Brass from the Past

Thanks to a summer research grant from Goucher College, I began producing a series of informational videos about historic brass instruments in the summer of 2017. Not to be confused with the terrific Chicago cover band of the same name, Brass from the Past is a YouTube channel featuring coverage of period instruments, historical context, and playing techniques for a wide audience. Each video will be curated on this page along with links to educational resources and references. Click on the titles below to watch the videos on YouTube. Beginning with the natural trumpet, future topics will include the overtone series, the modern Baroque trumpet with vent holes, the cornetto, slide trumpets, vintage cornets, mutes, the serpent, the ophicleide, and much more. This page will be continually updated as new videos are produced. If you find these videos helpful and have questions or suggestions for future topics, please comment below. Enjoy! (Updated 7/29/17)

The Natural Trumpet: An Introduction

Instruments used:

  • Natural trumpet by Frank Tomes (2001, after Johann Leonard Ehe III, 1746)
  • Natural trumpet by Richard Seraphinoff (2007, after C. Missenharter, Ulm, mid-19th century)

Resources:

Historic Horns with Rick Seraphinoff

Instruments used:

  • Natural horns made by Rick Seraphinoff based on models from the seventeenth through the early nineteenth century
  • Early nineteenth-century piston valve horn by Courtois

Resources: