Courtois Cornets
When Howard Reynolds’ Courtois cornet emerged from obscurity in early 2023, it completed an important trio of Courtois cornets from the 1870s. The importance of the cornets made by Antoine Courtois in these years can hardly be overstated. They were the choice of the most popular cornet soloist starting in the 1850s and sold in large numbers despite commanding a premium price.
Much of the following information comes directly from the excellent and exhaustive article, “COURTOIS, LA DYNASTIE ENFIN RETROUVÉE!” by Maxime and Chrisian Chagot, published in LARIGOT number 54, December 2014. It has also been condensed and clarified in the first two chapters of “TRUMPETS AND OTHER HIGH BRASS”, volume 4, by Sabine Klaus, published by the National Music Museum, 2022.
Born in Paris March 22nd, 1814, Denis Antoine Courtois was from a metalworking family going back at least five generations. His great great great grandfather was a boilermaker in Villenauxe in the 17th century, making and repairing distilling equipment used in the winemaking industry. Utilizing their knowledge of making tubing and vessels from copper and brass, his grandfather, Antoine Laurent (elder) and two great uncles, Louis Nicolas and Adrien Courtois started making brass musical instruments in the late 18th century. His uncle, Antoine Laurent (younger) established a shop on rue des Prouvaires in Paris for making horns in the style of Raoux and was joined by his brother, Denis Victor, Denis Antoine’s father, using the name “Courtois frére”. They moved to 21 rue du Caire sometime before 1819. In addition to horns, they were soon making trumpets, bugles, trombones, keyed bugles and ophicleides.
In 1823 Antoine Laurent designed the clairon to be used by the military as a replacement for the trumpet and with a sound that was distinct from the British and German bugles. In the 1830s, they began to make horns and cornets using the newly available Stölzel valves and then the newly designed Périnet valves made under license by Sasasigne starting in late 1838. Starting in about 1843, they stamped on the bells, below “Courtois frére”, “Fourisseur (or Facteur) du Conservatoire”. As early as 1838 instruments made by Courtois were awarded to the students that won the solo competitions each year at the Conservatoire de Paris. Cornets were included in the curriculum starting in 1848.
After the retirement of his uncle and the death of his father in 1844, Denis Antoine took over the business and changed the name to “Antoine Courtois”. He continued making cornets with either Stölzel or Périnet piston valves based on the designs of Périnet, Labbaye, Halary and other Parisian makers. He won an “Honorable Mention” prize medal at London’s Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851. The next year he introduced a new cornet design which he called “Nouvelle Modele” and this name was stamped on the bells of the earliest examples. The design of the valve tubing was a unique variation on the original by Périnet and novel was the bell mounted on the left side of the valve section. In later years, cornets with the bells on the left came to be known as “Modele Anglaise” and the earlier design with the bell on the right side as “Modele Française.”
Even before the 1851 exhibition, Courtois cornets were already establishing a reputation in England, evidenced by advertising by Distin & Co. starting in February of 1848 in The Musical World. They announced the availability of “the choicest Cornet a Pistons, including the genuine Courtois, at eight guineas, and the NEW BESSON CORNET”, along with “Distin’s Courtois Model, five guineas”. The latter was likely made for them by Gautrot or another French maker, more proof of the desirability of the name and the instruments made by them. It is interesting to note that in these years, Courtois cornets were mostly copies of those of other makers and it was his later new models that were more widely copied by many makers, including Henry Distin and others around the world later in the century. The Besson cornets from this time were arguably more innovative and distinct in design, but Distin chose to copy the Courtois. It is also possible that Distin was importing cornets from Antoine Courtois’ cousin. Auguste Courtois who was making brass instruments at 54 re des Vieux-Augustins in Paris. Auguste was less focused on the foreign market, and judging by surviving instruments, much smaller production than Antoine. He did, however, design and patent the floating valve guide in 1847 that was adopted by Antoine by 1854 (with three rather than two locating lugs) and later by many other makers. Today, almost all cornets and trumpets use valve guides almost identical to this original two lug design.
