In a very interesting article in the August 30, 1922 edition of the Christian Science Monitor, with the title seen above, along with a photo of Sousa's star Sousaphonist at that time, the great bandmaster himself recounted this:
Here we learn that:
- Sousa himself came up with the idea for this new horn.
- This was while he was still with the Marine Band (1892)
- It was made by the J. W. Pepper Company (not Conn, as many have claimed over the years - although Sousa clearly preferred Conn Sousaphones, as noted in his quote).
- It had an upright bell, like a tuba (although larger), but with a Helicon-type body, meaning that it rested on the left shoulder.
- It was created for concert purposes, not marching. This is a big surprise to most people.
- Mr. Pepper honored Sousa by calling it a "Sousaphone."
And just for fun, here is Sousa in 1922, the year of the quote above, with one of the two large, four-valve Conn Sousaphones featured in the band at that time (the little guy "playing" the horn is young actor Jackie Coogan) - and it may be the very horn shown with Bell in the photo above:
Hello Again, I am the individual who asked about the oval plaque "Sousaphon". This is a very interesting sight. In viewing all the pages. I came across this one. Since at one point, the Sousaphone was manufactured by the Conn Co of Elkhart Indiana and I am just East of Elkhart is it possible this had something to do with their production of the instrument?
ReplyDeleteHey "Unknown" above - I'm not sure if you'll circle back here to see this, but I'm guessing you're correct, that you have something that is related to the manufacturing of Sousaphones at Conn in Elkhart. I would suggest posting a photo of it at the tuba discussion website at https://www.tubaforum.net/ There are many there that could help identify just what you've got. Hope this helps!
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