A Selective History of J. W. Pepper

1853

• James Welsh Pepper was born in Philadelphia to William (1819-1882) and Rachel (Pippett, 1821-1894) Pepper on March 8. 
• His parents founded a printing business in 1845 in south Philadelphia, where James apprenticed, and eventually worked as an engraver.
• He grew up at 1508 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia (not sure which year his parents settled there, but James remained there until he was 25, in 1878).
• James had an older sister, Clara (1847-1927) and older brother, Charles Howard (1848 or 49-1880).

1860

• Carolene Clementine Nicholls, the woman James would eventually marry around 1879, was born in Delaware in June.

1876

• “Commenced business in a small way, in 1876 (Centennial Year) at 9th and Filbert Streets as a publisher of band, orchestra and miscellaneous music” (Source: Pepper's 1897 Catalogue).
• The address was 832 Filbert Street. There are no known images of the building.
• However, records show that, for at least part of this year, James worked out of 702 Chestnut Street.
• John Philip Sousa moved to Philadelphia that year and was based in that city for the next four years. Sousa was 21 when he made the move. Pepper was probably 23.

1877

• The company was definitely based at 832 Filbert Street by this year - and until 1881. James was listed as an "engraver."
• Publication of J. W. Pepper's Band Journal began (in 1881 or 1882 it was renamed J. W. Pepper's Musical Times and Band Journal).

1879

• On July 20, Pepper published the first of eleven marches by John Philip Sousa, “Globe and Eagle."
• This may have been the year James married Carolene.

1880

• James and his wife, Carolene, known as Clara, lived at 741 Spruce St., but moved to 1723 N. 16th St., where they lived until 1889 or 1890.
• “Pepper opened a New York retail store in 1880, leading to an affiliation with Henry John Distin" (Source: article on "Pepper, J. W.," in The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments).
• "By 1880 Distin was importing instruments for J. W. Pepper of New York and Philadelphia" (Source: Ray Farr, Distin Diaries).
• The New York store was located at 294 Bowery (Source: Musical Times and Band Journal, vol. 6, no. 58, August 1882)

1881

• On March 14, Pepper published Sousa's march, "Guide Right."
• “In 1881 it became necessary, on account of the growth of business, to secure larger quarters, and he removed to 8th and Locust Streets, to a building 22½ ft. by 100 ft., with four floors. At that time he added, as a branch to the business, all kinds of musical instruments, giving particular attention to those used in bands and orchestras.” (Source: 1897 Catalogue).
• According to the August 1881 Band Journal, the move took place on September 15 of that year:

1882

Henry Distin and his son, William, in 1880.
(courtesy of Ray Farr)

• “He soon afterwards added a factory for the manufacture of band instruments, which has grown, during the last fourteen years, to the largest and most complete establishment of its character in the United States” (Source: 1897 Catalogue).
• "Henry John Distin . . . moved from New York to Philadelphia in 1882 and with his son, William Henry Distin, oversaw construction of a factory for Pepper adjoining the existing building" (Source: GDMI article on Pepper; affirmed by Farr, Distin Diaries).
• “J. W. Pepper’s Distin Band Instrument Factory. From April 14th 1882 to May 30th 1883”  (Source: “The Progress of Art,” supplement to Musical Times and Band Journal, vol. 7, no. 66, April 1883, as shown below).

• This factory was “in the upper floors of an adjoining building to the store at 8th and Locust” (Source: Letter of Lloyd Farrar to William Ziegel, dated 28 August 1993)
• Howard Earle Pepper, son of James and Carolene, was born on September 11.
• On September 14, Pepper published Sousa's march, "Resumption."
• On December 30, Pepper published Sousa's comic opera, "Desiree," which had a three week run in Philadelphia in 1884.

Image courtesy of the Library of Congress

1883

• “Opened on June 1st 1883. Everything entirely new. New building, new shops, new lathes, new mandrels, new forges, new machinery. All will be in the large brick building adjoining the present establishment" (Source: “The Progress of Art,” supplement to Musical Times and Band Journal, vol. 7, no. 66, April 1883, as shown below).

