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FEB 6 1974 

1/BRARIl* ROBERT E. ELIASON 

VISITING POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, 1970-71 

DIVISION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS • NATIONAL MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

Ml 

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION PRESS • CITY OF WASHINGTON • 1972 
SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN 

HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY: NUMBER 19 

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government 

Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 Price 60 cents 

Stock Number 4700-0188 

COVER: Keyed bugles made by E. G. Wright and Graves & Co. of 

Boston. The instrument on the left is from the Rhode Island 

Historical Society; the center bugle is from the Henry Ford 

Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Both are by E. G. Wright. The 

bugle on the right is by Graves & Co., and is from the collections of the Smithsonian Institution. 

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data 

Eliason, Robert E. 

Keyed bugles in the United States. 

(Smithsonian studies in history and technology, no. 19) 

1. Bugle. 2. Bands (Music) —U. S. I. Title. II. Series: Smithsonian 

Institution. Smithsonian studies in history and technology, 

no. 19. 

ML960.E45 788'. 1 77-39883 
Origin Page 5 CONTENT S 

Arrival in the United States: Richard Willis 9 

Other Musicians Take up the New Bugle 13 

Keyed Bugles Made in the United States 15 

Development of the Smaller e\) Bugle 19 

Ned Kendall 23 

The Brass Band Era 26 

Mechanical Improvements 28 

Three Outstanding Examples of Workmanship 

in the United States 32 

Decline 40 

Notes 41 

Selected Bibliography 43 
ACKNOWLEDGMENT S This booklet was prepared under the supervision of Mrs. Cynthia 

Hoover, Associate Curator, Division of Musical Instruments, 

whose help and enthusiasm were greatly appreciated. The following museums and individuals were most cooperative in 

loaning their instruments to the Smithsonian for study and 

photographing: The Rhode Island Historical Society; The Children's Museum, Boston, Massachusetts; Professor Martin Lessen, 

Rochester, New York; and Mr. William Gribbon, Greenfield, 

Massachusetts. Photographs are by Richard Farrar, Richard 

Hofmeister, and Steve Logowitz. 
Keyed bugles are soprano brass instruments with side holes and 

keys like a clarinet or saxophone. They flourished for several 

decades after 1810 when the Royal Kent Bugle was patented, and 

before valved instruments became popular. Their melodic ability 

made possible the first brass bands in the United States, and 

these instruments remained popular in this country until the 

Civil War. During the 1840s and 1850s, many excellent players 

including the famous Ned Kendall amazed their listeners with 

intricate solos played on the bugle. Fine examples of American 

bugles with as many as 12 keys survive in several collections. 

A remarkable period of military and municipal band history in 

the United States began about 1815 with the arrival in this country of the newly invented keyed bugle. This instrument, variously 

called the Royal Kent Bugle, patent Kent Bugle, or keyed bugle, 

was a large-bore brass instrument with side holes and keys similar 

to those on clarinets and other woodwind instruments. Without 

keys or mechanism of some kind, a brass instrument was severely 

limited in the number of notes it could produce. Bands before 

this had depended on woodwind instruments for the melody, 

using their bugles and trumpets largely for rhythmic and harmonic parts. The bugle with keys was the first successful soprano 

brass instrument capable of playing all of the notes in any scale. 

It preceded valved instruments by about five years and rapidly 

became the leading melodic voice in bands of the period. It also 

became a favorite solo instrument, and successfully competed 

with valved brasses in the United States until the Civil War. 

KEYED BUGLES 

IN THE 

UNITED STATES 

The keyed bugle was patented by Halliday of Dublin in 1810 and 

named the Royal Kent Bugle in honor of the Duke of Kent, then 

Commanding Officer of British troops in Ireland.1 The basic 

idea of keys or the covered-hole principle as applied to brass instruments had been around for at least fifty years and had met 

with some success on the trumpet around the turn of the century.2

 The Kent Bugle was another application of the wellOrigin 
known idea, but quite a bit more successful. It was so successful, 

in fact, that several others claimed credit for the invention. Two 

of the most interesting of these stories are quoted below. The 

first is from an interview with Henry Distin, a famous English 

brass player and manufacturer whose father was undoubtedly 

experimenting along the same lines as Halliday, although a year 

or two later. 

