| E.G. Wright Soprano Saxhorn (Flugelhorn or Valve Bugle) |
This E.G. Wright soprano Saxhorn in Eb was made about 1864 in
Boston where Wright had long since established himself as a maker
of some of the worlds finest brass instruments. In our modern
terminology, this is a soprano flugelhorn but in its day it was most
often generically called an Eb cornet. This was the most common
style of instrument used for the soprano voice in brass bands in the
United States from the early 1850s until the late 1860s as the use
of the Eb keyed bugle died out and before the narrow bell soprano
cornets became popular. This has a copper bell and branch with
German silver valve mechanism. Copper was traditionally used for
the body of keyed bugles and presumably this is a hold over from
that era. This instrument is 12 1/8" long with a bell rim diameter
of 4 9/16" and bore measuring .421". The mouthpiece, marked
"D.C. Hall" was found with the instrument, is from about the same
year and presumably was used with it originally. By the late 1860s
Boston makers were making most of their bells with a French rim
rather than the applied garland seen here. A common feature in
American style Eb sopranos at this time is the tuning adjustment by
turning a nut on a threaded rod that is attached to the tuning
mouthpipe tube. Like most band instruments from this era it plays
in high pitch and is an exceptionally good playing instrument.
This was the first important instrument in my collection that I
acquired in about 1980 and restored at a time that I had less
understanding of how to treat such an instrument. Even though I
thought at the time that I was polishing it conservatively, I
definitely took off more metal than was appropriate. It is still a
well preserved and important historical instrument.
Boston where Wright had long since established himself as a maker
of some of the worlds finest brass instruments. In our modern
terminology, this is a soprano flugelhorn but in its day it was most
often generically called an Eb cornet. This was the most common
style of instrument used for the soprano voice in brass bands in the
United States from the early 1850s until the late 1860s as the use
of the Eb keyed bugle died out and before the narrow bell soprano
cornets became popular. This has a copper bell and branch with
German silver valve mechanism. Copper was traditionally used for
the body of keyed bugles and presumably this is a hold over from
that era. This instrument is 12 1/8" long with a bell rim diameter
of 4 9/16" and bore measuring .421". The mouthpiece, marked
"D.C. Hall" was found with the instrument, is from about the same
year and presumably was used with it originally. By the late 1860s
Boston makers were making most of their bells with a French rim
rather than the applied garland seen here. A common feature in
American style Eb sopranos at this time is the tuning adjustment by
turning a nut on a threaded rod that is attached to the tuning
mouthpipe tube. Like most band instruments from this era it plays
in high pitch and is an exceptionally good playing instrument.
This was the first important instrument in my collection that I
acquired in about 1980 and restored at a time that I had less
understanding of how to treat such an instrument. Even though I
thought at the time that I was polishing it conservatively, I
definitely took off more metal than was appropriate. It is still a
well preserved and important historical instrument.
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