Boston Cornets
By the time that The Boston Musical Instrument Manufactory was
formed in 1869, Boston had been the center of the US brass
instrument industry for at least 20 years. The new company of
makers was a merging of the E.G. Wright and Graves & Co. shops
which had already had a close working relationship for almost two
decades. Most of the experienced workers were from German
musical instrument making families, the most important being Henry
Esbach and Louis Hartmann who became majority owners of the
business.
It was only about three years previous to the formation of the new
business that Wright started producing a piston valve version of his
very popular rotary valve Bb cornet. These had the same bore
measurement, bell and mouthpipe. Judging by the extreme rarity of
these today, they must not have been nearly as popular as the rotary
valve cornets made in the same few years. This design was
continued in production for many years after the formation of Boston
MIM. In about 1877, a similar but newly designed cornet was
introduced and engraved with the legend: "Ne Plus Ultra" (Latin for
"no more beyond" or "none better") with a star above it. These had a
new, larger bell and bore measuring about .485" as compared to the
earlier Bb cornets which were .462". The only example of this "One
Star" cornet that I know of is in the collection of the National Music
Museum and it has the distinct, wide first and third slide crooks seen
on the later Esbach patent cornet and top action levers as on the
earlier instruments. At about the same time another cornet of the
same bore measurement was introduced and engraved with two stars
and "Ne Plus Ultra". These look exactly like the Orchestra model
that Boston had been offering from the start, but with larger bell and
valve bore. Like the earlier models, it was available with both top and
side action valve levers. Early in the year 1879, yet another new
model with the large bore was introduced incorporating Henry
Esbach's patented valve mechanism (see link to left) and engraved
with three stars. This seems to be a replacement for the original with
one star. The "One Star" doesn't appear in any of the catalogs that I
have seen. As in the earlier Boston cornets, the bell design was an
almost exact copy of the Courtois cornets, the Two Star bell being a
little larger through the flare. I haven't been able to examine the "One
Star" cornet to determine if it shares one of these bell designs or
something different. I have not found any evidence indicating
whether or not the piston valve versions of the Two Star and Three
Star cornets were introduced at the same time or slightly later, but it
was certainly by the time that the 1881 catalog was issued, wherein it
was illustrated in the form that is so familiar to us. The valve section
for these new models was redesigned from the earlier piston valve
cornets with wider slide crooks and, of course, the larger bore. Very
soon after its introduction, the "Famous Three Star Cornet" was
redesigned with a smaller, intermediate bore (.472") but is otherwise
the same. At about the same time, the fixed valve guide was replaced
by a three point, floating guide, copied from those in Courtois cornets.
This appears to apply to all cornet models at the same time, in about
1884 (around serial number 8000). The 1887 catalog offers only
piston valve versions of the Two and Three Star cornets, and while
listing the Esbach patent model, fails to describe it as a Three Star
model. The Esbach model was not listed in a catalog from about
1890 and the Two Star disappeared by 1903. The older rotary valve
cornets continued in production longer; five different rotary valve
cornets, each with either side or top action levers, were still offered
after 1903. The Three Star Cornet with piston valves continued in
production in its original form (with the .472" bore) until 1910 or
later, at which time it was lengthened to 13 1/2" and modified with a
fixed mouthpipe, single waterkey and A tuning slide pull. Around the
same time a companion long model cornet (16" long) without
shepherd's crook bell was added to the line.
The links to the left take you to pages with more photos and
information on particular Boston cornets. This is only a sampling of
the variety of cornet models produced by Boston, concentrating on
those in Bb. There were at least 15 models of Eb cornets produced
by this maker before the 1890s.
formed in 1869, Boston had been the center of the US brass
instrument industry for at least 20 years. The new company of
makers was a merging of the E.G. Wright and Graves & Co. shops
which had already had a close working relationship for almost two
decades. Most of the experienced workers were from German
musical instrument making families, the most important being Henry
Esbach and Louis Hartmann who became majority owners of the
business.
It was only about three years previous to the formation of the new
business that Wright started producing a piston valve version of his
very popular rotary valve Bb cornet. These had the same bore
measurement, bell and mouthpipe. Judging by the extreme rarity of
these today, they must not have been nearly as popular as the rotary
valve cornets made in the same few years. This design was
continued in production for many years after the formation of Boston
MIM. In about 1877, a similar but newly designed cornet was
introduced and engraved with the legend: "Ne Plus Ultra" (Latin for
"no more beyond" or "none better") with a star above it. These had a
new, larger bell and bore measuring about .485" as compared to the
earlier Bb cornets which were .462". The only example of this "One
Star" cornet that I know of is in the collection of the National Music
Museum and it has the distinct, wide first and third slide crooks seen
on the later Esbach patent cornet and top action levers as on the
earlier instruments. At about the same time another cornet of the
same bore measurement was introduced and engraved with two stars
and "Ne Plus Ultra". These look exactly like the Orchestra model
that Boston had been offering from the start, but with larger bell and
valve bore. Like the earlier models, it was available with both top and
side action valve levers. Early in the year 1879, yet another new
model with the large bore was introduced incorporating Henry
Esbach's patented valve mechanism (see link to left) and engraved
with three stars. This seems to be a replacement for the original with
one star. The "One Star" doesn't appear in any of the catalogs that I
have seen. As in the earlier Boston cornets, the bell design was an
almost exact copy of the Courtois cornets, the Two Star bell being a
little larger through the flare. I haven't been able to examine the "One
Star" cornet to determine if it shares one of these bell designs or
something different. I have not found any evidence indicating
whether or not the piston valve versions of the Two Star and Three
Star cornets were introduced at the same time or slightly later, but it
was certainly by the time that the 1881 catalog was issued, wherein it
was illustrated in the form that is so familiar to us. The valve section
for these new models was redesigned from the earlier piston valve
cornets with wider slide crooks and, of course, the larger bore. Very
soon after its introduction, the "Famous Three Star Cornet" was
redesigned with a smaller, intermediate bore (.472") but is otherwise
the same. At about the same time, the fixed valve guide was replaced
by a three point, floating guide, copied from those in Courtois cornets.
This appears to apply to all cornet models at the same time, in about
1884 (around serial number 8000). The 1887 catalog offers only
piston valve versions of the Two and Three Star cornets, and while
listing the Esbach patent model, fails to describe it as a Three Star
model. The Esbach model was not listed in a catalog from about
1890 and the Two Star disappeared by 1903. The older rotary valve
cornets continued in production longer; five different rotary valve
cornets, each with either side or top action levers, were still offered
after 1903. The Three Star Cornet with piston valves continued in
production in its original form (with the .472" bore) until 1910 or
later, at which time it was lengthened to 13 1/2" and modified with a
fixed mouthpipe, single waterkey and A tuning slide pull. Around the
same time a companion long model cornet (16" long) without
shepherd's crook bell was added to the line.
The links to the left take you to pages with more photos and
information on particular Boston cornets. This is only a sampling of
the variety of cornet models produced by Boston, concentrating on
those in Bb. There were at least 15 models of Eb cornets produced
by this maker before the 1890s.