My father, John Distin, was born in 1J98, in Plympton, Devonshire, England. At n years of age he, in company with a brother 

two years younger, appeared in public in a flute duet at a concert 

given by the band of the South Devon Militia, and not only 

achieved a great popular success, but so impressed the bandmaster of the regiment that he obtained their enlistment as band 

boys under his instruction. Two years later John's ability as a 

performer on the chromatic trumpet was already a matter of 

public fame, and at the age of 14 he played first trumpet in a 

performance of Dettingeu [sic] Te Deum at a grand music festival 

in Exeter so successfully that he was presented with £10 as a 

reward. That sum, which was a fortune for a boy of his age, indirectly cheated him out of the honor of being the inventor of 

the keyed bugle, and came near losing him his life. Just about 

that time the regimental band with which he was connected was 

supplied with new bugles, and in the work of testing them, to 

which John Distin was assigned by the band-master, he found 

one through which a hole had been punched by the careless 

driving of a nail in the box inclosing them. That hole gave 

another note. Stopping it with his finger, he made the instrument 

sound like all the others. That accidentally discovered note suggested to him an idea. The old bugles of the band were auctioned off, and he, purchasing one of them, set to work cutting 

holes in it, and fitting them with corks to find new notes. Only 

one member of the band, named John Tucker, was taken into 

his confidence. Guy Fawke's Day, an anniversary then celebrated 

with much explosive demonstration was near, and some of the 

band boys who had picked up a lot of blank cartridges after a 
review, appealed to John as a capitalist—in view of that gift of 

£io—to buy two pounds of powder and join them in getting up a 

quantity of squibs and other fire-works for the celebration. He 

did so. While they were all at work making their squibs, a mischievous boy touched off a cartridge which exploded all the rest 

of the powder, almost under Distin's nose, and injured him so 

severely that he was laid up for three months in the hospital. 

When he was convalescent, John Tucker came to him and said, 

'Ah, I am so sorry John but an Irishman named Halliday has got 

ahead of you on your invention while you have been laid up. He 

has produced a three-keyed bugle, which has been highly approved of by the Duke of Kent, and it is already making a great 

effect as the Kent Bugle.' The boy's disappointment was very 

keen, but he subsequently earned some distinction for himself by 

adding two more keys to the Kent Bugle, making a new instrument as far ahead of Halliday's as that when invented, was an 

improvement upon the common field bugle, and this perfected 

instrument ivas christened the Royal Kent Bugle* 

The second is a more dubious account of an American, Nathan 

Adams. 

And here we make another digression to speak of Nathan Adams 

—sometimes called 'Captain Adams.' . . . Previous to coming to 

Lowell, on land and sea he had roamed about the world considerably. For several years he was on the United States man-of-war 

Constitution, with Commodore Hull, not as a sailor but as a 

band-master. Besides being a musician—playing several instruments and singing well—he was a successful composer, but we do 

not know that a note of his work in that direction now exists. 

He was a veritable jack-at-all-trades, and if alive to-day would 

undoubtedly be regarded as a first-class crank. He was a bachelor, 

and while in Lowell he slept in his little shop, took his food there 

or wherever he happened to be when hunger came upon him, 

if convenient, and if not went without for the time being; it 

seemed to make very little difference whether his stomach was 
full or empty. . . . Adams was a good man to work when in the 

right mood, but entirely indifferent in the matter when not. He 

was generally socially inclined, full of music and anecdotes, wellinformed for a man of his standing in society, and a favorite 

among those who knew him best. 

