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Copyright © 2000, 2001 by Richard I. Schwartz

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CHAPTER 3

LESSER-KNOWN CORNET SOLOISTS

Names and Citations of Many Lesser-known Cornetists from All Walks of Life

Si-Z, The African American Brass Band Movement and The Syncopated Orchestras of New York and Chicago

 

Simon, J. L. (Rose [1995], 188)

He was one of the finest cornet players in London at the end of the nineteenth century. He performed in the Crystal Palace Orchestra and at Alhambra.

 

Smith, A. H. (Rose [1995], 188)

According to Rose, he was one of the finest cornet players in London at the end of the nineteenth century. He performed at the Promenade Concerts.

 

Smith, Cricket (Fletcher 1954, 223-225)

He was a cornetist with minstrel shows and circuses in the late nineteenth century. He played in the Mahara’s Minstrels band with W. C. Handy as conductor. He played cornet with Newmeyer Spiller’s "Musical Spillers" and may have been the first person to play a song from Cavalleria rusticana with a ragtime feel to it. After leaving Spiller, he was hired by Ford T. Dabney to play cornet for the Ziegfeld Follies on top of the American Theater in New York City. In the late 1910’s, Louis Mitchell hired Smith to play cornet overseas, which he did until at least after WW II.

 

Smith, Harry (Eileen Southern, "Smith, Harry," in BDAAM)

(b Clarkesville, WV 20 Jan 1863; d Cleveland, OH 10 Dec 1941)

His most well known accomplishment was as founder/publisher of the Cleveland Gazette (1883-1941), but he studied most of the orchestral instruments privately, and later was a cornetist and bandleader of the Excelsior Reed Band of Cleveland, Ohio. He composed pieces for the guitar and voice.

 

Smith, Jeff (The Freeman, 7 January 1899)

He was a cornetist with P. G. Lowery’s Concert Band.

 

Smith, J. J. (The Freeman, 13 January 1900)

One of P. G. Lowery’s students, he was praised by Lowery as one of the finest young cornetists in the business.

 

Spaulding, Georgie Dean (Woodbury 1995, 2; IWBC 1993, 34)

She was the Bandleader and Solo Cornet with Spaulding’s Lady’s Cornet Band in Vermont in 1873. She performed on a gold cornet.

 

Stokes, Albert (The Freeman, 18 December 1897; 6 August 1898; 10 September 1898; 17 December 1898; 29 July 1900)

For three years he was listed as a cornetist with Richards and Pringle’s and Rusco and Holland’s Georgia Minstrels.

 

Strohl, Miss (and brothers) (Hazen and Hazen 1987, 35)

These young musicians were all cornetists with the Strohl Family Band of Pottstown, Pennsylvania. One of the largest family bands of the 1800’s. Members of the band also performed stringed instruments.

 

Sullivan, Edward (C. G. Conn n.d., 11)

A cornet soloist who, in 1899, endorsed the CONN Wonder Cornet.

 

Suppe, A. von (The Freeman, 11 December 1897)

This cornetist assisted in Clarence White’s violin recital at the Christmas Fair at Bethel A. M. E Church in Indianapolis, Indiana on 29 December 1897.

Swan, George (The Freeman, 2 September 1899; 16 September 1899; 29 December 1900)

A former member of the Ninth U. S. Cavalry Band, he was Solo Cornet with Frank T. Patrick’s Merry Musicians for Richards and Pringle’s Minstrels and later the same with Golds Houseley’s Orchestra for the same Minstrels.

Taylor, Nettie (The Freeman, 2 April 1904; 20 July 1907)

She was the Assistant Conductor and cornetist with Louis Perryman’s Band for Baynard and Whitney’s Famous Troubadours and later, a cornetist (with her brother on violin) for the Jolly Ethiopian Show in Richmond, Virginia.

 

Thomas, Alf[red] M. (Simond 1974, 23)

He was a cornetist and violinist in the late nineteenth century.

 

Thomas, Anna Bundy (C. G. Conn 1902, 9)

She was a cornetist in the late nineteenth century and inspired the playing of Zueela Pease.

 

Thompson, Thos. (C. G. Conn n.d., 23)

Hailing from Napa, California, he was a cornetist and leader of the Napa Brass Band. In 1899. He endorsed the CONN Wonder Cornet.

 

Toliver, Tom (The Freeman, 26 August 1899; 16 October 1909)

He was a cornetist with A. G. Allen’s New Orleans Minstrels and later, cornetist with P. G. Lowery’s Musical Enterprise with the Wallace and Hagenbeck Circus.