• On June 8, Pepper published five more marches by Sousa: “Bonnie Annie Laurie,” “Mother Goose,” “Pet of the Petticoats,” “Right-Left,” and “Transit of Venus".
• "Henry Distin's name was involved in violent controversies in 1883 between the principals in Philadelphia and Conn over the quality of imported versus locally made brass instruments bearing the Distin name; at this time the famous English cornet player Jules Levy, long an avowed Distin supporter, switched allegiance to Conn" (Source: Farr, Distin Diaries).
• Pepper weighed in on this controversy: "It having been asserted that Henry Distin does not make his superior band instruments in Philadelphia; . . . that statements made by us are untrue and misleading, &c. This jealous attack, inspired by an unsuccessful business rivalry, can do us no harm . . ." He then offered a huge reward ($1,000 in gold, plus travel expenses) to anyone who could prove him wrong (Source: Musical Courier).
• At that time, Conn filed a lawsuit over comments Pepper made about Conn's facilities (shown below): "James W. Pepper, manufacturer of musical instruments at Eighth and Locust streets, was arrested this afternoon upon the charge of libel preferred by Charles G. Conn, also a manufacturer of musical instruments at Elkhart, Ind. Pepper publishes a paper in which, it is alleged, on August 1, he made an attack on Conn, charging him with being an imposter and guilty of false pretenses." Ironically, Pepper "was held in $1,000 bail to answer at court"! (Source: The Musical Courier, August 22, 1883, p. 118).

1886

• "By 1880 [Henry] Distin was importing instruments for J. W. Pepper of New York and Philadelphia, and in the summer of 1882 he moved to Philadelephia to help Pepper establish a factory. Pepper however, wished to sell cheaply to a mass market, so Distin, whose interest was in high-quality instruments, formed a partnership with Senator Luther R. Keefer and other businessmen to establish the Henry Distin Manufacturing Co. (2nd March 1886)" (Source: Farr, Distin Diaries).
• “A Chicago outlet opened in 1886, about the time the Pepper-Distin relationship ended” (Source: GDMI article on Pepper).

1890

• Entirely new building built at SW corner of 8^th and Locust, referred to as “The Largest House in the World devoted exclusively to the Band and Orchestra Business” (Source: Print of building used in catalogues, see below).
• “In order to secure needed space for the increasing business, it became necessary, at the beginning of 1890, to purchase an adjoining building, and this, together with the corner property, was torn down and the building illustrated on this page erected [see below]. As noted, this building contains, with basement (in which all of the heavy newspaper and lithograph presses are located) seven floors, each of which is 45 ft. by 100 ft., and is the most complete establishment of its character in this country” (Source: 1897 Catalogue).
• For more about this building, click here.

1891

• James and his family lived at 1400 N. 16th St.

1892

• Sousa talked with Pepper about having him build a modified helicon bass for use in his band.
• On October 10, Pepper published Sousa's march, “The Triton." Pepper hadn't published anything by Sousa for the past 9 years.

1893

• James and his family now lived at 1538 N. Broad St.
• On May 24, Pepper published Sousa's march, “Esprit de Corps” (originally written in 1878, but the band publication didn’t come out until 1893).
• Pepper won an award for his band instruments at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago (Source: The Music Trade Review, Sept. 30, 1893, p. 1).

Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania

• This only fueled the rivalry between Pepper and Conn, whose booths at the Fair were right across from each other (see below, bottom middle). Conn, who had also won an award for his instruments, claimed that "the quality of [Pepper's] horns are consistent with the price, which is or course the lowest" (Source: C. G. Conn's Truth, October 1893, p. 9).

1894

• Pepper began leasing warerooms at 1004 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, from which to do his retail business (Source: The Music Trade Review, January 6, 1894, p. 12).
• Conn continued to rant about the award Pepper received at the World's Columbian Exposition for his band instruments, claiming that the award was written by Pepper himself and not approved! Further, Conn accused Pepper of publishing "bogus testimonials" for his instruments (Source: C. G. Conn's Truth, June 1894, pp. 9. 17; see also September 1894, p. 17, "Pepper's Pernicious Pranks").

1895

• Following up on a request from Sousa back in 1892, Pepper built the first Sousaphone:

• For more about this historic instrument, click here and here.
• On April 3, Pepper published his eleventh and final Sousa march, “Right Forward” (which was performed originally in 1881, but the band publication didn’t come out until 1895).
• There was a small fire at the J. W. Pepper building at 147-51 Wabash Avenue, Chicago, causing $1,500 worth of damage (Source: The Music Trade Review, Dec. 21, 1895, p. 1)

1896

• Pepper's Sousaphone went on tour with the Sousa Band early this year (shown below on March 7, 1896, in Salt Lake City, directly behind and above the first chair clarinetist).