While on the Constitution (as we have already intimated) he 

conceived the idea and really invented the diatonic or natural 

scale for, and was the inventor of, the bugle (superseded in later 

years by the cornet), which was the precursor of all the valve 

musical instruments. It came about in this way: In an idle moment on one occasion, while handling a seahorn (so called at the 

time—an instrument used in the daily routine exercises of the 

ship), it occurred to him that it might be improved and made 

useful for another purpose. He proceeded to cut a proper hole in 

it, near the mouth or bell end, and experimented by opening and 

closing the hole with the palm of his hand, and thus he got a 

modulated tone. The result was encouraging, and he proceeded 

to cut other orifices until he had scaled the instrument off for 

seven keys or valves. In this way he satisfied himself that he could 

make a new and valuable instrument. When in the course of 

time he reached London he went to a musical instrumentmaker 

named Kent and made known his invention to that gentleman. 

The result was that Kent constructed an instrument, brought it 

before the musical world, and in the end received the credit of 

both inventing and making it, while its real inventor was never 

recognized as having anything to do with its production, consequently no credit has heretofore been accorded to him. Those 

who knew Adams well, had the best of reasons for believing this 

story of the origin of the bugle, which came from his own lips, 

entirely true, and thus have we found warrant for telling the tale 

as 'twas told to us.

4 

Unfortunately, both of these claims were a bit late; Distin's in 

1812, and Adams' about 1824. The Distin story of having added 

the fourth and fifth keys is also in error, since the patent of 1810 

described five keys. 
The arrival of this instrument in the United States, at least by 

1815, occurred with little fanfare. An advertisement in the New 

England Palladium of Boston offered ".. . patent Kent Bugles, 

with keys . . ." on October 27, 1815. Whether they were preceded 

here by the keyed trumpet is not known, but likely. 

Although a few of these instruments were undoubtedly imported earlier, the event that firmly established the Kent Bugle in 

the United States was probably the arrival from Dublin of 

Richard Willis, arranger, composer, and performer on the keyed 

bugle and several other instruments. The following account of 

his arrival and a performance on the double flageolet appeared 

in the New York Evening Post of April 18, 1816. 

R. Willis, from London, professor of Music, arrived in this city, 

a few days since, and has brought with him that new, elegant, 

and sweet toned instrument, called the double flageolet—Bainbridge, London, inventor, 1812. He was the first that performed 

a Rodondo [sic] on that instrument in the Dublin Theatre, which 

was received with unbounded applause. He will perform this 

evening a concerto duetto, with some Irish and Scotch airs, and 

Rondoe's at Scudders Museum, 21 Chatham St. 

Tuesday, May 28, 1816, is the earliest mention found of a performance by Willis on the Kent Bugle. It appeared in the same 

newspaper. 

// we are correctly informed, there will be a chorus of nearly 200 

fine voices, aided by upwards of yo instruments. These will consist first, of a patent Kent Bugle of the finest and most commanding tones which will be played upon by a Mr. Wyllis lately from 

Ireland. 

Arrival in the 

United States: 

Richard Willis 

Two performances had been planned, but these were so well received that a third and then a fourth performance was necessary. 

More of Willis' background was presented in the following 

article from Boston's Euterpeiad of September 1, 1821. 9 
Mr. Willis received his musical education in Ireland, and when 

quite a youth, was employed by Sir John Stevenson to travel the 

several counties in search of original Irish airs from the peasantry, whom he would hire to sing, and from this species of oral 

performance, he obtained a very large portion of those exquisite 

melodies which Sir John Stevenson and Mr. Moore have published in several elegant editions. Mr. Willis's acquirements are 

numerous, he performs with much execution upon every instrument in his band, and the facility with which he executes the 

chromatic passages on the Kent Bugle is the result of many years 

practice under the celebrated Mr. Logier of Dublin, whose improvements have brought this useful and much admired instrument into general use. 

Mr. John Bernhard Logier, under whose instruction Willis is 

said to have mastered the keyed bugle, is perhaps best known for 

his invention of the chiroplast, a controversial apparatus for 

developing proper hand position on the piano. Probably around 

1820, Mr. Logier published a Complete Introduction to the 

Keyed Bugle, one of the earliest method books for the instrument. 

Shortly after his arrival, Willis became master of the band at 

the United States Military Academy at West Point, for the following theater bill appeared in the New York Evening Post of 

September 17, 1816. 

Point of Honor or The School of Soldiers 

The band of the Military Academy at West Point will play the 

new grand battle piece of the Siege of Ft. Erie composed by Mr. 

Willis, the master of the Band. Mr. Willis will likewise, in the 

course of the evening, play a solo on the patent six keyed camp 

bugle. 

The official appointment of Willis as professor of music and instructor of the band is given by Dr. Sidney Forman as June 16, 

10 1817, nine months after the above performance.5 
By September of 1817, two Kent Bugles had been purchased 

for the West Point Band—one for $70, the other for $40—and no 

doubt Willis had begun to instruct some of his band members on 

the instrument.6 

The efforts of Richard Willis with the band were well received 

and appreciated by many who heard them. The following is 

from the West Point papers of Sylvanus Thayer, commanding 

officer at the Academy at that time. 

In 1817 an act of Congress established the position of teacher of 

music at USMA and appointed Richard Willis, a well known 

civilian composer and arranger as well as a "celebrated performer 

on the Kent Bugle." He was paid $50 per month. One of his 

compositions, "The Grand, Canal March," written for the opening of the Erie Canal, is still played by the USMA Band for 

special occasions. At the time he took charge of the band, that 

group numbered 14 players. For the first time musical affairs 

took on an increased stature, not only on the post, but for many 

miles around. Crowded Packets from New York to Poughkeepsie 

used to drop anchor off West Point to give their passengers an 

opportunity to listen to Willis and his band as they played evening concerts from a prominent position overlooking the Hudson 

River.7 

Willis also found time to take the band to Boston, New York, 

Philadelphia, and probably other cities on the east coast. Many 

advertisements and announcements for concerts appeared in 

newspapers and music magazines of those cities during Willis' 

tenure (Figure 1). 

Compositions performed on the keyed bugle by Willis included 

orchestral trumpet parts, obligatos to songs and choruses, and 

popular airs with variations. Following are some of the compositions known to have been played by Willis from published 

programs.

 11 
New York, May 28, 1816 

Air and Chorus, "Strike the Cymbal" Pucitta 

accompanied by the 6-keyed patent bugle 

Grand Double chorus, "The Horse and His Rider" Handel 

(with keyed bugle) 

Philadelphia, November 14, 1820 

Solo on the Kent Bugle, "Jessy the Flower 

o' Dom Blane" Mr. Willis 

"Eveleen's Bower' with variations and embellishments 

Kent Bugle obligato by Mr. Willis 

"The Hunter's Horn in the Morning," Phillips 

Kent Bugle, Mr. Willis 

Philadelphia, December 29, 1825 

"Dolce Concento," with variations for Nicholson 

the Bugle 

Polonaise for the Bugle Stumph 

Finale—Yankee Doodle with variations 

for bugle and orchestra Willis 

Philadelphia, January 4, 1826 

Polacca Stumph 

Song, "At Morning's Dawn," bugle accompaniment 

Philadelphia, December 27, 1826 

"Di Tanti Palpiti," with variations Rossini 

The following compositions were often played by Willis, but 

it is not certain if he used the keyed bugle or played them on the 

trumpet. 

