Higham Helicon

[jtbailey]

New to the posting. Followed for a while.
Have the opportunity to purchase a Higham helicon, 4 rotary valves (functional), in good shape. (needs to have the "blackness" of the finish removed, and the valves serviced). I'm running into trouble researching the instrument. No local information available. From the net, I believe it was imported from J Higham Ltd. Manchester England by the Fillmore Brothers Music company. There is a number stamped in the bell 58347 among the other engraving. I believe it is pitched in BBb.

Looking for the help of the knowledgeable readers of the group.

[imperialbari]

Welcome!

As always in such cases photos would be most helpful. Either attached to postings or linked to via the Img function above the text entering window.

Nothing of what you say sounds unlikely, but for rotary valves coming from an old British maker. But then these valves may have come from a continental maker.

Klaus

[Navytubaman]

I own a wonderful Higham Eb tuba that dates to about 1870. Dan Schultz worked it over for me and I've used it to play many solo's.

Here is some information on Joseph Higham from this website - http://www.angelfire.com/music2/thecorn ... index.html" target="_blank" target="_blank

It's the best information I've found. For a time, he worked in the US with Henry Distin. I own a Distin Eb and the Higham and as you would guess, they are VERY similar.



Joseph Higham

(Manchester, England 1842 – p1950)

Established in 1842 by Joseph Higham (b Manchester 1818; d Manchester 1883), the company was making instruments for the Army by 1852, and by 1863, they were supplying instruments for the Army and Navy and exporting them as well. In 1857, the firm patented the "clear bore system" for rotary valve brass instruments (GB # 123) and in 1895, the "echo bell" trombone (GB #13630). Higham’s cornets had a valve system which consisted of a piston traveling through what appears as a valve casing, operating a rotary valve.

Patented by Higham in Great Britain 1857 (GB #123) (Eliason 1981, 44), these valves are much like those of FISKE, who patented the idea much later in 1866 in the United States (US #74331). Some cornets also had a patented quick-change key devise attached to the tuning slide to change the instrument from Bb to A, or vice versa (Rose [1995], 206-207). In 1860, Higham founded the 1st Manchester Volunteer Battalion Band. According to Talks with Bandsmen: A Popular Handbook for Brass Instrumentalists (Rose [1995], 202), he was the first manufacturer to offer instruments as prizes at Brass Band contests in England. He supported such events and helped to establish the Brass Band contest as a viable performing vehicle.

In 1852, William Hillyard (b Athlone, Ireland 1821; d ?Philadelphia) worked for Higham after apprenticing with his uncle, John McNeill in Dublin. He also worked for Henry DISTIN. In 1862, William opened his own instrument manufactory in London (1862-1894) and later in Philadelphia (1896-1897) as "Hillyard & Barnes." Between 1871 and 1882, the famous Alexandre Le Forestier worked for Higham in Manchester before going to J. W. PEPPER as foreman from 1888 to 1895.

In 1883, Higham’s son-in-law, Peter Robinson (b Salford 1835), succeeded him as owner of the company. In 1892, the firm had expanded so much that it opened a branch in London with R. D. Cubitt as manager. 1893, the company had already produced 46,000 instruments, according to their records. In 1894, the company had over 90 people on its payroll, most of them English by birth or naturalized as such. In c1904, the company began to produce woodwind instruments. Peter Robinson sold out his portion of the business in 1911. In 1923, "Mayers & Harrison" were the owners (Clifford Bevan, "Higham, Joseph," in The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments lists the date as 1930). In 1934, the owners became the "Premier Drum Company." During WWII, production of instruments ceased. After the war, "Mayers & Harrison" became the owners once again.

The firm was represented at the London International Exhibition of 1862, being awarded a medal for improving the tubular arrangement in cornets. In 1865, the company also won a medal in Dublin for their instruments(Clifford Bevan, "Higham, Joseph," in The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments). The company was represented at the Columbian Exhibition in Chicago in 1893 (Waterhouse 1993, 175).

Main references for the above were The New Langwill Index (Waterhouse 1994) and

Clifford Bevan, "Higham, Joseph," in The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. Other references are listed throughout the entry.



Company markings on cornets include: (Myers and Parks 1994, 52, et al.)

J. HIGHAM

MAKER

2. VICTORIA ST & 31 GT DUCIE ST

MANCHESTER



J. HIGHAM

MAKER

127, STRANGEWAYS

MANCHESTER



J. HIGHAM LTD

MAKERS

127 STRANGEWAYS

MANCHESTER

ENGLAND



PATENT (Tarr [1985], 45)

BY HER

MAJESTY’S

Royal Letters.

EXHIBITION

1862

PRIZE MEDAL

AWARDED TO

J.HIGHAM

MAKER

INVENTOR & PATENTEE

2 VICTORIA ST MANCHESTER



Serial numbers: (Myers and Parks 1994, 58, et al.)

4709 1862 (or soon after) (Myers and Parks 1998, 22)

24726 c1876 (Myers and Parks 1998, 64)

31421 c1880 (Myers and Parks 1994, 58, et al.)

38128 c1883 (same)

44193 c1890 (same)

45787 c1892 (Myers and Parks 2000, 42)

52146 c1895 (Myers and Parks 1994, 58, et al.)

54458 c1893 [?] (same)

55162 c1895 (same)

56157 c1910 (same)

71593 c1925 (Myers and Parks 1998, 73)

The serial number 17650 is also listed for c1890 (Myers and Parks 1994, 52). The date, however, is out of order and does not correspond closely with the inscription on the specific instrument.

[imperialbari]

This is most interesting information!

The only maker of British rotary valves, that I was aware of so far, was Paxman in their post-WWII horns. Besson/B&H bought their rotors for trombone valves in Markneukirchen. Their horns were fully made by Hoyer or by Lidl.

The piston action on rotors must have been somewhat similar to the system used by Scherzer, Hoyer, and some Russian makers. I have these valves on a Scherzer Bb trumpet and on a Hoyer marching Bb horn. The attached photos show the valves of aScherzer C trumpet

Klaus

[jtbailey]

Thanks for the info. I'm attempting to add images. Not having great success.

[jtbailey]

Hope these help.

[imperialbari]

Thanks for the info. I'm attempting to add images. Not having great success.

You may contact me via the mail button to the right of here. When you get my address, send me the jpg files, and I will attach them for you. Or if you have them on a web server, just send me the addresses.

Klaus

[imperialbari]

Hadn’t seen the post before mine.

The photos are on the small side for me to evaluate. I cannot be positive, but what I see, wouldn’t exclude a British made instrument incorporating a valve block made by a German or Czech subcontractor.

Klaus