Image courtesy of International Society Daughters of Utah Pioneers

• The Conn vs. Pepper feud continued, this time over claims made as to whose euphonium had been played by Signor Raffayolo, who had recently passed away. But Conn also continued to complain about Pepper's award at the World's Fair, and how he was obtaining testimonials for his instruments (Source: C. G. Conn's Truth, January 1896, p. 11).
• Side windows were broken at Pepper’s music store at 8th and Locust in late May or early June (Source: The Music Trade Review, June 6, p. 11).
• Pepper re-published the band arrangement of Sousa's march, “Transit of Venus,” and piano arrangements were made of both that march and Sousa’s “Triton.”

Image courtesy of the Library of  Congress

1897

• Early in the year, Pepper published piano versions of four Sousa marches, “Pet of the Petticoats,” “Bonnie Annie Laurie,” “Mother Goose,” and “Right-Left.”

Image courtesy of the Library of Congress

• The Chicago branch was discontinued after May 1, 1897 (Source: The Music Trade Review, March 13, 1897, p. 18).
• “J. W. Pepper, musical instrument maker and importer, of Eighth and Locust streets, Philadelphia, is completing a magnificent department house called The Frontenac at Broad and Oxford streets, that city” (Source: The Music Trade Review, Sept. 11, 1897, p. 19). This was a high-end apartment house, complete with a "Superb French Restaurant," where the Pepper family ended up living (records have them there by 1901). Here is an ad for it in The Times (Phiadelphia) on Aug. 29, 1897:

1898

• Pepper was presented a medal by members of Sousa's Band to recognize his band instruments (this may have been awarded in 1897; in early 1898, Sousa was given all-new silver-plated instruments built by competitor C. G. Conn, including Conn's version of the Sousaphone, which Sousa stayed with from that point on).

1899

• “J. W. Pepper, the well-known music publisher and manufacturer of musical instruments, Philadelphia, Pa., is the patentee of a metal folding bed that embraces superior points of merit. A leading furniture paper says, ‘We are obliged to admit the patentee has one of the finest folding beds yet devised’” (Source: The Music Trade Review, Oct. 28, 1899, p. 25; patent can be viewed online here and here).

1901

• James' wife, Carolene, or Clara, died on April 4, after accidentally stepping in front of a freight train while crossing the tracks after a passenger train had just passed her. Her umbrella obstructed her view, and the sound of the passenger train kept her from hearing the approaching freight train. Here's the headline in The Times (Philadelphia), on April 5:

• James was received as a new member of the Music Publishers Association of the United States at their Seventh Annual Meeting in NY (Source: The Music Trade Review, June 15, 1901, p. 27).
• He filed a patent for his Portable Drum Rack (approved in 1903; patent can be viewed online here).

1904

• James' son, Howard, graduated from the Wharton School at the Univ. of Pennsylvania.

• Howard married Emma May Hillborn (1883-1944) on February 9 in Philadelphia.

1905

• Pepper begins importing and selling Sousaphones, but only briefly. It appears that he never built another Sousaphone after the prototype in 1895.

1906

• Pepper filed a patent for his Bass Drum and Cymbal Holder and Beater (mentioned in The Music Trade Review, Aug. 4, 1906, p. 40; patent can be viewed online here).

1907

• Pepper served as one of the directors of the newly incorporated Excelsior Drum Works company of Camden, NJ (Source: The Music Trade Review, Oct. 5, 1907, p. 27).

1909

• The Pepper company relocated to 33rd and Walnut Streets, Philadelphia (this building still stands today as part of the Univ. of Penn - see below).

1910

• “The manufacture of Pepper instruments continued until J. W. Pepper & Son was formed in 1910, after which most instruments sold by the firm were imported” (Source: GDMI article on Pepper).
• James is listed as living in his apartment building, The Frontenac, on N. Broad and Oxford streets.

1911

• With volume 23, number 272, Pepper's Musical Times and Band Journal was renamed Musical Times:

1912

• James is listed as residing at 1929 N. 18th Street.

1916

• The Excelsior Drum Works changed its name to the Charles S. Caffrey Co. J. W. Pepper was President, and H. E. Pepper was secretary of the company (Source: The Music Trade Review, Aug. 26, 1916, p. 59).

