The Trumpet “Fad” That Deposed the Cornet

The trumpet reigns as the preeminent soprano brass instrument in American bands and has done so for a full century. From the end of the Civil War through about the beginning of World War I, however, no self-respecting American band member would have touched the thing. Instead, the cornet dominated the bands of that era, numerically and melodically, to the point that many 1860s and 1870s ensembles named themselves “cornet bands.” A series of cornet virtuosos—men like Matthew Arbuckle, Herman Bellstedt, Paris Chambers, Herbert L. Clarke, Walter Emerson, Theodore Hoch, Jules Levy, Alessandro Liberati, P. S. Gilmore, and Frank Simon, alongside women such as Helen May Butler, Marie McNeil, Alice Raymond, and Cora Youngblood-Corson—commanded enormous sums of money, entertained stadium-sized crowds, and attained star status in American popular music.1 When Jules Levy outrageously declared, “I am the only great cornetist in the world,” in January 1885, he set himself up as the band world's answer to Paganini. By contrast, the trumpet, wholly relegated to the orchestra during this period, cannot claim any comparable figure in the United States.Modern histories of the trumpet briefly acknowledge cornets and that they inexplicably replaced trumpets. These studies anecdotally attribute the cornet's ascendence to a change in taste for the worse, embracing an instrument associated with popular music. Anthony Baines credits this shift to the cornet's “snappy vulgarity,” even though European classical “audiences hardly recognize a difference between the sounds of a cornet and a trumpet.”2 Baines never admits that the cornet eclipsed the trumpet, though he acknowledges that cornetists rapidly improved trumpet pedagogy. John Wallace and Alexander McGrattan's 2011 book, The Trumpet, permits the cornet about a paragraph within its 338 pages: “The cornet had a large number of colourful composer-virtuosi who enlivened the world of popular musical entertainment. . . . A tradition of cornet virtuosi survived well into the twentieth century. . . . The genre of cornet solos continues to the present day, mutated to trumpet.”3 Edward H. Tarr stands alone in conceding that “the cornet endangered the existence of the trumpet” in a two-page section addressing the cornet, titled “The Cornet's Threat to the Trumpet.”4 Tarr quickly neutralizes the cornet's threat by resorting to a long-standing trope: “Indeed, its tone was less noble, but it was easier to play,” and thus fated to decline.These authors’ perspectives remain Eurocentric, which may explain their overlooking the cornet's predominance in the United States. Most recently, Sabine Klaus, who examines cornets from an organological perspective, briefly interprets the fall of the cornet as an evolutionary consequence of the “trumpetization of the cornet”: “The cornet had become increasingly trumpetlike . . . the trumpet rose in importance and emerged victorious.”5 Writers, including Klaus, typically implicate jazz in the trumpet's ascendence, or, like Géry Dumolin, simply concede that the underlying reasons “remain largely unclear.”6The brevity of these accounts belies the magnitude of the change and the overwhelming popularity of the cornet from at least the Civil War to around 1910. They also fail to account for the important role played by bands (approximately ten thousand in the 1880s and double that in the 1910s) across the United States during both times of war and peace.7 Because the vast majority of American high brass musicians played cornet without giving the trumpet a second thought—until the situation completely reversed—previously unrecognized factors surely caused a drastic shift.What follows is a close examination of how the trumpet would, in short order, replace the cornet in American bands during the first two decades of the twentieth century, culminating immediately after World War I. Sources on band instrumentation reveal the change occurred as part of a campaign initiated by a few well-placed band directors and military musicians who wished to elevate the public perception of bands from popular ensembles to purveyors of art music. Two musicians connected with the US Army, Frederick Augustus Mahan (1847–1918) and Arthur A. Clappé (1850–1920), wrote extensively against the cornet, ostensibly with an aim to improve the tone quality of bands, but really toward the goal of granting more prestige to the band as the premier American concert ensemble. After arguing against the cornet, Clappé spent the First World War training a generation of to by cornets in the When musicians to they and bands with and the cornet quickly the of bands as of both and popular beginning with the Civil War and well into the twentieth through P. S. instrumentation John with Theodore at the bands in a within which their wished to both as popular and with classical as and popular and is to to . . . have in the to the with and against bands to as in any cornets instrument associated with at and with associated with the of the to the cornet's without a though the hardly musicians to the cornet, Herbert L. like their from to in by to cornets into the their for as and thus for in The high brass musicians in the United important in how many musicians it and how has an to the change in toward bands as they from popular ensembles to more and band and a brass named wrote to Herbert L. Clarke, the cornet he from cornet to has become the in trumpet to of the would to change from to Trumpet, as the instrument is only a for the and is only in large of for and was never as a have never