Mario Corso

[Steve Marcus]

Ben Jaffe, son of the late Al Jaffe, both of Preservation Hall fame, has a YouTube video in which he explains the sousaphone:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnKEAIBM ... =g-all-lik

Despite the common misconception stated in the video that Sousa designed a horn that, unlike the helicon, aimed the sound forward (as we know, Sousa's intention was to "blanket" the sound of the band with bass emanating from the upright "raincatcher" bell), Ben Jaffe's presentation is sincere and somewhat personal.

Ben states that after his upright string bass was lost in Katrina, he found a small Italian-built sousaphone in an instrument shop in Elkhart. What is the history of the sousaphone's maker, Mario Corso of Milan? Is it a stencil for another builder?

[Pozzie]

I'm Italian and the name of Mario Corso is well-known among the local community bands. Until '70s-'80s most brass instruments in the bands were Mario Corso and Orsi. Sincerely, in my opinion, both makers never made good horns: generally always small bore flicorni (Italian brass family similar to French saxhorns) with an excessively large bell compared to the body. The term flicorno basso-grave indicates the 3-valved F and Eb tubas. Flicorno contrabbasso is the BBb tuba (generally 3 valves, rarely 4). Nobody made and played CC tubas in Italy until '90s.
Today Mario Corso and Orsi are still active, but near nobody have new models of these makers. But among community bands are still many of these instruments.
According with the official site http://www.mariocorso.com, the Mario Corso factory was fonded in 1956 but the Corso Family was active since 1880 with Lorenzo Corso, worker in a factory in Verona. His son, Mario Corso, continued the family tradition and worked in several factories in Italy and abroad. Finally founded the Ditta Mario Corso in 1956.
I've never seen or heard a sousaphone signed Mario Corso. In Italy at least the first half of 20th century, nobody played sousaphone.
On the current Mario Corso catalogue, are six different sousaphones.
Really I can't comprehend how today this instruments maker can live. Nobody now buy his instruments!!!