    1918

• Jame's son, Howard, registered for the draft, listing his present occupation as "Mfg auto truck bodies, Chas S. Caffrey Co, Camden, NJ, also owner of J. W. Pepper & Son, 33rd & Walnut St. Phila. Pres. Standard Laboratories Co., 33rd & Chancellor St. Phila."
• Musical Times ceased publication around this time. The last known edition is volume 30, number 325, in which it mentions the challenges created by World War I:

1919

• “Philadelphia, Pa., July 29. – James W. Pepper, head of J. W. Pepper & Son, manufacturers of musical instruments and music publishers, died last night. He was sixty-six years old. Mr. Pepper died in the National Stomach Hospital. His home was at 4532 North Broad street [an empty lot today], where he lived with his sister, Mrs. Clara P. McCulley. Besides his sister, he is survived by a son, Howard E. Pepper, who was associated with him in business” (Source: The Music Trade Review, Aug. 2, 1919, p. 20).
• Cause of death was pneumonia, while being treated for purulent cystitis.
• He was buried at the Laurel Hill Cemetery on July 31 (see gravestone above).

1927

• “J. W. Pepper & Son, one of the old Philadelphia music publishing firms, has moved into its new home at 5014 Sansom street, that city. The Pepper Co. was established in 1876 by J. W. Pepper. At present his son, Howard E. Pepper, heads the company. The Pepper catalog contains many band and orchestra publications, school music and other standard teaching material” (Source: The Music Trade Review, Jan. 15, 1927, p. 41).

1930

• Howard E. Pepper died at age 48 and his widow, Emma May, succeeded him (Source: GDMI article on Pepper).

1941

• The company went bankrupt in 1941 and was sold in 1942 to Harold W. Burtch and a group of other investors (Source: GDMI article on Pepper).

1945

• The company moved to 1423-25 Vine Street.

1960s

• The company moved to 231 North Third Street.

1963

• Harold W. Burtch died; his son, Dean C. Burtch succeeded him as president of the company (Source: GDMI article on Pepper).

1973

• The company moved to Valley Forge.

1984

• The company moved to Paoli.

2013

• The company moved to Exton.

     [All images, unless otherwise noted, are either public domain or courtesy of the J. W. Pepper company]

How well did Sousa know Pepper?

My guess is that when Sousa reached out to Pepper in 1892, asking the instrument maker to build him a modified helicon bass for use in his band, the two knew each other fairly well. Here's what we know for sure that supports such speculation:

• Sousa moved to Philadelphia in 1876 - the same year that Pepper started his music business in that city. Sousa was 21, and Pepper was 23.
• Sousa was based there for the next four years, working as a musician, composer, arranger, and conductor.
• He even worked for a couple of (other!) Philadelphia music publishers for part of that time - W. F. Shaw and J. M. Stoddart.
• On July 20, 1879, Pepper published the first of eleven Sousa marches, "Globe and Eagle":

• On December 30, 1879, Sousa married Jane van Middlesworth Bellis of Philadelphia (was Pepper perhaps at the wedding?!)
• After becoming the director of the Marine Band in late 1880, Sousa went on to have Pepper publish more of his works, including the marches, "Guide Right" (Mar. 14, 1881), and "Resumption" (Sept. 14, 1882).
• On Dec. 30, 1882, Pepper published the Sousa operetta, "Desiree," which had a three week run in Philadelphia in 1884 (did Pepper attend a performance?):

• On June 8, 1883, Pepper published the Sousa marches, "Bonnie Annie Laurie," "Mother Goose," "Pet of the Petticoats," "Right Left," and "Transit of Venus."
• Almost 10 years went by before Pepper published his next Sousa march, "Triton" (Oct. 10, 1892) - even though Sousa had written 22 marches (including "Semper Fidelis" and "The Washington Post"), and many other compositions, during that time.
• However, it was earlier that year (1892), shortly before Sousa left his post as the director of the Marine Band in order to start his new civilian band, that Sousa gave Pepper the idea for the modified helicon bass.
• On May 24, 1893, Pepper published the Sousa march, "Esprit de Corps" (originally written in 1878).
• On April 3, 1895, Pepper published the Sousa march, "Right Forward" (originally written back in 1881).
• The original Sousaphone was built by Pepper at some point that year (1895), and was taken on tour by the Sousa Band for the first part of 1896.
• Sousa gave concerts at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia multiple times from the late 1880s to the late 1890s (first with the Marine Band, and then with his own band), when the Pepper building was just six blocks down the road (did Pepper come to some of those concerts?).
• On August 13, 1896, Pepper re-published the Sousa march, "Transit of Venus" (and yes, the image of Sousa on the cover below is the exact one we see engraved on the bell of the Pepper Sousaphone):

