Expert: Kenton Scott - 11/7/2009

Question
I have a brass instrument that bears the following inscription on its bell:

F Courtierre
Paris

JW PEPPER
IMPORTER
PHILADELPHIA
and
CHICAGO
No. 8831

It is shaped something like a small sousaphone.  Is it a helicon?  What is its key?  What was its role in the band and/or orchestra?  When was this particular instrument manufactured?  

Thank you for any information that you can provide.

Answer
Well, without seeing it, I can't say for certain whether it is a small sousaphone or a helicon. But, I have seen a Courtierre helicon, so I suspect that is what it is.  It was probably made in the 1890s.  It is most likely in Eb, but is may be high pitch, which means it may sound somewhere between Eb and E.  It would have been a band instrument, and would have played the bass part.  The helicon shape was more comfortable to manage when the player was moving around, but was used in concert settings as well.