of a the public on a cannot a on and it has up in the few like which is the the in music. the art of that in it and become a great have an with the but for it and with the to a and he quickly trumpet with in and the he to only cornets the briefly played trumpet in including the he for the cornet and with the between and their to on of with the that he an instrument so to the he the of and its at the between jazz and the trumpet, arguing that the between the two played a role in of the in January as to and jazz had to their first and the had a cornet on the hardly have against in but he jazz and as to to a jazz and the cornet's he in would have to popular to that cornet, and both that had no of of which instrument he with the a great around an and toward and as a that the cornet and less from the trumpet by the on the between These have by including of the cornets that the to a and a in an increasingly more in and bands to less have of a a role in of in from at to up the after the more an at the American he that the cornet as “the popular “The is a of in a like a instrument have and the of the cornet for to such an that who have up the of the cornet within the the quality of tone of the cornet a second in the for how they the trumpet's and the and which the public never named the he for the change on musicians the who the more the has to no more on have which in also sums in and of cornet at a status in which high brass two and trumpet their is to the cornet's to in he to “the both and the of jazz by a as popular as in was in the of as a The to to to cornetist Frank in is no that like the that a change was first about it in the he was to who musicians to to the the in the is of the trumpet's as a The in first and by he an of the United States wrote the in of that the trumpet into the American band world an on European Walter wrote in with on the in the of the American the cornet was of the by the which by how the trumpet its into the about the trumpet's and their and brass for that the cornet in of the trumpet, but without who the to the bands a in the first of the cornet in American bands in the The first in the trumpet's ascendence a between Mahan and A. the of military bands and the of the United States with to European Arthur The and The and the beginning in and culminating around The trumpet's around the band and training also by to and during World War Arthur Clappé and Frederick Mahan as of band directors and on bands at the of the twentieth century. the both in and around and both the of the cornet in American bands and about largely with that in and at the of in Clappé played to to in to the he to to as of The an in the band world that he would also and The beginning in through the of these two a of in P. S. for the of of the US and he The or, and of The first on band instrumentation a of the cornet that the of a to the United States. “The cornet is the important instrument in the brass follows its “The cornet is the and instrument of the brass in the is and and well for Clappé the trumpet in the of the trumpet a to is to that this is in bands, it a and of for the trumpet alone but to trumpet any in bands, alongside the and of of only the had a of cornet and trumpet would, in the to the point of the for a on “the important instrument in the brass of as a military and with the US Army, from in musical would to have and in the he played in it is in a military band at Mahan wrote a on the of bands, for the of the would he to in and as well as to instrument and American directors John on the of the and on the to bands on European and military the of for to sums to by the and on to the by to Mahan for an end to cornets in military bands, but he toward that a instrumentation for bands, which both and military and to and such that their in a military band would have the to and bands, also have an for two and two in instrumentation for a military of is the the of he to a military of the is in that however, the only cornets and the is Most bands played cornets on the trumpet in this and their European the American bands of the few any trumpets. The first of the simply though an trumpet, and of cornets and instrumentation in he with the of and to an trumpet, and of Frederick band cornetists as the of the high brass of bands in but on the trumpet a he surely for which with in the and in the Mahan an shift in short at the of the first Mahan and Clappé to on cornets in the of a titled “The and by an named for the of the of the of the United States in up from an to and in at and the to improve in the have it have the that both Mahan a in the first has to the or, as the to the of of and musicians the in with the he in the band and who by their military of and to with musicians hardly stands for the and first of the cornet also a cornet first aim is to a and it is the of a to instrument and the cannot of a trumpet it By the to of cornetists as musicians the the vast majority of which as is up to cornetists in the band to he such in of their in the in would to with cornet . . . as it that the Mahan as a more about a for the of and and of cornet on a cornet to the trumpet the would a the of the cornet the . . . a only from of the of the tone of Mahan spent point by point on of how to as a alone to become a of the a of only a the two without really for the on and in in Mahan with a on bands a to the up to that and and the by with the military and by who has played a trumpet” to for and he as to musicians from cornet cornets and in the Mahan of by resorting to “I have that of . . . cornet . . . and their musicians cornet which the