 

Triggs, William (The Freeman, 19 September 1908; 7 August 1909; 27 August 1910)

He was Solo Cornet with J. E. Adam’s Twentieth Century Entertainers [listed as Trigg] and a cornetist with [Rusco and Holland’s] Georgia Minstrels.

 

Vassar, Milton (The Freeman, 26 August 1899)

He was a cornetist with the A. G. Allen’s New Orleans Minstrels.

 

Viccus, F. C. (Trotter 1968, 344)

He was "a gentleman of fine musical abilities, a performer on the violin, cornet, and even other instruments."

 

Wales, Ira W. (Hazen and Hazen 1987, 40)

He originally played the keyed bugle and later became a bandmaster and cornetist in Augusta, Maine.

 

Walker, N. R. (The Freeman, 13 January 1900)

Hailing from Boston, he was praised by P. G. Lowery as one of the finest cornetists in the business.

 

Walker, William (The Freeman 6 November, 1897; 18 June 1898)

He was an Eb cornetist and trap drummer with Al. G. Field’s Colored Minstrels and later, the leader and Eb cornetist with the Superb Concert Band of the Cannon Brothers Dog and Pony Circus.

 

Webb, A. (Rose [1995], 188)

According to Rose, he was one of the finest cornet players in London at the end of the nineteenth century. He was solo cornet at Westminster Aquarium.

 

White, Annie (Bridges [1972], 48c)

A pupil of John Hammond, she was based in Boston and taught cornet privately.

 

Wilcox, Reuben E. (The Freeman, 1 June 1907)

(b 15 Apr 1856; d 19 May 1907)

He was a cornetist "of considerable note" traveling with Hicks and Sawyer’s Minstrels, and Collander’s Famous Georgia Minstrels. He was once the principal cornetist in Henderson’s Concert Band of Chicago. He conducted the Great Western Band, out of which grew the musicians union called the Great Western Union Local 44 (known in 1907 as the Musician’s Mutual Protective Association). He was elected the first secretary of the organization and was the author of its bylaws.

 

Wilkins, Nathan (The Freeman, 16 September 1899)

He was First Cornet with Golds Houseley’s Operatic Orchestra for Richards and Pringle’s Georgia Minstrels.

Wilkinson, J. Wm. (C. G. Conn 1902, 9)

He was a cornet soloist who played on a CONN-Queror Cornet, after playing on a CONN Wonder Cornet for three years.

 

Williams, George (The Freeman, 2 May 1903; 7 August 1909)

In 1903, he was a cornetist with P. G. Lowery’s No. 2 Vaudeville Show and later, with Rusco and Holland’s Georgia Minstrels.

 

Williams, J. (Rose [1995], 188)

He was one of the finest cornet players in London at the end of the nineteenth century. He performed with the Royal Artillery and Grenadier Guards Bands.

 

Williams, Scott (The Freeman, 28 May 1904; 13 August 1904)

He was Solo Cornet and violinist with the Old Plantation Show for the Patterson and Brainard Carnival Company, and cornetist in the fifteen piece band at the Temple Theatre in Colorado Springs under the management of J. E. Burton and his wife.

 

Wilson, Carl W. (The Freeman, 20 May 1899)

He was a cornetist with the Kirksville Colored Concert Band.

 

Wilson, James H. (The Freeman, 23 September 1899; 18 November 1899; 13 January 1900; 2 January 1904; 26 January 1907; 28 December 1907)

 

Wilson was born in Nicholasville, Kentucky on 19 December 1880. He attended the public school systems of Nicholasville and Cincinnati, Ohio. He was a cornet soloist, and composed and arranged for the instrument, as well. He toured the country with many performing organizations, and in 1904, he was professor of music at A& M College, Normal, Alabama (The Freeman, 2 January 1904).

In 1899, he was cornetist with the band and trombonist with the orchestra for The Nashville Students and Lash E. Gideon’s Big Minstrel Carnival. In 1907, he was Solo Cornet with the band at the Park Theatre and cornetist with Billy Kersands’ Minstrels.

He was praised by P. G. Lowery as being one of the finest young cornetists in the business (The Freeman, 13 January 1900).

 

Wilson, Percy (The Freeman, 20 May 1899)

He was First Cornet with the Kirksville Colored Concert Band.

 

Whitache, William (C. G. Conn n.d., 19)

He was a cornetist with the Fields & Hamson’s Minstrels and, in 1899, endorsed the CONN Wonder Cornet.

 

Wormington, F. A (C. G. Conn n.d., 25)

This cornet soloist hailed from Milton, Oregon and was the leader of the Mascot Cornet Band. In 1899, he endorsed the CONN Wonder Cornet.

