The curious confusion of Conn

If one were to peruse some of the old C. G. Conn instrument catalogs and advertisements (as I now have), it would seem that Conn either had no idea that J. W. Pepper made a Sousaphone around 1894-86, or they were determined to act as if that horn never existed.  They proudly state that they built the first Sousaphone, but in what year did they build it?

To begin with, check out this ad for Conn Sousaphones found in the November-December 1952 edition of The Instrumentalist (p. 5):

Ad found by the author while browsing journals in the USC library



Here's the fine print in the middle of the ad:

Okay, so "Conn made the world's first sousaphone - for Sousa's band, in 1908." Except that's not what they say in their 1955 instrument catalog (and most everywhere else, for that matter):

Image courtesy of Mark Overton at saxophone.org

 

Got it - not 1908, but 1898 - but it was still the very first one, right? (For what it's worth, Conn is said to have built the first bell-front Sousaphone in 1908, so that might explain the typo.)

Now, is there more to the story of this revolutionary new instrument, for which Conn is laying claim? Check out this page from their 1921 instrument catalog (and this exact page is seen in their 1926 catalog as well, as if they just cut and pasted it five years later!):

Image courtesy of Mark Overton at saxophone.org

 

Here's an easier-to-read version of the first part:

 

This supports the date of 1898 noted above, but that is at least two years after Pepper's Sousaphone appeared. And the story goes on to suggest that the Conn horn actually didn't see action in Sousa's Band until "the following season," presumably meaning 1899. We've got some detective work to do now, so stay tuned!

Don't try this with a Sousaphone!

In an early post, I mentioned that the Sousaphone is essentially an adaped Helicon bass, only much larger and with its big bell pointing straight up. I also noted that Helicons were used, in part, by cavalry bands, meaning they were played while riding horseback.

Trying to imagine how that would work? Check out this photo I came across in the October 1922 edition of C. G. Conn's Musical Truth (vol. 11, no. 31):

Photo courtesy of Mark Overton at saxophone.org

A little Sousaphone humor

No mention of Pepper's horn in 1898

Building on the post below, it is further curious that in Pepper's Musical Times and Band Journal dated May 1898 (vol. xv, no. 174), the following appears:

(Image courtesy of the Museum of Making Music and the J. W. Pepper Co.)

There are a few significant points we can make from this promotional piece from Pepper:

• The image of Sousa is the very one used for the engraving on the first Sousaphone, showing the bandmaster in his uniform from 1894 or 1895. Once again, this reminds us that the first Sousaphone was most likely built during or after those years.
• The same "ho-hum" endorsement of Pepper instruments from Sousa that was first published in 1896 (see post below) is now typed out for all to read clearly (couldn't they get a better quote from him?!).
• The "prominent members of Sousa's Band who use and endorse" Pepper instruments include two BBb Bass players - Herman Conrad and Fred Walen. But in the 1896 Journal, Conrad is specifically identified as playing the Sousaphone. Why is he not so identified here? Unless, of course, he was no longer playing that Sousaphone, but had reverted back to a regular BBb Bass. This suggests that, by this time, Pepper's Sousaphone had, for some reason, fallen out of favor with Sousa, or with Conrad, or perhaps with both. And it is at this point in history that Conn enters the picture of Sousaphone history (lots more to come on that!).
• Well, actually there is one more possibility to consider regarding the previous point. Perhaps Conrad is not mentioned as playing the Sousaphone at this time simply because that instrument was not in production, and so there would have been no point in drawing attention to a horn that no one could buy for themselves.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement!

In trying to determine why the first Sousaphone seems to dissappear shortly after it was built (sometime between 1894-96, by my estimation), here is one distinct possibility: Sousa was not a fan.

In the middle of the front page of Pepper's Musical Times and Band Journal from early 1896, where many of Sousa's band members praise their Pepper instruments, notice what Sousa himself says:

In case you can't read it, it says "All of the Pepper instruments in use in my Band are thoroughly satisfactory." I wouldn't exactly call that a ringing endorsement!

Could it be that the Pepper Sousaphone simply didn't live up to Sousa's standards of quality? It is curious that the first time we see a Sousaphone in the band (in my search of photos so far) is in 1898, and it turns out to be Conn's first model.

Of course, there may be more going on there, as well. In that very year, 1898, Conn outfitted Sousa's entire Band with his instruments - and Sousa raved about them from that point on. Pepper instruments, and the first Sousaphone in particular, quickly faded away.

Pepper Sousaphone - 30 years later

I've been curious to know whether J. W. Pepper ever made another Sousaphone after building the prototype seen in the posts below. So far, I have found no evidence of that particular horn going into production, or even being made a second time. The reason may perhaps be the financial difficulties that faced the company in the 1890s (Paul Bierley mentions this in his outstanding work, The Incredible Band of John Philip Sousa, p. 56).

But it appears that Pepper did end up making other Sousaphones - at least eventually. Notice this page from the J. W. Pepper publication Everything Musical from the 1920s, courtesy of Mark Overton at saxophone.org:

You'll notice that at the top of the article, it says "The first 'Sousaphone' was named and built by J. W. Pepper over thirty years ago for Sousa's Band." This puts the publication at around 1925 - at which time the company was advertising the bell-front Sousaphone depicted here (for a mere $174.50!).

Pepper finally boasts - but when?

The word "Sousaphone" shows up in a big way in this advertisement that I'm told was inserted as a loose page in an issue of Pepper's Musical Times and Band Journal - perhaps the one noted in the post below (early 1896), but it could have been a bit earlier, or a bit later (the folks at Pepper today thought it was 1893; my guess is that it was either in 1896 or a bit later, given that Herman Conrad's endorsement in the 1896 Journal doesn't yet specifically speak of the Sousaphone, like it does in the advertisement below):

(Image courtesy of the Museum of Making Music and the J. W. Pepper Co.)

Since it's very hard to read what it says at the bottom of this document, I'll provide it here:

THE SOUSAPHONE. MADE BY J. W. PEPPER.

This instrument was made from the plans and under the direction of the famous bandmaster, John Philip Sousa. It is an original idea of his, and he considers it the best method and only correct way of obtaining the full tonal quality of the Helicon BBb Bass in band. We feel proud of the honor that Mr. Sousa has conferred in selecting us, from among the large American band instrument manufacturers, to receive the order for making this special instrument: thus showing his confidence in our ability to successfully make a perfect Sousaphone. The instrument is played by Mr. Herman Conrad, the first BBb Bass of Mr. Sousa's band. The other larger instruments used in this band were also made by Mr. Pepper. The Sousaphone is a Helicon BBb Bass of the largest size made.

And at the very bottom of the page is the following:

MR. HERMAN CONRAD'S TESTIMONIAL.

Mr. J. W. Pepper:
Dear Sir - the Sousaphone is admired everywhere and gains in reputation daily. It is in splendid tune and tone and has a wonderful carrying power. It proves an irresistible attraction.

Yours very truly, Herman Conrad

The insert does say, in the upper right corner, that this Sousaphone was  "used daily in Sousa's peerless concert band." And Conrad, in his testimonial at the bottom, adds that it was "admired everywhere and gains in reputation daily." It sure sounds like the horn was active in Sousa's Band, perhaps for some time. So why don't we hear about it anywhere else during this time period? I have not yet been able to locate any other reference to this  "irresistible attraction." Strange.

Further, I have not been able to locate any photos of Sousa's Band from 1894 through 1897 to confirm that this horn was played in it for all or part of that time. The earliest photo that I have found that shows a Sousaphone in use is from 1898, and it reveals an entirely different Sousaphone - one presumably made by Conn. And the buzz around that horn makes it seem as if it was the first to appear (more on that shortly). Again, strange. Why did Pepper's Sousaphone essentially dissappear?

[UPDATE on this important page from 2015]

Clues from a Pepper journal in 1896

Here's the front page of J. W. Pepper's Musical Times and Band Journal, vol. xiv, no. 159, which appears to have been published in early 1896 (the only date seen on this image is the oval stamp between the two guys in the upper right, which says "Library of Congress copyright April 29 1896"):

Image courtesy of George B. Class at J. W. Pepper

A close up of the face and caption in the upper left corner suggests that the Sousaphone made by Pepper existed by this time, and was being played in Sousa's Band:

Combined with what we concluded a few posts below, we now can narrow the date that the first Sousaphone was built to no earlier than 1894 and no later than early 1896.