore, or inside chamber, is more cone-shaped. This gives it a mellow tone. The cornet can also come in other shapes; for instance, there are circular cornets. The Bb cornet is probably the most popular version of the instrument. This means that the instrument is made in the key of B flat although the player can adjust the key as the horn is played. There is another instrument called the cornett, but it is not related to the modern cornet. The cornett is a wooden instrument that resembles a flute with finger holes and a cup-shaped mouthpiece. It was popular in the 16th and 17th centuries. Other types of modern cornets include the following:

• Shepherd's crook
• E-flat cornet
• C cornet
• Echo cornet
• Long cornet

The cornet is descended from the post horn. The post horn is a valveless horn that signals the arrival or departure of a dignitary. They are still used to herald the arrival of the queen in the United Kingdom. The cornet differs from the post horn in that it has valves, like the trumpet. It was first used in military bands in the 19th century, and later, it was used in orchestral music composed by Berlioz and Rossini. It is famously used in jazz bands. Louis Armstrong began his career by playing the cornet before he took up the trumpet. He probably chose the instrument because he was a child at the time, and the cornet is easier for a child to play and hold than a trumpet. This is especially true if the player is in a marching band.

A traditional Bb cornet is usually made of brass, which is an alloy of copper and zinc that is polished to a high shine and then lacquered. The metal is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it also repels bacteria, mold, and mildew. Making a Bb cornet or any other brass instrument requires great skill and a fair amount of artistry. By the way, brass instruments get their name not from the metal but from their bright, bold, focused sound. Some are made of wood, plastic, or Bakelite.

Besides Louis Armstrong, famous cornet players include the following:

• Bunk Johnson: he taught Armstrong how to play the cornet
• Bix Beiderbecke: an influential jazz musician and cornet player
• W.C. Handy: the 'Father of the Blues'
• 'King' Oliver: he also taught and influenced Louis Armstrong
• Jean-Baptiste Arban: the 19th century French-born virtuoso of the valved cornet

Sovereign Cornet Serial Numbers

The Boston Musical Instrument Company was an American manufacturer of brass bandinstruments in the late 19th and early 20th centuries located in Boston, Massachusetts.

History[edit]

Elbridge Wright was an apprentice to Samuel Graves at his original woodwind shop which had been founded in the 1820s outside of Boston. At the same time Wright was with Graves, James Keat, who had apprenticed to hais father Samuel in England around the turn of the century, introduced the Graves firm to brasswind instrument manufacture. Wright learned from both Graves and Keat before setting out on his own.^[1]

In 1869, the E.G. Wright Company of Boston, Massachusetts (established in 1841) and Graves & Co. of Winchester, Massachusetts combined to form the Boston Musical Instrument Manufactury located at 71 Sudbury Street, Boston. The partnership included Elbrdige G. (EG) Wright, Samuel, William and George Graves, and Wright’s 'practical partners' Henry Esbach and Louis Hartman.^[2][3]

E.G. Wright left the company shortly thereafter to join the firm of Hall and Quinby (established by David Hall in 1862) which became The Hall Quinby Wright Company until Wright’s death in 1871. In the 1869 Catalogue announcing the formation of the Boston Musical Instrument Manufactury, an opening letter to customers cautions against any firms that might “advertise in the old name in order to enhance the value of inferior instruments”. The continued use of E.G. Wright & Co. tools, patterns and craftsman was assured in the same.^[2] Hall and Quinby would be bought by Thomas and Odell in 1884 changing its name to the Standard Band Instrument company and then again in 1909 by the Vega Company.^[4]

E.G. Wright and Company had been founded in 1841 and continued as the Boston Musical Instrument Manufactury uninterrupted at 71 Sudbury until 1902 when the name was changed to the Boston Musical Instrument Company. This change coincided with a relocation to 51 Chardon Street in Boston. Two years later the company was purchased by Cundy-Bettony which continued to build instruments in the Boston name until 1928.^[5]

Products[edit]

The Boston Musical Instrument Manufactury/Company was a producer of traditional instruments for brass band. The 1869 catalog shows a full line of such instruments including the traditional cornets in E-flat and B-flat, E-flat Alto horn and horn, B-flat tenor, B-flat baritone, B-flat valve trombone and slide trombone, and tubas in B-flat and E-flat. Slide cornet was another option. The company also offered the full range of instruments in upright bell and over the shoulder configurations.^[2]

Initially, most valved instruments were offered in rotary valve configurations with piston valvecornet and alto horn being the only exceptions. The rotary valve is a string operated dual-bored axial valve actuated by a lever pressed with the fingers. A piston valve is directly actuated by downward finger pressure on the top of a dual-bored piston over a spring. Rotary valves were common in central Europe in the mid 19th century while piston valves were the preferred configuration in British brass bands.^[2]

Among the American firms competing with Boston were the H.N. White Company, The Standard Band Instrument Company, C.G. Conn, Ltd., F.E. Olds, E.A. Couturier Co., Ltd., the Frank Holton Company and the J.W. York Company. All manufactured similar full lines for band.

Herbert L. Clarke[edit]

Noted cornet virtuoso Herbert L. Clarke, author of many solos for cornet and successful touring soloist of the turn of the 20th century, purchased a Boston 3-star cornet for his first professional quality horn.^[6] He purchased this horn after several months of saving following his graduation from high school and relocation to Indianapolis from Toronto in 1884. The Boston 3-star cornets were popular horns of the day and are still respected by collectors and antique cornet enthusiasts. These horns carried the inscription “Ne Plus Ultra” on the bell. Clarke had learned to play on his brother’s horn and then had played professionally for a time on a band provided Courtois. Clarke did not stay with the Boston for very long, changing horns and manufacturers many times in his career.^[7]

Volume and serialization[edit]

The Boston Musical Instrument Manufactury/Company was a low volume producer by modern standards.

The company produced only 4000 to 4500 total instruments in each decade of the 1880s, 1890s, 1900s and 19-teens. Boston serial numbers do not appear on horns prior to 1880 and begin in the 6000s.

Around 1890 the serial numbers were in the 10,000 range, in 1900 the 15,000 range, in 1910 the 19,500 range, and in 1920 the 24,500 range.^[5] Horns built after 1914 (serial numbers 22,000 and above) were manufactured after the departure of the original owners from the firm.

References and Sources[edit]

1. ^Berndt, Ron (2017). A Timeline of Trumpets. Amazon.
2. ^ ^abcdeIllustrated catalogue of the Boston Musical Instrument Manufactory (formerly E.G. Wright & Co.)(Press of Hollis & Gunn steam job printers). Boston: Boston Musical Instrument Manufactory. 1869.
3. ^'The Boston Cornet Project'. oberloh.com. Oberloh Woodwind and Brass Works. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
4. ^Vega Company, Wikipedia
5. ^ ^ab'Serial Number List, Boston Musical Instruments'. Musictrader.com. Lars Kirmser. Archived from the original on 2000-03-03. Retrieved October 25, 2010.Cite uses deprecated parameter dead-url= (help)
6. ^Clarke, Herbert (1934). How I became a cornetist(PDF). St. Louis: Joseph L. Huber. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
7. ^Endsley, Gerald R. (1979). Herbert L. Clarke with Sousa's Band and the Victor Orchestra (Media notes). Sedro Woolley, Washington: Crystal Records.

External links[edit]

• [1] Lars Kirmser's Musictrader.com, Boston Musical Instrument Serial Numbers
• [2] The Boston Cornet Project, Oberloh Woodwind and Brass Works