 

Young, Davie (The Freeman, 11 August 1900; 13 April 1901)

He was First Cornet with the Harrison Brothers’ Minstrels.

 

Ziehm, Alfred (C. G. Conn n.d., 23)

He was a cornetist with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and in 1899, Solo Cornet with the Olympic Theatre Orchestra in Chicago. In 1899, he endorsed the CONN Wonder Cornet.

 

Note: Cornetists whose names appear either before the turn-of-the-century, or in a biographic entry (or multiple times) from 1890 to 1910 in The Freeman of Indianapolis were cited above. The first reference to a cornetist in the newspaper was on 20 December 1890 (see Hill, Miss Scotia above). This African American newspaper provides a continuous monumental record of the achievements of African Americans of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Published from 1884 to 1927, it contains a wealth of information well beyond the scope of this document, including information related to minstrel shows, circus bands, brass bands, and theatre orchestras, etc.. A virtual cornucopia of information exists in The Freeman. The author of this document hopes that his own work will stimulate great interest and open many doors for further research. The author also plans on publishing an article entitled, "The African American Contribution to the Cornet of the Nineteenth Century: Some Long Lost Names," in the winter issue of the Historic Brass Society Journal. The article contains some general information, photographs, and highly referenced biographies of nine of the more highly documented African American cornetists of the nineteenth century.

 

The African American Brass Band Movement

An important venue for African American cornetists to learn the band trade was the African American regiment in the Civil War. It is a well known fact that each African American regiment in the Civil War had its own band. Although the author of this document could not find specific names of cornet players in these regimental bands, some of the most famous bands were those of the 107th United States Colored Infantry, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw’s Fifty-fourth Regiment, the First Regiment of the Kansas Colored Volunteers, and the Fifty-fifth Regiment of Massachusetts. At the end of the war, many of these musicians went to civilian musical groups, and some even remained in the service. For the first time ever, African American units were incorporated into the United States Army. On 28 July 1866, Congress passed an act establishing two such cavalry regiments and four infantry regiments. Some of the most famous of the military bands in these units were those of the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry, and the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Infantry. They served for more than twenty years on America’s frontier (Southern 1997, 208, 258). Names of some of the cornetist in the Twenty-fourth U. S. Infantry Band in the early part of 1900 were as follows: First Cornet, W. A. Gage; Second Cornet, William Quarles; and Third Cornet, G. Simpson (The Freeman; 24 February 1900).

The civilian African American brass band was a popular performing medium for the cornet, as well. The most renowned of these bands was The Frank Johnson Concert Band of Philadelphia. Frank (Francis) Johnson (1792-1844) was a famous virtuoso keyed bugle player. He also performed on the trumpet, violin, and flute, and sang, as well. Johnson actually noticed the use of the "new" cornet à pistons during his tour to England from November, 1837 to June, 1838. He did perform on the cornet à pistons on at least two occasions, i.e.,19 January 1838 and 30 March 1838 (Southern 1977, 13-14). If he would have lived ten years later, perhaps, he might have personally chosen the cornet as his primary instrument. We shall never know.

During his six month stay in England, he performed for Queen Victoria, who presented him with a silver bugle (Southern 1997, 109). This performance for the Queen occurred between April and May of 1838 (Southern 1977, 9) . Johnson was also responsible for beginning a series of Promenade Concerts at the Grand Saloon of the Philadelphia Museum on 25 December 1840. His concerts would draw literally thousands of people, and the doors would have to be closed to avoid overcrowding.

Joseph G. Anderson, an African American cornet virtuoso, took over the leadership of the group after Johnson’s death. Joseph G. Anderson has an entry in Chapter 2 of this document. See also Aaron J. R. Connor in Chapter 2. Since Johnson was primarily known for his virtuoso keyed bugle playing, the author of this document has chosen to defer a long entry for him in Chapter 2.

Other civilian African American bands stand out from the crowd. Pedro Tinsley’s Colored Band, led by Pedro Tinsley (1856-1899), Theodore Finney’s Brass Band of Detroit led by Theodore Finney (1837-1899) dating back to the 1840’s, and the Monumental Cornet Band of Baltimore with C. A. Johnson as bandleader were three of them (Trotter 1968, 329). African American brass bands of New Orleans were especially popular, New Orleans being such an important hub of musical activity for both whites and blacks in the early nineteenth century. Among these bands were the Excelsior Brass Band (conducted by George W. Sharper), Kelly’s Brass Band , the Onward Brass Band, and the St. Bernard Brass Band (conducted by E. Lambert, also a composer). In Richmond, Virginia, there was the thirteen member band attached to the Light Infantry Blues in 1841, and in Wilmington, North Carolina, there was Allen’s Brass Band, active during the 1850’s and 1860’s.