predominance of after of to of on from by Mahan by trumpet to about the that from cornet how and Mahan to many of on an he first as of trumpet at the of the of at the Mahan the of of at the in a of trumpet” A. by Jules of Mahan to that the between trumpet and cornet in their was to through by to himself a by figure and Mahan a the of he how to of military in of bands, he that a of and cornets alongside of to a and military second of the first to in the would become a point in the was no cornet of brass of the in the cornet a that in and set a tone that on both “The like of the two great their tone quality to the to the the and the cornet as a by the as the the cornet has largely from the military bands and the has in . . . The cornet has of that the trumpet's as a thus in Mahan and to on American American bands as European bands in of instrumentation and musical Mahan to the cornet as an of the for on to the cornet its status as an Mahan also instrument in for the from trumpet to cornet, like for to from cornets to trumpets. and he the of a cornet and the of American in to cornets as a soprano instrument of to of at with American which from the had cornets as the soprano of the The underlying to the cornet a full into a only for brass figure was on and bands that to for the of both and American bands only a an that the soprano but in an for the also to and American of the also to have for the United States at that point as Most American band would have that an for the cornet as the soprano of the Mahan the even from a European perspective, in cornets within the as and to only of instrumentation instrument in the trumpet two two and the he for to even of this instrument is for a band of this against that instrument the of of The more like a a for but to that the was as a to the of a section on and cornets in part Mahan is to that the War order, the of the cornet and the of the with on the from to a to himself at the of the on military himself as the on military bands, Mahan on goal of the musical and prestige of military bands across the by cornets with second against the cornet in two in The by and The and by Clappé the period, for to replace a of on the Mahan wrote an military even as the only a in military of in The reveal in as well as The and with The on bands is the of the cornet first into the occurred in the of The in an titled States Mahan a by Frank a who in and as well as a of band in the of the for Mahan to these of a to occurred in the with an band named Walter wrote a to Mahan for the January of The which a from Mahan in the of The A in the of as in The in which he admits in an that a role in had to Mahan in The for the band conceding on a tone in an the between the trumpet, cornet, and and they by many and may have it Mahan was the how the the cornet's as “the which to and is The the cornet in a is a “the of two of the of but never by any the cornet for would the in which the second to that a trumpet a the tone a cornet, it for its cornet shift in and occurred who had of the cornet at least the of book, and the cornet by for a to in a in The but Mahan the Clappé a both within the and of The and the and as a goal of bands and it by to for bands through an with art as an for the of of a high in the of these the orchestra the of the and of instrumentation is in the for the a few to the tone the of the band to of the Clappé for the first as Walter the cornet of the that bands he more arguing that and bands the between and a he for a of brass by from and cornets and toward and The [of bands is and from the of cornets and an for the of and the a of in tone but which a tone of great never in a band replace and from which cannot replace the of the the cornet the trumpet in of . . . to in the concert band and for the however, and to both of Clappé an to the cornet that is more Mahan to military on a instrument Clappé for for the concert a of the and with bands in and set from ensembles bands Clappé the but he as of no for the of also and of into that bands with a of of at present is an underlying by cornets with bands with in the of art to the that to of the cornet in both stands as a in an of wrote a few on the in the cornet as “the soprano in a brass band sounds like the brass band of to and have of and the however, that he is and had an of the with which on the had of the cornet a within a of on band and the at the cornet section in the in the with a from had at that of on the cornet in The from the that the had also cornet the cornetist Jules also played the trumpet, however, for classical including at the beginning in of from this era, both in a in he a in the a the from titled to with short that he for The in as a cornetist a cornet to an American to of Mahan to in after and with the on cornet a of in The to a on in American military bands.” The first of the the of in The second was for for trumpets. A the is to alongside as part of the as a for as but as The the of cornet in band set through of to from band directors across the the of cornets and in American bands to a in May 1910. The to the trumpet, also a toward the and for the of and of cornets and that he never the also trumpet in in H. “I instrumentation an and a cornet with two trumpets. A. wrote in of as a for and he no to a two and two that the the the cornets relegated to the a of their L. P. for trumpet and but also a to the which had the from H. L. without of the least of cornets with of more in from cornet the in the to their Two of these the status cornets for the the both to the A wished to with the in 1910. P. by for to double with . . . it has never