Bb Cornet by E.G. Wright
Frequent visitors to this website will have noticed that I am
biased towards the New England makers in general and
specifically E.G. Wright and The Boston Musical Instrument
Manufactory that succeeded Wright. Part of my fascination
with Wright, Graves, Allen and Fiske, the best US makers
of their time, is that in a young country that was playing
catch up to Europe's technology, such high quality
instruments were being made. I know that I'm not
objective, but I believe that there are no better brass
instruments made by contemporary European or English
makers.
This example, belonging to Broadway trumpeter Dave
Rogers, was made in Boston between 1865 and 1869. It is
exciting to me because of its state of preservation and
completeness. The only part that appears to be missing is
the lyre. The case is extant, but I don't show it because it
was recently painted and relined, destroying its original
appearance. The kit of parts that came with this cornet is a
slight variation from what was more common both in the US
and overseas. Rather than a second mouthpipe shank for A,
there is a longer tuning slide for that key At first look it
would seem to be for low pitch, but it's too long. The small
bit lengthens the cornet in either key to low pitch, which in
those days was about A=435Hz. Without the bit, it plays in
the normal high pitch, which was about A=452Hz. The
circular crook lowers the pitch to G. Although unmarked, I
have no doubt that the mouthpiece is original to this cornet,
which I recognize from past experience. The most
remarkable and rare part to be preserved with this
instrument is the mute. It is made of German silver, the
same as the rest of the instrument and the longitudinal seam
has tabs that match the bell exactly, removing doubt that it is
also original. In spite of its elegant appearance, the acoustics
of the mute are quite crude, compared with what we are
accustomed to today. It raises the pitch of the cornet by
more than 1/4 tone when fully inserted and experimentation
reveals that it isn't improved much by extending it outward.
The cork was completely missing from the mute, revealing
only a shadow where it once was, so my replacement is only
a best guess. Our greatest authority on early American
made brass instruments is Bob Eliason, who tells me that he
has found evidence that such mutes were intended only for
practicing.
The overall length of this cornet with mouthpiece removed
is 12 7/8", the bell rim diameter measures 5" and the bore
.466". Boston continued making this cornet model after
Wright left the company in 1869, although much more
commonly seen with side action valve levers rather than the
top action seen here. In later Boston catalogs, it is described
as the Band Size as opposed to the later version shown here
that was called the Orchestra Size. Both were still listed as
available with top action levers as an option in a catalog
published about 1903.
biased towards the New England makers in general and
specifically E.G. Wright and The Boston Musical Instrument
Manufactory that succeeded Wright. Part of my fascination
with Wright, Graves, Allen and Fiske, the best US makers
of their time, is that in a young country that was playing
catch up to Europe's technology, such high quality
instruments were being made. I know that I'm not
objective, but I believe that there are no better brass
instruments made by contemporary European or English
makers.
This example, belonging to Broadway trumpeter Dave
Rogers, was made in Boston between 1865 and 1869. It is
exciting to me because of its state of preservation and
completeness. The only part that appears to be missing is
the lyre. The case is extant, but I don't show it because it
was recently painted and relined, destroying its original
appearance. The kit of parts that came with this cornet is a
slight variation from what was more common both in the US
and overseas. Rather than a second mouthpipe shank for A,
there is a longer tuning slide for that key At first look it
would seem to be for low pitch, but it's too long. The small
bit lengthens the cornet in either key to low pitch, which in
those days was about A=435Hz. Without the bit, it plays in
the normal high pitch, which was about A=452Hz. The
circular crook lowers the pitch to G. Although unmarked, I
have no doubt that the mouthpiece is original to this cornet,
which I recognize from past experience. The most
remarkable and rare part to be preserved with this
instrument is the mute. It is made of German silver, the
same as the rest of the instrument and the longitudinal seam
has tabs that match the bell exactly, removing doubt that it is
also original. In spite of its elegant appearance, the acoustics
of the mute are quite crude, compared with what we are
accustomed to today. It raises the pitch of the cornet by
more than 1/4 tone when fully inserted and experimentation
reveals that it isn't improved much by extending it outward.
The cork was completely missing from the mute, revealing
only a shadow where it once was, so my replacement is only
a best guess. Our greatest authority on early American
made brass instruments is Bob Eliason, who tells me that he
has found evidence that such mutes were intended only for
practicing.
The overall length of this cornet with mouthpiece removed
is 12 7/8", the bell rim diameter measures 5" and the bore
.466". Boston continued making this cornet model after
Wright left the company in 1869, although much more
commonly seen with side action valve levers rather than the
top action seen here. In later Boston catalogs, it is described
as the Band Size as opposed to the later version shown here
that was called the Orchestra Size. Both were still listed as
available with top action levers as an option in a catalog
published about 1903.
Click on image for a larger view.