Cornet, B-flat, high pitch
Maker
Charles Missenharter
Date1876 ca.
Place MadeNew York, New York, United States, North America
Serial No.5462
SignedStamped on bell: Medaille / 1ST CLASS / PHILADELPHIA / LONDON & PARIS / CH. MISSENHARTER / MANF’R / NEW YORK / 5462MarkingsStamped on valve casings, caps and stems, respectively: 10, 11, 12
DescriptionSilver-plated brass, mother-of-pearl finger buttons, double loop, two tuning slides (second and third bows), removable leadpipe (shank), three Périnet valves (1, ½, 1½), top-sprung, spring outside hollow stem, alignment by one key on piston (nickel-plated brass), single water key at first bow, windway 3-2-1
Silver tuning shank for B-flat
Charles Missenharter (1829–1897) immigrated to New York from Stuttgart in 1870. The medals mentioned in the signature refer to Missenharter's participation in the exhibitions in London 1862, Paris 1867, and Philadelphia 1876. He also took part in the 1877 San Francisco exhibition, which is not mentioned in the signature. Therefore, the date of this cornet can be narrowed down to 1876-1877. The present cornet is modelled on the Besson Desideratum modèle anglais from the early 1870s.
DimensionsHeight: 325 mm
Tube length: 1214 mm, 1279 mm
Bore diameter (initial, minimum, tuning slides, valve slides): 11.8 mm, 10.8 mm, 11.4–11.7 mm, 11.7–11.9 mm, 11.9 mm (0.468 inches)
Bore diameter (shank, initial, minimum): 9.2 mm, 9.1 mm
Bell diameter: 118 mm
ProvenancePurchased from Steve Dillon, Woodbridge, New Jersey, 1988.
Published ReferencesSabine Katharina Klaus, Trumpets and Other High Brass: A History Inspired by the Joe R. and Joella F. Utley Collection. Volume 4: The Heydey of the Cornet (Vermillion, SD: National Music Museum, 2022), pp. 59, 78, 269.
Sabine K. Klaus, “German-American Relationships: Immigration and Trade Factors in America Brasswind Instruments during the 19th Century,” in: Laurence Libin (ed.), Instrumental Odyssey. A Tribute to Herbert Heyde. Bucina: The Historic Brass Society Series No. 9 (Hillsdale, New York: Pendragon Press, 2016), p. 97.
Credit LineJoe R. and Joella F. Utley Collection, 1999
Object number06951
On View
On view