• In late 1896 and early 1897, Pepper re-published six Sousa marches, all written years earlier, in a piano arrangement:

However well Sousa and Pepper may have known each other, it appears that 1897 was the last year that Sousa used Pepper as a publisher. Further, starting in 1898, Sousa favored instruments built by C. G. Conn, and especially the Conn Sousaphone. And from that point on, I am aware of only one time that Sousa mentions Pepper, and that is in a newspaper interview in 1922, where Sousa notes that Pepper built and named the very first "Sousaphone."

[Most of the above facts are taken from Patrick Warfield, Making the March King: John Philip Sousa's Washington Years 1854-1893 (Univ. of Illinois Press, 2013); and two works by Paul Bierley: John Philip Sousa: American Phenomenon, Second Edition (Warner Bros. Publications, 2001) and John Philip Sousa: A Descriptive Catalog of His Works (Univ. of Illinois Press, 1973). The above images of Pepper publications are all available for download at the Library of Congress website]

Happy 90th birthday, Mr. Bierley!

Today is the 90th birthday of the world's greatest expert on all things Sousa - Paul Edmund Bierley.

I have had the opportunity to talk with Paul a few times over the past couple of years, and he has shown great interest in my research on Sousaphone history. I am deeply grateful for all that he has done to preserve and promote the history of Sousa and his Band - especially through the book shown at the left.

Click here for more information about Paul, from the Sousa Archives website, and click here for a brief video clip of him sharing recently about Sousa.

Happy 90th birthday, Mr. Bierley!

Getting Sousaphone history right

If you Google the phrase "Sousaphone history," the first website in the list says the following:

THE ORIGINAL SOUSAPHONE For many years there were claims and counter claims about who invented the Sousaphone. The conventional wisdom has held that the instrument was invented by the C. G. Conn company. Indeed, Conn instruments were in use by the Sousa band by 1898. In the course of researching the history of the Pepper company we have found reason to believe that the first bell upright, bass brass instrument was built by the J. W. Pepper Co. in 1893 and displayed at the industrial exhibt [sic] in Philadelphia of that same year.

Close, but not quite right. It was 1895, not 1893, that Pepper built the first Sousaphone. And I have found nothing about it being "displayed at the industrial exhibt in Philadelphia." But this understanding of the origins of the Sousaphone, with the same misspelling of "exhibt," seems to have made the rounds. For example, I found it on a document at the Sousa archives, as well as on an eBay page that provides the history of the tuba. It's also noted here, with the spelling fixed. Just where this story started is unclear, but it's not accurate.

The wikipedia page for "Sousaphone," as well as the website "Sousaphone.net," perpetuate the wrong date of 1893, but say nothing about the "industrial exhibt." But other inaccuracies appear on both pages that need to be fixed (I'll have to look into working on the wikipedia page).

Other websites are way off on the history. For example, the Vienna Symphonic Library states that "Conn made the first Sousaphone in 1908, an instrument invented by the composer John Philip Sousa primarily for outdoor use." Conn did make the first bell-front Sousaphone in 1908, although it was called a Wonderphone, not a Sousaphone! And that was 13 years after Pepper built the first Sousaphone.

Even the Library of Congress, on its website, says "In 1893, Pepper built an instrument that allowed the bell to be pointed upward for the concert setting and forward for the march and called it a sousaphone in honor of the prolific conductor and composer." Not only is the date off,  but the bell was not so flexible - and Sousa wasn't trying to create a new marching instrument anyway.

Musical reference books also get the history wrong. For example, The Norton/Grove Concise Encyclopedia of Music (revised and enlarged, 1994), says the Sousaphone "was designed by J. P. Sousa for use in his marching bands," and that "they were first made in 1898." Nope! It was a concert instrument first made in 1895.

And The Harvard Dictionary of Music (fourth edition, 2003) says that "Either Pepper or one of his suppliers made the first model in 1892." Pepper, yes, but 1892, no.

Coming very close to the truth is the massive, and recently published Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments (second edition, 2014). In the article on "Sousaphone" it states that

The earliest sousaphones, made to Sousa's specifications in the 1890s, had the bell pointed upright and (as described in Sousa's autobiography, Marching Along, Boston, 1928) 'projected the sound upward and mushroomed it over the entire band and audience.' This model, nicknamed 'the rain-catcher,' never became popular, though Sousa favoured it for his concert band, usually in combination with upright tubas.