to the of also into and a trumpet in a so as to its even more from that of the in of the trumpet, The the that it “The and in the the of campaign and the of on the cornet, like an to across the of the of in the that its in the of musicians from across the and of the cornet's a of the a against that had in and in many of and including the cornet's status between and its in and the for in acknowledges that of the cornetists of to the trumpet of Sabine that the of the cornet occurred cornets as of however, a examination of the in The Mahan and as the and increasingly to to cornet as a with to and by their to on for the trumpet, the of the change in to from they to the and by The as a for and it hardly that Mahan European bands as a for of that had by in also its of band in the United States by and the cornet would have a but to the trumpet an for through the of a their in the the set of for a in a for of brass the cornet alongside the figure a and the a trumpet was also as a trumpet, but with a of a though it was by a to a with the of the by figure a so well with it that who it have to it only a of a short it to have a for of and in large in in in The a January to for their popular in the figure The it as both a trumpet and cornet, its for the cornet military band and “the and the trumpet world its in and in January a large and its cornet, including of two of Walter and of the by figure that the cornet like a in the tone and of the was to more the as the of the its cornet in the of The and its cornet in as as this of the it after and immediately its to trumpets. the as a cornet a for the trumpet that the cornet's figure no is without the . . . and tone the of many by its for the . . . in the their on the they also Trumpet, as many of and a for the the that point and including in and with that between and A. cornet the trumpet, their trumpet the two “The though a never the of the but of the A in the is as as in a a and and without which the is in of these the to to of had never thus the trumpet the against the an the cornet by was the the trumpet in and but a cornet in and Herbert L. for the change in he was this in January to improve the situation of bands, a in May during the between the cornets and and the in and the and a large of band musicians a of for musicians and was and a for musicians Herman of the at that in the of training for which a to like and the for a by as a for in of the The of in the of bands during this present an of by the of cornets alongside trumpets. a War band around on the campaign A trumpet stands on the a the cornet, and two musicians to the cornetist the is a a the the a and the a of an with largely Clappé of the to American bands to trumpets. the of second on band The and and the book, he had the cornet “the important instrument in the brass the trumpet no on its the with the trumpet, including a from its and tone and to and he in to and around to that the world he the in the and and to up through the and and have an and they from the and have associated with that the of They have in with the of and their has attained with present in that American to against a world by the the cornet by “The cornet stands in a by . . . a between the trumpet and soprano of the without the of the the of the for which reasons it may a The thus Clappé “The cornet has never by great who have to it the of and briefly in the of the the of the trumpet and a tone and has into by . . . for its the trumpet, with the of which it cannot is cornet is a in though it follows of the cornet's to no an from is a but that The cornet is a and a is like a in no Clappé two at the tone however, more and the is more for the of . . . for classical instrument is the Paris of the more at in and in it would well that it the cornet as only a instrument but a and with Clappé it “The to the in in which it is by the in any to the of the the of in its a a a for military the cornet in of The cornet a threat to the of bands and to their to the between popular and art as they had in the United States at least the Civil in Clappé himself to to the cornet in a the at the a full to band The of the of and from of the Frank S. of the American to of and and Clappé himself bands as a The first of to in of bands instrument more in and their with and The of the to the The of as well as their from the as a of the between and that caused and World War to the A of at of a of band Clappé to of about the trumpet's up the at the and as band for the and this was the during which many of the band that remain of the concert band the directors toward to and bands across the L. Clarke, who the trumpet for cornet, the in has the and who have the trumpet in to by the the cornet as part of and of Mahan and “The have the the of a trumpet, and have a to the of cornet who to this their cornet the cornet's cornet never Levy, Arbuckle, Emerson, Bellstedt, Chambers, he a many of as many trumpet who as an as as well but also and of the musicians to the cornet's in the to to an the is the would a trumpet a instrument they that cornet in and they have to but giving the is no for . . . The trumpet is in its but it to the and the change the more has to for the cornet, wrote this in the first of a by that only a of The in and by a trumpet in cornets by the of of even “the but a of musicians set to bands more as a for art music. as Walter had the cornet was of the a full the cornets and has and bands of across the United States only trumpets. have an a cornet on the cornet on the trumpet the cornet more a The a “cornet as a with the to When who in a that was this on the cornet, he is a