Boston, August 18, 1821 

"Let the Bright Seraphim," trumpet Handel 

accompaniment by Willis 

Philadelphia, January 4, 1821 

Concerto for the Common Trumpet, Winter 

12 full orchestra accompaniment 
In addition to his many other accomplishments, Richard Willis 

is also known to have tried his hand at inventing. A program of 

December 29, 1825, published in the Philadelphia National 

Gazette of that date included a "Solo on the Vox Humana, an 

instrument invented by Mr. Willis." Also in the same paper of 

December 27, 1826, the following note appeared on a program: 

"Mr. Willis will perform on a small pocket bugle of his own invention; its tone is superior to his Vox Humana." The United 

States Patent Office records a patent awarded to R. Willis of West 

Point, New York, for a Kent Bugle on November 10, 1827, number 4923X. To date, however, a copy of this patent has not been 

found. 

Soon other musicians began to take up the new instrument. In Other Musicians 

Boston a young man with the unlikely name of George Frederick Take up the New B u 

Handel Plimpton began playing publicly late in 1820. It was reported in Boston's New England Palladium of December 22 in 

that year that ". . . Master George Frederick Handel, a son of Mr. 

Plimpton, will accompany the Apollino with the Kent Bugle and 

French horn." The Appollino was a mechanical music instrument inspired by the devices of Johann Maelzel of metronome 

fame. 

In the following year, the Palladium of July 27 noted that another Kent Bugle player, a Mr. Campbell from London, had 

joined Mr. Plimpton's family for several concerts. 

In Philadelphia, Willis' concerts in 1820 stirred unusual interest in the new instrument. 

. . . performances of Mr. Willis surpassed in effect and in powerful execution every expectation . . . and on the bugle particularly 

surprising, as well as from the compass or range as from the truth 

of his notes. It would scarcely be conceived that on the bugle 

there should be distinctly and harmoniously performed the sharp 

and flat notes.8 

Keyed bugles in quantity were available there at least by late 

1821. In an advertisement in the Philadelphia Franklin Gazette 13 
MR. WILLIS, of West Point, respectfully informs his friends and the citizens of Philadelphia, that he will give a Concert in (be Grand 

Saloon at Washington Hall, on Thursday evening, 

Nov. 16, assisted by Mrs. De Luce and most of the 

principal professors of this city. 

Leader of the Orchestra, Mr. De Luse 

PART I. 

Overture to Lodoiska.'Tiumpet obligato by Mr. Willis, - - Kreu'zer 

Solo on the double flageolet, Mr. Willis; "The Blue Bells of Scotland," 

with variations, - - - Willis 

Song, Mrs. De Luce—"Let Fame sound 

the Trumpet," accompanied on the 

trumpet by Mr. Willis, - Shield 

Solo violin, Mr De Luce, - - Krcutzer 

Kent Bugle Solo, Mr. Willis. "Jessy 

the fluw'r of Dunblane." 

Echo Song, Mrs De Luce, accompanied by Mr. Blondeau, - - Bishop 

"O Dolce Concento," and Pollacca,by 

Mr. Willis on the Kent bugle, with 

which he will lead the orchestra; arranged by - Mr. Willis 

PARI II. 

"Eveleen's Bower," with variatrons and 

embellishments; Kent Bugle Obligate, by Mr. Willis Composed by Mr. Willis 

Flute Solo, Mr. Blondeau. 

Song, Mrs. De Luce—"The Solcier 

Tir'd " accompanied on tbe trumpet 

by Mr. Willis, ... . Dr.Arne 

Solo double flageolet, Mr Willis; -'Oh 

Nanny wilt thou gang with me," Scotch Air 

"The Hunter's Horn in the Morning," 

Kent Bugle, Mr. Willis, - - Phillips 

Song, Mrs. De Luce—"At morning 

dawn," accompanied on the Kent 

Bugle by Mr. Willis, - - Rimbault 

Finale, Solo, Kent Bugle, "Yankee 

Doodle," with variations, accompanied by tbe orchestri, tbe variations 

composed and arranged by - Mr. Willis 

Concert to commence at 7 o'clock. 

Ticket at one dollar; to be had at Mathew Carey's bookstore; Mrs Phillips's Circulating Libra 

ry; Messrs; Bacon & Hart's music store; of Mr. 

tvjllis, No. 10, Sarsom street, and at the door of 

the hall on the evening of performance. 