In November 1851, the famous orchestra leader, Louis-Antoine Jullien advertised in the London papers that he had purchased some of the instruments that were exhibited at the Crystal Palace, including those by Courtois and Besson and became the sole importer of these makes. The timing was good, and he gained the endorsement of the German born cornet soloist Hermann Koenig (König). Koenig had previously been in partnership with London flute maker and dealer, John Pask, selling cornets made by Gustave Besson and other Parisian makers. For Courtois’ new models that were sold by Jullien, the bells were stamped “Approved by / Herr Koenig / New Model.” On the old models (Modele Française including with Stölzel valves), the bells were stamped “Approved by / Herr Koenig”. The new models sold in Paris were stamped “Nouveau Modèle”. Early in 1852 a new “Herr Koenig’s New Drawing Room Model” was introduced in London, which was in the key of C to be played reading along with piano music. The Bb equivalent was then called the “Herr Koenig’s Concert Room Model” and each of these was available with double water key or a different “wrap” of the mouthpipe allowing for a quickly emptied water slide. These new names were not stamped on the bells.
Shortly after Koenig’s death in late 1857, the Bb variations of the new model were all stamped “Koenig’s Model” and were available for £9 9s “with improved watery-key” and £8 8s “with waterslide” and also in “the New Metal Imitation of Gold” (presumably made of gold brass, with higher copper content) for £13 13s, “Solid Silver” for £40, and the same with gold (plated?) mountings for £50. One example of a solid silver cornet surviving today was presented to a British Army musician in 1961.
Jullien was first and foremost a promoter and his advertisements might have been confusing or even deceiving. In March 1852, touting a large consignment of Besson and Courtois cornets, £8 8s, first quality and £6 6s second quality. While it is possible that Besson and/or Courtois were producing less expensive instruments, it is more likely that they were being made by another maker. Several years later, in ads headed by the statement “Manufactured by Antoine Courtois”, he listed second quality cornets, presumably with Stoelzel valves, for as low as £2 2s. Later versions of this ad stated that the lower priced cornets were “examined by Courtois”.
One of the original “Approved by / Herr Koenig / New Model” variations with water key had a wider third valve slide and the return tube from tuning slide between its sliding tubes. This became known as “Arban’s Model”, although rarely stamped as such and by 1885 was also known as “Reynolds’ Model”.
By 1853, Courtois produced a complete line of brass instruments with valves from Eb soprano cornet to Eb contrabass tuba and alto, tenor and bass slide trombones. The larger production necessitated hiring more employees and in 1856 moving to larger quarters at 88 rue des Marais, St. Martin. Shortly thereafter, he contracted with music publisher A. Büttner as sales agents for St. Petersburg. He continued entering instruments in international exhibitions, winning prize medals in Paris 1855, 1867, 1878 and 1889, London 1862 and 1885, Moscow 1872, Boston 1883 and others.
In about 1854 Courtois introduced the “Koenig-Horn”, a circular bodied alto with bell downwards, nominally pitched in F with crooks for Eb, D and C. The taper and flare of the bell are like a small alto horn or modern flugelhorn. Hermann Koenig was well known for his expressive ballad style of playing and this instrument would have worked well for the alto or high tenor range of playing. The earliest known example had engraved on a silver shield “à son ami / Herman Koenig” and lacks Jullien’s stamp indicating that it went directly from Courtois to Koenig, rather than being handled by Jullien.
After years of financial difficulties, Jullien left London for Paris in 1859 and the exclusive importation of Courtois instruments was taken over by A. Chappell & Hammond. This was then succeeded by S. (Samuel) Arthur Chappell in 1861. Chappell was the son of Samuel Chappell who had founded Chappell & Co. in 1810, which was inherited by eldest son, Thomas P. Chappell in the 1830s. They were publishers, concert agents and piano manufacturers. Chappell & Co. advertised Courtois cornets available for sale during the 1850s, presumably acquired from Jullien & Co.
(Jean-Baptiste) Arban is first mentioned as playing a Courtois cornet in advertising by Jullien and Co. is in 1859 although there wasn’t a distinct Arban’s Model until much later. The first mention of Jules Levy playing one is by Chappell & Hammond in 1860 and in October of 1864, The Musical World reported that he is playing “on the new cornet, made expressly for him by Antoine Courtois.” This may be the origination of the Levy’s Model, or likely a few years later. The earliest known examples stamped as such were made in about 1869 or 1870 and interestingly, are in the configuration of what is more generally known as Arban’s Model, with the wide third slide crook.
Chappell’s exclusivity also extended to the “colonies” including the United States. He sold Courtois cornets through music dealers such as Edward Hopkins in New York and Henry Prince in Montreal. By the late 1870s, they were becoming very popular in the US and the sole right to sell them there was granted in 1879 by Chappell to J. Howard Foote in New York. Eventually, they were coming straight from Courtois in Paris stamped with Foote’s name on the bell. Expanding to the western US, sole distribution was granted to Sherman Clay in San Fransisco and again, with bell stamp indicating as such.