Interestingly, while the Sousa quote captures the gist, it isn't an actual quote from the book! What Sousa wrote, when recalling how he pitched the idea for the Sousaphone, is this: "I suggested to a manufacturer that we have an upright bell of large size so that the sound would diffuse over the entire band like the frosting on a cake!"

Plus, the idea that the original Sousaphone design, with its upright bell, "never became popular" may be misleading. The bell-front version, which eventually supplanted the bell-up version, didn't appear until 1908, and until that time - and for many years after - the original design is seen in all kinds of bands. But Sousa did stick with the original design, long after it stopped being produced.

The article goes on:

The question of who built the first sousaphone was for many years part of an intense rivalry between the J. W. Pepper and C. G. Conn companies, both of which claimed credit for the instrument. Sousa himself recalled, in an interview published in the Christian Science Monitor of 30 August 1922, that while he was still conductor of the Marine Corps Band (i.e. before August 1892) he suggested the instrument to J. W. Pepper of Philadelphia, who made and named the first Sousaphone. An instrument believed to be the first sousaphone - made by Pepper and dated 1893 - came to light in 1992. . . . By 1898 the Conn Co. had built its own sousaphone and had given it, along with other Conn-made instruments, to Sousa for use in his band. The Conn Sousaphone subsequently became the more commercially successful instrument.

This comes very close to nailing the history. All that is needed are a few date adjustments: Pepper built the horn not in 1893, but in 1895, and it resurfaced not in 1992, but first in 1973, and was ultimately sold back to the Pepper company in 1991. As far as we can tell, Pepper never built another Sousaphone. It was indeed Conn who made the first "commercially successful" horn in 1898. And from that point on, Conn Sousaphones are the only kind seen in the Sousa Band.

The important points that we need to get right about the first Sousaphone are as follows:

• Sousa gave Pepper the idea for the new horn in 1892.
• What he suggested was essentially a modified helicon bass.
• Pepper built the instrument in 1895 at his factory in Philadelphia.
• He dubbed it "The Sousaphone" to honor Sousa.
• It was a concert instrument - not a marching horn.
• Its huge, detachable bell pointed straight up.
• That historic horn never went into production.
• It found its way back to the Pepper company in 1991, where it can be seen today.

The original Sousaphone in concert, May 3, 2015 - 120 years after it was built!

The first Sousaphone's close cousin

Shortly after Pepper built the first Sousaphone, he engraved the bell of the following imported Eb helicon, which is owned today by Brian Johnson:

Here's what it says on the bell (note the serial number):

And here's what is on the bell of the first Sousaphone (again, note the serial number):

Granted, the helicon was a French import, while the Sousaphone was made in house (noted by "Premier" and "Maker"). But they are only 31 horns apart, as far as when they passed through Pepper's factory - meaning that they were most likely both born in 1895. Close cousins indeed!

They bear little resemblance to each other, but it is fun to learn of another Pepper bass from that same year. Here's the relevant page from Pepper's 1894 catalogue:

According to Brian, the horn is one of the large Eb bass helicons, model number 3168, which weighs 13.5 pounds and has a bell diameter of 14.5 inches. It sold back then for a whopping $52.62!

Here's what Brian shared with me about how he acquired the horn:

The story of how I got this helicon is just being in the right place at the right time.  I play in the two Harbors, Minnesota City Band. We play a concert in the park every Thursday night during the summer. Two Harbors is a common tourist stop on the north shore of Lake Superior. After a concert one Thursday in 2014, My wife and I got into a conversation with some of the tourists. I was playing a 1912 Martin, so we got to talking about tubas. The fellow said, “My dad was a music teacher up in Virginia, MN and he had an old helicon, would you like it?” Sight unseen, I said yes. It took a couple of months, but we got together and he delivered the horn pictured (along with a 1911 double belled euphonium). We talked instruments for a couple of hours and I had the horns. I found out that the horns had been in storage for a long time. Before 2015, this helicon hadn’t been played for 80 years or more.  I have put some money into the helicon, removing dents, soldering and a couple of finger buttons made (by Lee Stofer). I did have to have it tuned, because it was a low pitch horn.  I play the horn when I march with the St. Paul Police Band. Tubas march in the first rank, so I’m front and center during the Winter Carnival and St. Patrick Day parades. I also play it for a few other parades during the year. I likely will solo with it this summer with the Two Harbors Band.

