Expert: Kenton Scott - 8/12/2008

Question
QUESTION: I have a horn that my great grandfather played in a marching band in Luxembourg it is a whurlitzer brothers and a horn repair guy told me it was an e flat keyed bugle. he said Whurlitzer himself might have made it (I'll bet you've heard that before)and that it should be in a museum do you know anything about such a horn

ANSWER: Dan,

Well, I'm assuming that it is really a Wurlitzer.  

Eb Keyed bugles were only made for a short period of time, as they passed from being an innovation to being obsolete.  If it is a keyed bugle, I'd be surprised if your great grandfather was old enough to have been using it (i.e. he would have had to have been born in the early 1800s.)

The repair guy didn't happen to mention to which Wurlitzer he was referring?  As there were a bunch of them.  But, they were generally string and woodwind makers.

If you want to send pictures, (Kenton@punxpa.com) maybe if I can see it I can get a better idea of what you have.  Try taking pictures of both sides and the logo.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Kenton thank you for answering so fast. I will send you some pictures when I get home next week. As far as pictures of the logo I may have to use paper and a pencil to get a lift of it(or if you know of a better way). Now I looked at keyed bugles on the Internet and they don't look the same. My horn has three valves on the side like a french horn(Operated by string). I know for sure that the logo says Wurlitzer. It also may have been my great great grandfather who had this horn? I think pictures will tell the story. Appreciate your time Dan

ANSWER: It is starting to sound like a SARV cornet (side action rotary valve).  I can't say that I have previously seen a SARV made by Wurlitzer.  

I'll look forward to seeing the pictures.  The main trick to getting a picture of a logo is to make the light as even as possible, contrasty light makes them hard to read, and then to get your camera to focus on the lettering, even if that means getting a bit further away.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Here is the second picture of the horn I could not get a good picture of logo but it is definitely Wurlitzer Brothers.

Answer
OK, well first of all, that is a nice instrument in nice condition.  Rather than a SARV, it is a TARV (top action rotary valve) Eb cornet.  It is in a style popular during the Civil War, but it is a bit newer than that.  

Civil War instruments wouldn't have had the water key on them, but of course that could easily be an after marker add on, But.  Rudolph's brother Anton joined him in the business in 1872, so it seems likely that it dates to the early to mid 1870s.  

Wurlitzer's business was as a dealer in musical instruments, not making them.  So he probably didn't make this one.

Thanks for sharing.  I enjoyed seeing it.  If you don't object, I'll add your pictures to my website www.horn-u-copia.net.