Antique Musical Instruments/C Mahillon trumpet

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Expert: - 2/2/2010


Question

Trumpet
I purchased this trumpet (see photo) today, and I have some questions about it. It's a C Mahillon, with rotary valves, and it says "C MAHILLON FOURNISSEUR BREVETE DE L'ARMÉE ET DES CONSERVATOIRES BRUXELLES", and it has a star with an emblem with the Belgian flag, etc. I read that the company ended in the 30's, and at the auction it said "early 1900's". Any clue of a more specific time of manufacturing? Also, the last part of pipe before the mouthpiece can be changed for another one (similar to the tuning part of an old cornet or flügelhorn), that is longer (and in a sort of circle). I suppose it is made to change the key, but I didn't try it yet to see which keys it switches between. Any idea about this? Why did they do that? Was it common during some time/area?
Sincerely,
Henrik Wendel

Answer
Most of the Mahilon trumpets I have seen have been piston valved, but I don't know whether that means anything or not.  The reason that they would have bits would be for the same reason that they were used on cornets and flugles, and would lead credence to the assertion that it was made around the turn of the century (or before).  Makers were trying to make their instruments as versatile as possible, so it was not uncommon to make horns that would play in C, Bb, and/or A.  In addition, there was the problem of tuning.  Bands of the time had not settled on what pitch to tune to, and there were high pitch bands and low pitch bands.  Woodwinds were sort of stuck, because you can't adjust the distance between keys, but on brass horns you could adjust the main tuning AND the valve slides.  So they could build horns that could play in tune with low pitch and high pitch bands.  

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Kenton Scott

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Please note: My area is BRASS instruments, not other wind, string or percussion instruments. I will provide information on antique, obscure and out of production BRASS instruments. 1) Please don't ask for evaluations, I'll not provide them on this site. 2) I am often asked very similar questions, so I'd invite you to first check on Horn-u-Copia.net. Much of the information I have garnered about this topic, I have posted on this WEB site.

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