This cornet would not warrant much attention aside from the
player's name engraved below the maker's marks. In fact this
instrument had spent several decades serving as a decorative
base for an electric lamp. The lamp owner decided to Google
the name "Howard Reynolds" and discovered that there was a
well known cornetist with that name. In fact, Reynolds was
London's leading cornet soloist from the time that Jules Levy
left in 1875. His professional career started in the mid-1860s
at the age of 16 and continued until his death in 1898 and was
most closely associated with the Covent Gardens Promenade
Concerts. His career was busy and wide ranging, including a
season in the US in 1880. The name doesn't prove ownership,
but there is a small amount of evidence pointing in that
direction. As always, I invite any additional facts regarding
Mr. Reynolds and this cornet. With what I have, it is difficult
to calculate the likelihood that this was his instrument and will
have to be speculative for now. My judgement is that the
chances are about 40%, but could justifiably placed lower or
higher. I present this for both entertainment and to increase of
knowledge.
Aside from the name, the time and place are the only
supporting evidence. This cornet was made by Schuster &
Sohne or Schuster & Co (the name of the company after
1881) some time after the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition in
1876 and was likely made before Reynolds' death in 1898. It
could have been made after that date, although this style of
cornet was soon out of fashion. Schuster, located in
Markneukirchen, Saxony, did a thriving export business to the
US as well as Britain. They produced a wide range of models,
copying what was popular regionally. This is somewhat of a
copy of a Courtois Levy or Arbuckle model. With a bore of
.460", it is more like the Arbuckle Courtois. The last image to
the left below is a photograph of Howard Reynolds that
appeared in The Strand Musical Magazine in 1897, towards
the end of his life, holding a very similar cornet. Like most top
soloists of his generation, he was known to play a Courtois
cornet and I believe that is what he is holding here. There
appears to be a shield and engraving (Riche or Demi-Riche
decoration from Courtois) very similar to Levi's. In this
article, he was asked what sort of cornet he played and he
replied that it was an ordinary instrument other than being of
large bore. He also states that he normally plays in "French
pitch" and indicates that this is lower than the more common
pitch level. In the photo, he is using the A shank with a high
pitched tuning slide, which seems to be a common practice for
the soloists that played in low pitch Bb. I discuss this further
on my page featuring Mathew Arbuckle's cornet. While this
Schuster cornet may have belonged to a different Howard
Reynolds, it is likely that he was courted for his endorsement
by the makers or sellers. The fact that "London" is the first
name stamped on the bell indicates that Schuster had opened a
London branch of their company, perhaps just for sales, but
possibly with a workshop to support this enterprise. It would
make sense that Schuster would have wanted the public
endorsement of the top local cornetists. I haven't found any
further evidence for this London shop and I suspect that it was
short lived.
player's name engraved below the maker's marks. In fact this
instrument had spent several decades serving as a decorative
base for an electric lamp. The lamp owner decided to Google
the name "Howard Reynolds" and discovered that there was a
well known cornetist with that name. In fact, Reynolds was
London's leading cornet soloist from the time that Jules Levy
left in 1875. His professional career started in the mid-1860s
at the age of 16 and continued until his death in 1898 and was
most closely associated with the Covent Gardens Promenade
Concerts. His career was busy and wide ranging, including a
season in the US in 1880. The name doesn't prove ownership,
but there is a small amount of evidence pointing in that
direction. As always, I invite any additional facts regarding
Mr. Reynolds and this cornet. With what I have, it is difficult
to calculate the likelihood that this was his instrument and will
have to be speculative for now. My judgement is that the
chances are about 40%, but could justifiably placed lower or
higher. I present this for both entertainment and to increase of
knowledge.
Aside from the name, the time and place are the only
supporting evidence. This cornet was made by Schuster &
Sohne or Schuster & Co (the name of the company after
1881) some time after the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition in
1876 and was likely made before Reynolds' death in 1898. It
could have been made after that date, although this style of
cornet was soon out of fashion. Schuster, located in
Markneukirchen, Saxony, did a thriving export business to the
US as well as Britain. They produced a wide range of models,
copying what was popular regionally. This is somewhat of a
copy of a Courtois Levy or Arbuckle model. With a bore of
.460", it is more like the Arbuckle Courtois. The last image to
the left below is a photograph of Howard Reynolds that
appeared in The Strand Musical Magazine in 1897, towards
the end of his life, holding a very similar cornet. Like most top
soloists of his generation, he was known to play a Courtois
cornet and I believe that is what he is holding here. There
appears to be a shield and engraving (Riche or Demi-Riche
decoration from Courtois) very similar to Levi's. In this
article, he was asked what sort of cornet he played and he
replied that it was an ordinary instrument other than being of
large bore. He also states that he normally plays in "French
pitch" and indicates that this is lower than the more common
pitch level. In the photo, he is using the A shank with a high
pitched tuning slide, which seems to be a common practice for
the soloists that played in low pitch Bb. I discuss this further
on my page featuring Mathew Arbuckle's cornet. While this
Schuster cornet may have belonged to a different Howard
Reynolds, it is likely that he was courted for his endorsement
by the makers or sellers. The fact that "London" is the first
name stamped on the bell indicates that Schuster had opened a
London branch of their company, perhaps just for sales, but
possibly with a workshop to support this enterprise. It would
make sense that Schuster would have wanted the public
endorsement of the top local cornetists. I haven't found any
further evidence for this London shop and I suspect that it was
short lived.
Howard Reynolds' Schuster Cornet
Click on images for larger views.