A significant performing vehicle for many African American cornet players was the minstrel show. There were hundreds of cornet players with countless minstrel groups after 1865. Groups of African American entertainers date back to the 1840’s, but it was not until April 1865 that white manager W. H. Lee organized the Georgia Minstrels in Macon, Georgia. This was the first permanent minstrel troupe of African Americans. In 1866, Sam Hague, also white, became the manager of the group. Its name was changed to Sam Hague’s Slave Troupe of Georgia Minstrels. He added more men, toured England, and eventually replaced the ex-slaves in the troupe with whites in blackface makeup.

The first permanent troupe of African American minstrels managed by an African American was also called the Georgia Minstrels. It was managed by Charles "Barney" Hicks (c1840-1902) and was based in Indianapolis. Hicks sold the troupe to Charles Callender, a white manager, in 1872. Lew Johnson, an African American, organized his own troupe in St. Louis in 1869. Among the names of other African American managed troupes were the Hicks-Sawyer’s Colored Minstrels, Hicks-McIntosh Minstrels, M. B. Curtis All-Stars Afro-American Minstrels, McCabe and Young’s Minstrels, Billy Kersands’ Minstrels, Ernest Hogan’s Minstrels, Henry Hart Minstrels, and the Bohee Brothers’ Minstrels. Large white managed troupes included Sprague’s Georgia Minstrels, W. S. Cleveland’s Big Colored Minstrels, Lew Dockstader’s Minstrels, Richards and Pringle’s Minstrels, Mahara’s Minstrels, and Al G. Field’s Negro Minstrels (Southern 1997, 231-233). See Chapters 2 and 3 for the many names and lives of African American cornetists in the nineteenth century. The many sources for names of African American cornetists in Chapters 2 and 3 include The [Indianapolis] Freeman, Music and Some Highly Musical People (Trotter 1968), The Music of Black Americans (Southern 1997), [BDAAM] Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians (Southern 1983), Old Slack’s Reminiscence and Pocket History of the Colored Profession from 1865 to 1891 (Simond 1974), Black Women in American Bands and Orchestras (Handy 1981), Negro Musicians and Their Music (Cuney-Hare 1974), and the many documents of the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute (today called Virginia State University).

 

The Syncopated Orchestras of New York and Chicago

The syncopated orchestra was a viable performing medium for many cornetists in the first decade of the twentieth century. Among the famous directors was James "Tim" Brymn (1881-1946) who conducted the orchestra at the New York Roof Garden in 1915. He had his start with the Walker & Williams Vaudeville Show and the Smart Set Company Vaudeville Show. Ford Dabney (1883-1958) conducted the orchestra at the Clef Club, the Tempo Club, and the New Amsterdam Theatre on Broadway. William H. Tyers (1878-1928) worked at the Strand Roof Garden, and Will Vodery (1885-1951) conducted at the Coconut Grove Club located at the Century Theatre Roof Garden in 1915. He wrote music and was associated with the Ziegfeld Follies for twenty years beginning in 1913 as arranger.

All-Women orchestras were quite in vogue in the early twentieth century, even if some of their conductors were men. The most famous woman leader, however, was Marie Lucas, daughter of Sam Lucas, vaudeville star. In 1915, her orchestra played regularly at the Lafayette and New Lincoln Theatres in Harlem, and in theatres in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. (Southern 1997, 349). Some of the most famous female cornetists in these groups were Pearl Gibson, Leora Meaux, and Ruth Reed.

Chicago was also a center for the syncopated orchestra. The Pekin Theater was Chicago’s premiere forum for African American musical activities in the early twentieth century. The many conductors of syncopated orchestras include Shelton Brooks (1886-1975), Dave Peyton at the Grand, Will Dorsey, Clarence Jones, Wilbur Sweatman (1882-1961) at the Monogram and Erskine Tate at the Vendome.

There were bands in nightclubs as well as in concert halls. James Reese Europe (1881-1919) was probably the most famous African American bandleader of the early twentieth century. He was heavily involved with musical theater until 1910 when conducted the orchestras at the Clef Club and produced concerts at Carnegie Hall. He conducted one of the most famous Army bands in WW I, the 396th Band. It toured Europe during the war and performed in Paris in August 1918 at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. It was the only African American band to be sent to Aix-les-Bains in the same year. Other African American bandleaders of the time included Bob Cole, J. Rosamond Johnson, and Will Marion Cook.

 

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