The first Sousaphone - a closer look

While I've shared some great images of the first Sousaphone earlier in this blog (from a museum visit in 2012), here are a few more from the week I had this historic horn in my home prior to playing it in concert last Spring:

The shoulder pad is not original, of course, nor are the mouthpiece and neck.

Where the bell and body connect. Note the vertical squiggly lines, which
are to be matched up in order to have the bell in the right position.

The horn as it comes apart.

Top view of the valve cluster. Having only three valves might have been a strike against it,
which may in part explain why Sousa switched to using a Conn horn in 1898.

Bottom view of the valve cluster - the main tuning slide curves in and under in such a way
 that digs into one's ribs. Not the best design!

Bottom view of the valves, showing the unusual vent holes.

Side view of valves, showing serial number of 8800 (which is also on the bell).

Historically accurate neck, made by Matt Walters of Dillon Music
(original neck and mouthpiece were lost).

Showing detail on the tuning slides

Close up of the stamped brass that is found on many parts of the horn

Engravings on the front of the bell (note the words "Sousa" and "Phone" in the twirling ribbon. This may
be the very first use of this term - the name Pepper gave to this horn, in order to honor Sousa.

Engraving of Sousa toward the top of the bell. The uniform he is wearing is from the 1894 season, which
helps to hone in on a date for when the horn was made (now confirmed as 1895).

The original Sousaphone in concert

While doing research on the history of the Sousaphone over the past few years, one of the biggest surprises that occurred was the offer to play the original Sousaphone, built by J. W. Pepper in 1895, in my community band for its 20th anniversary concert on May 3, 2015. Now I can check off something on my bucket list before I even have one!

George Class, with whom I have worked closely at the Pepper company, was the one who gladly made the offer and helped with all of the arrangements.

George Class with me at the concert on May 3, 2015

Once we got the enthusiastic "green light" from our director (who is also a tuba player), the plans for the concert took a distinctly Sousa turn. He scheduled four marches by the great bandmaster (three in the program, and one as an encore), and a dixieland piece that allowed Sousa's creation to be featured in a quintet for part of the piece.

Here's what we said in the program about the strange-looking tuba that had joined the band for that special concert:

And here are a few photos from the rehearsal the week before, during which a couple of reporters from The Philadelphia Inquirer showed up (my director had tipped them off!) to create a front page feature about the horn and the concert:

Being interviewed by Kristin Holmes and Tom Gralish of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Working on the Original Dixieland Concerto

The concert on Sunday was recorded, so here are the relevant videos:

At the end of the concert, I met with folks out in the atrium to let them see the original Sousaphone up close and personal. It was a great day!

The original Sousaphone on its own

Click here for a brief video clip of the original Sousaphone on its own (and yes, the date of the horn is incorrect in the video itself- it should say 1895 there as well).

J.W.P. Sousaphones for sale - finally!

While J. W. Pepper designed and built the first Sousaphone in 1895, it appears that he didn't start selling Sousaphones until a decade later. Here's what appeared in Pepper's Musical Times and Band Journal toward the end of 1905 (vol. 19, no. 222):

There are a number of very curious - if not outright questionable - things revealed on this page.

First of all, there is the photo of Herman Conrad, who is listed as playing the "BBb Bass Sousaphone" in "Sousa's Concert Band." However, the image dates back to at least 1895, and Conrad had left the Sousa Band at some point in 1903. Further, he had only played the original Pepper Sousaphone in that band in 1896 and perhaps 1897 (we only have confirmation for 1896). From 1898 through 1903, Conrad played various versions of C. G. Conn's first Sousaphone, so the testimonial here is very misleading.

However, perhaps the quote is from before 1898, when only the original Pepper Sousaphone existed, but that would make it irrelevant to the Sousaphones featured on this page! My guess is that Conrad never even tried one of the horns seen here.

Second, and related to that, the testimonial appears to be an adapted version of what Conrad had said about Pepper's Premier BBb Bass at some point (referring to a standard tuba, or perhaps a helicon) which appears on page 9 of the 1905 catalogue:

The only difference between these two testimonials is the horn mentioned - both after Conrad's name, and at the end of the quote. In other words, it appears that Pepper simply borrowed the previous testimonial and added the word "Sousaphone" in order to sell the Sousaphones that he was now (finally!) selling. Conrad may have had no idea what was going on!