When Courtois introduced Levy’s Model cornet in about 1868, it was described as “small bore” and Koenig’s and Arban’s as “medium bore”. The measured diameters of valve slide tubes, which today is accepted as the determinant of bore size, varied within specified models. Later examples have larger bore measurements as indicated by measuring a sample of extant cornets. Bores in Koenig’s model cornets measured .458” to .560”, Arban models from .453” to .461” and Levy’s Models ranged from .449” to .455”. About 1880, a larger bore version, ranging from .453” to .461”, the same as Arban’s, but with the valve tubing of the same design as the double waterkey Koenig’s and Levy’s models. and was called "Arbuckle’s Model”. Larger yet, the “Emerson’s Model” was made in the late 1880s.
From the early years, Antoine Courtois offered specially decorated instruments, often engraved and sometimes with stamped or cast shield or wreath applied to the bell and stamped decoration on ferrules, brace and waterkey nipple flanges and valve caps. These included the instruments presented to the students of the Conservatoire Nationale de Paris as a prize for winning the solo contest for each instrument annually, starting in the 1840s. These had a cast silver wreath soldered to the bell with the winner’s name engraved within and an engraved garland or krantz applied to the bell rim. Before silver and gold plating became common in the 1860s, the decorative trim was often made of German silver or Sterling silver. For the export market the decorative finishes became somewhat standardized. Decorative engraving could be ordered on an otherwise standard instrument as seen on one given by Patrick Gilmore to Matthew Arbuckle in 1876. Courtois also offered the other decoration mentioned above at two levels, Demi-Riche and Riche. Demi-Riche had a silver shield with nudes, flowers etc. applied above the bell stamping, decorated ferrules, flanges and caps and some decorative engraving around or below the bell stamps. The cornet most closely associated with Jules Levy features this option. The Riche instruments had a plain silver shield for engraved presentation, decorated ferrules, flanges and caps and more engraving, but also Courtois’ name, address, awards etc. were hand engraved in a very attractive manner rather than being stamped. The cornet presented to Howard Reynolds in 1875 that he played the rest of his life featured this option.
From about 1853 until after 1911, the valve assemblies exhibited the same sort of design and construction originated for the New Model. This included the three-point valve guides as mentioned above and double wall construction of both pistons and casings. Most other makers had moved on to single wall construction, invented by Eugene Dupont for Distin in 1864. Another detail that is easily seen is two braces between the valve casings rather than four as seen in most other makes of piston valves. Close examination of these details along with measurements of the threaded parts: caps, stems and buttons show that assemblies from the same valve maker were used by at least nine other makers, most of these in the US. Ironically, this includes some of Henry Distin’s cornets that he made in New York City. All these cornets are copies, to some degree, of those by Courtois. While it is possible that Courtois, like numerous other makers, were selling valve assemblies to these smaller makers, it seems unlikely that they had enough excess production capacity. Rather, they were a somewhat specialized shop, whose products were more expensive than almost all other makers. That leads us to think that Courtois relied on an outside valve maker that had enough capacity to also supply these other smaller shops.
According to the New Langwill Index, Auguste Mille worked for Courtois starting about 1856 and became foreman of the factory in the 1870s. A new company was formed in 1880, Antoine Courtois & Mille, for a period of ten years. This ensured that Mille would continue to head the shop after his employer was no longer able. Antoine Courtois died on December 16, 1881, and Mille was able to purchase the remainder of the company in 1882. Courtois’ catalog published in about 1919 stated that when Auguste Mille died in 1895, the shop was taken over by his partner, Emile Delfaux. When Delfaux died in 1908, the company was taken over by his sister. Miss Delfaux then took on a partner, A. Legay. Advertising during this era listed the company as “Antoine Courtois, M. Delfaux & A. Legay, Succeseurs”. In October of 1917, Emmanuel Gaudet purchased Courtois and operated with business partner P. Deslaurier. A fourth generation of the Guadet family was still working for the company into the 21st century, even after several corporate buyouts.
After a long career, importing brass instrument to New York City Joseph Howard Foote died on May17, 1896. The New York branch of the company was incorporated William R. Gratz, an importer in New York, took over the exclusive rights to distribute Courtois instruments in the US in 1902. The British franchise was Lafleur was still listing the availability of Levy, Koenig and Arban model cornets in 1913.
By 1900, Courtois’ “New Model” cornets, orchestral trumpets, as well as the rest of their production was becoming old fashioned. They had a very successful niche market but were slow to modernize.
