What bass horn is he talking about?

[Dave Detwiler]

In reading through J. W. Pepper's Musical Times and Band Journal, vol. 26, no. 301, which dates from 1914, I ran across a fascinating little article about how to place bass instruments in a band when it is "on the street," or marching.

The writer affirms putting the basses on the ends of the front couple of ranks, to bookend the trombones, which was apparently the common approach in those days. But then he clarifies, as it relates to the bells, that "the basses, whether upright or circular, [should] point toward the band, not away from it." In other words, a top-action tuba would be placed on the front left of the rank, and a front-action on the front right.

But then there is the Sousaphone, which was becoming more prominent in those days, although apparently the original bell-up design was still the most common - even though C. G. Conn had developed the bell-front design 6 years earlier, in 1908.

There is an extended comment about the Sousaphone in the article. But pay close attention to what the writer says about the horn that was developed roughly 40 years earlier (so around 1874), and was made "on practically the same lines" as a Sousaphone, but not being circular in form (and thus, we're apparently not talking about a helicon here).

What bass horn is he talking about? Here's what he says . . .

"There are now many basses made on what is called the Sousaphone model; with these basses it makes little difference where they are placed as the sound goes neither to the right or the left, but straight up in the air. This model was but a few years ago hailed as something new, when in fact it is nothing of the sort.

"Not only basses, but whole sets of instruments were sold forty or more years ago made on practically the same lines except that the basses instead of being circular in form were upright, the curve resting on the shoulder of the player. They were good instruments, too, but for some reason they were not popular, and gradually disappeared from use. At this day it is very doubtful if even one is in existence."

[windshieldbug]

Some OTS basses were also built with what today would be considered convertible mouthpipes: straight for marching and right-angle curved with bell up for concerts, but the Schreiber horns fit the bill with an entire range being built!

[Dave Detwiler]

Well, what do you know, the Schrieber tuba - I had never come across that in my research, but it fits the description in the article quite well, and comes from the right time period. I see that there was a feature on this instrument, or actually family of instruments, in the ITEA Journal, vol. 40, no. 4, Summer 2013. Here's a photo from that article:

Schrieber tuba.jpg

There's always more to learn! Thanks, "Curmudgeon"!

[J.c. Sherman]

Schreiber horns were not ever common... they survive due to their extremely beautiful appearance.

Many of the early American Helicons pointed more upwards than forwards. See esp. Wurlitzer and some others.

[Dave Detwiler]

Dr. Sherman - thanks for weighing in. However, I'm still thinking that the Schreiber horn is probably the horn being referred to in the article, as the writer stressed that they were not circular in form (by which he appears to mean they were not circular like a helicon or a Sousaphone) and not popular, but gradually disappeared and were scarce even in 1914, when the article was written - all of which points to the Schrieber horn. Unless, of course, there is something else that was out there in the 1870s that fits this description!

[J.c. Sherman]

I took seriously the writer's assertions that they were "made along the same lines", and weighed it over the other parameters. The Schreiber horns we're an order of magnitude smaller, so it was also difficult to consider that "Nothing New".

I'm not trying to be contrary... it's an interesting description, wish some conflicting parameters, taken in its historic context. Some helicons weren't really circular, some Saxhorns were made in unusual configurations with small bells, etc. It could be a Schreiber horn... but their rarity and diminutive stature gives me some reason for doubt. Thoughts? The writer (who is it? an authority?) does assert he doubted their existence but the time of his writing...

J.c.S.

[Dave Detwiler]

I'm tracking with you - thanks for weighing in further! This little article appears amidst numerous others, along with testimonials regarding Pepper instruments. The writer is not identified, but is simply an editor at J. W. Pepper in 1914. Why he was not more clear about the horn he was referring to is a good question! But I still think a helicon is excluded, simply because it was readily available - including through Pepper - at that time.

[Three Valves]

Crazy horn.

What will they think of next??