Third, it does appear that Pepper was stretching the truth about the horns featured. Just below the image of the Eb Sousaphone he said, "We Guarantee These Sousaphones to be Absolutely Perfect In Tune, Tone, Workmanship and Quality of Materials." Wow! A guarantee of absolute perfection? Nothing like a little exaggeration to sell horns, huh?!

It may be that Pepper pushed things a bit because he was frustrated with how people had forgotten that he, and not Conn, had built the first Sousaphone all those years ago. Note what he said in the explanatory paragraph right above the bell of the BBb horn:

The telling sentence is toward the end: "Remember that we are the sole originators of this style of basses, and all others [referring to Conn, I presume?] are imitations of these magnificent large-proportioned monsters."

"Imitations," indeed - Pepper created the first one. However, the Pepper Sousaphones of 1905 were significantly different from the original Sousaphone of 1895. For example, while the latter was built entirely in the Pepper factory (part of his "Premier - Own Make" line), these new horns were imports of a sort.

In his Everything Musical catalogue for 1912, Pepper commented about his "American Favorite" line, to which these Sousaphones belonged: "We call it 'American Favorite' because it is the favorite line in all parts of America." But then he explained that "Our own shops design the model and fix the grade of material that goes into every part of these Instruments." The horns themselves, however, were apparently built elsewhere, while "the tuning and general inspection" as well as "the high-grade plating" were done "right on our own premises." All of this was apparently a way to keep the cost down, in comparison with the "Premier - Own Make" line.

And what would one of these "magnificent large-proportioned monsters" set you back in 1905? Here's what it says about the larger of the two horns (which had a 28 inch diameter bell - did you catch that?!):

Pepper's 1906 catalogue featured these same horns, in almost the exact same layout, on its bright yellow back page:

Courtesy of the Oberlin College Library

These Sousaphones also appeared on page 14 of the 1907 catalogue, but that was the last time they were featured in an annual catalogue. Apparently they didn't sell all that well.

In fact, the only other time I came across one of these horns in a Pepper publication was on an insert to the 1912 catalogue that listed used instruments:

Courtesy of the Hagley Library

The cost on the left ($94) was the original cost of the Eb Sousaphone in brass finish (close - it was $96); the cost on the right ($55) was the sale price in 1912.

Finally, one of the Eb horns (in silver plate) can still be seen today in the Don Johnson Exhibit at the Marion County Heritage Center in Lebanon, KY:

Courtesy of Don Johnson

The Pepper horn finds its way home

John Bailey with the Pepper horn in 1991.

The story of how the original Sousaphone resurfaced in recent years is almost too good to be true. On a quiet Sunday afternoon in the spring of 1973, John Bailey, a 24-year-old tuba player and recent graduate of West Chester State College, joined his mother and sister for an outing to Renningers Flea Market in Adamstown, Pennsylvania. John had moved back home to Wernersville, near Reading, where he began teaching and occasionally subbing with the Ringgold Band—yes, the band that holds the distinction of being the very last one that Sousa conducted before he died in 1932.

     

John wasn’t looking to buy anything that day, but he noticed a vintage three-valve “raincatcher” Sousaphone, heavily tarnished and covered with dust, hanging upside-down from the rafters by a single loop of binder twine! When he was told that it cost only $50, he raced home to get the money. His plan was to get it into playable shape and have an interesting horn for use in parades.

In cleaning up the Sousaphone, John discovered that it was unfinished, that is, just raw brass, which further supported my initial speculation that perhaps the horn was never actually used in public (although it was; see here). He also found that the front of the bell featured some beautiful and highly significant engravings.

However, for almost 20 years, John kept that historic horn in storage, collecting dust once again. Along the way, he received confirmation from experts that he had something special, but, with limited funds, he never got around to having it restored and displayed.

The Pepper Sousaphone as it looked at the time of its purchase by the Pepper company in 1991.

The valves and tuning slides had been kept in a separate box when Bailey bought the horn in 1973.

But then, in August 1991, John gladly sold the horn back to its maker, the J. W. Pepper company. George Class, Pepper's historian, was there to close the deal, and the company then proceeded to have its historic horn restored, including adding a lacquer finish - perhaps its first proper covering in 96 years! The Sousaphone is now proudly displayed in the central atrium of the Pepper building in Exton, PA.

Pepper historian George Class when he picked up the horn at John Bailey's home in 1991.

George in the Pepper atrium in 2014

John Bailey in 2014