B-flat Cornet
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Heather Marie, a University of Arkansas Razorback Band alumnae, took one look at the instrument and knew that it was not a trumpet, but a cornet. In an effort to track down information about our cornet, she corresponded with Professor H. M. Lewis of Georgetown University, who is a member of the International Trumpet Guild. According to Prof. Lewis, the cornet dates to circa 1870, and was possibly made by C. A. Zoebisch of New York. And in the best
sense of the phrase, “It’s a small world,” it turns
out Prof. Lewis knows Springdale. He lived here in 1951-53, when
his father, a Methodist minister serving in the North Arkansas Conference,
pastored at the First Methodist Church, located just across the street
from the museum! |
In the mid- to late-1800s, town bands were very popular in the United States. According to the U. S. Open Brass Band website:
" . . .before recordings, the main exposure most people had to the major musical works of the day was through performances of transcriptions by local or touring bands. With a new large audience, and an increasing number of interested players, bands became a major feature of the mid- to late-1800s. Every town or community worth its salt had a band, sometimes with only eight or a dozen players, but also sometimes much larger."
For more information about brass bands and instruments, Heather Marie suggests these websites:
Antique
Sound Workshop Ltd.
Heritage Military Music
Foundation