Howard Reynolds’ presentation cornet was purchased at a disposal sale (estate sale) in Bournemouth, southern England, a coastal area popular with retirees from London. No other history of this cornet is known after Reynolds’ death. Engraved on the presentation shield is: “To / Howard Reynold / 1875.”
With embossed trim, engraved lettering and decoration, and silver shield for presentation, Courtois called this “Riche”. This decorative finish was available for each of the cornet models at the highest cost. Reynolds’ cornet also has gold plating on the valve caps, stems and buttons, water-key and nipples, ferrules, braces and within all the decorative engraving. While it shows signs of having been refinished, the quality of the work is at a very high level and was likely done while in Reynolds’ possession by Courtois or a skilled artisan that was trusted by the London retailer S. Arthur Chappell for this work. This involved very careful polishing, preserving all decoration, high quality, durable silver plating, then masking the entire instrument with lacquer or shellac, except for the decorated areas that were left exposed to receive gold plating after which the coating was stripped.
It is possible that it was entirely gold plated when new. The only record found that mentions a cornet being given to Reynolds is in Music for the People, a Retrospective of the Glasgow International Exhibition, 1888. This states “In the same year (1880) M. Antoine Courtois of Paris presented him with an elegant gold-plated instrument on which he performs…” [1] This account of Reynolds’ life includes several inaccuracies, making it quite possible that the year of presentation was also reported inaccurately. Perhaps this is the same cornet. It was likely given to him by S. Arthur Chappell, the exclusive source for Courtois instruments in Britain, who used Reynolds’ name in his advertising from 1865[2], when he was just 16 years old, until at least 1888.
He likely played this cornet for most of the rest of his life. In the only known photograph of him after 1875, taken in the last few years of his life, he appears to be holding this cornet, the presentation shield being clearly visible. In that photo he has the mouthpipe shank for A inserted. This was not to play in the key of A, but rather low pitch Bb as did other soloists of the time. This was known as “French Pitch”, tuned to A=435Hz. Unfortunately, the original A shank is missing.
Jules Levy’s Courtois cornet was purchased from a Reno, Nevada pawn shop in an internet auction in 2009, its interim history unknown. It is clearly the same instrument that he is holding in several photographs taken in . It has the level of decoration that Courtois called “Demi-Riche”. With embossed ferrules, brace flanges and presentation shield, the standard lettering is stamped, not engraved. The decorative engraving includes the inside of the bell flare, which is clearly visible in the photographs. The original silver plating is largely intact, the instrument having survived in very good condition. This is the cornet that Levy purchased in London before moving to New York in 1875.
The third of this historic trio of cornets is a Courtois Levy’s Model that was presented by Patrick Gilmore to Matthew Arbuckle in 1876 or the previous year. A photo taken while Gilmore’s band was on tour in San Fransisco in late April of 1876 clearly shows him holding this cornet. This instrument never slipped into obscurity as the other two and its entire history is known. It was purchased in 1990 from Don Heaston, tuba player and brass instrument repairman. Heaston had worked for Z. Albert Meredith in the 1950s, and when Meredith retired, took over the shop in Long Beach, California. Included in the purchase was Arbuckle’s cornet. Meredith was a well-known cornet soloist and manufacturer of “Open Tone” cornets and trumpets in Marion, Ohio. Meredith acquired the cornet from Jules Levy in about 1900, when they were touring together. Levy was given the cornet by Matthew Arbuckle in about 1880, presumably after the introduction by Courtois of “Arbuckle’s Model”.[3] This surprising story reveals that it passed through the hands of four famed cornet soloists. In addition, Edward Llewellyn played a solo on this cornet in a concert of the British Guards Band at Manhattan Beach, New York in the summer of 1907.[4]
It also survived in very good condition, including original finish. Having standard ferrules and brace flanges, it is not a Riche or Demi-Riche model, but has the most decorative engraving of the trio. Like Reynolds’ cornet, it is silver plated with gold plated trim. Most of this gold plating has worn away, but enough survives to know that the decoration was exceptionally beautiful. The color difference can also be seen in the 1876 photograph, when it was less than a year old.
[1] Music for the People, a Retrospective of the Glasgow International Exhibition, 1888, Robert A. Marr, 1889, 82.
[2] Advertisement in The Times, Tuesday, December 5th, 1865
[3] Correspondence from Don Heaston, 1990.
[4] Musical Messenger, September 1, 1923, 4.