NOT IS—d4t 

Figure i. Program of a concert by Richard Willis in Philadelphia published in The Franklyn Gazette, Novembe r 14, 

1820. 

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Figure 2. The title page of "The Death of Willis" by Francis 

Johnson. (Photograph courtesy of the United States Military 

Academy library, West Point, New York.) 
of December 15, 1821, it is stated that G. E. Blake "has just received from Holies' Manufactory, Dublin, a case of Patent Kent 

Bugles, octave bugles with keys. . . ." 

About 1821, a talented, young, Negro bandleader, Francis 

Johnson (Figure 3), began playing the keyed bugle. His band, 

associated with the Philadelphia State Fencibles from about that 

time, played for all sorts of parades, drills, and celebrations in 

Philadelphia, and for many of the most fashionable balls. General Lafayette's visit to Philadelphia in 1824 was climaxed by a 

Grand Ball in his honor with music provided by Francis Johnson's band.9

 For several years beginning in 1825, Johnson's band 

was featured at the popular resort areas around Saratoga Springs. 

He rapidly gained renown as a keyed-bugle player equal to 

Willis, and in 1837 visited Europe with his band.10 

Johnson was also a prolific composer and arranger with many 

published songs, marches, quicksteps, and other popular dance 

pieces to his credit. He acknowledged his long friendship and 

admiration for Richard Willis by composing a song in his honor 

after his death in 1830. The title page (Figure 2) has the following inscription: 

THE DEATH OF WILLIS 

Verses written on the death of Richard Willis of West Point, 

New York by J. Tranor Esqr. of Albany/Music composed by 

Francis Johnson,!Musician of Philadelphia, as a tribute of respect 

to his/memory for the unusual and kind attention to him in/ 

forwarding him in a knowledge of that fine and martial/instrument, the Kent Bugle, when first introduced in/this country.11 

Francis Johnson, about 

A recently discovered 

drawing used with the permission 

of Arthur La Brew. 

Figure 

1792 

It is not surprising that as the keyed bugle's popularity spread, 

its construction tempted Yankee ingenuity. The earliest evidence 

of keyed-bugle making in the United States is a 7-keyed instrument in B(j (Figure 4) made by Nathan Adams in Lowell, Massachusetts, about 1825.12

 From published accounts of Adams, he 

Keyed Bugles Made 

in the United States 

15 
seems to have been a competent mechanic and a somewhat eccentric old bachelor. He was born in 1783, served as bandmaster on 

the U.S.S. Constitution, worked on musical instruments along 

with other mechanical repair work from about 1824 to 1835, and 

spent the remainder of his life until 1864 as a mechanic and a 

repairer of ships' chronometers.13 

At least five other bugles of similar construction marked by 

other firms in the United States have survived. Although these 

can be dated only approximately, all seem to have been made or 

imported in the 1830s or early 1840s. Two of these, one with six 

keys (Figure 5) and another with eight keys, are marked Klemm 

& Brother, Philadelphia. The other three, a six-key and two 

eight-key bugles, are marked by Firth, Hall, and Pond, New 

York.14 Both of these firms were primarily music publishers and 

dealers and may well have imported the instruments. In any 

case, no lasting progress toward a brass-instrument industry in the 

United States was made as a result of either Adams' work or that 

of the two music stores. It took a transplanted London instrument maker to show the Yankees how to build the Royal Kent 

Bugle. 

Probably in the mid-1830s, James Keat, one of the four sons of 

of Samuel Keat, a well-known London instrument maker emigrated to the United States and settled in Winchester, New 

Hampshire. James Keat worked for Graves & Co., an established 

musical-instrument firm, and evidently passed on to the Americans the latest in keyed-bugle design. In the museum at Deerfield, Massachusetts, is a seven-keyed bugle in B[^ marked "J. Keat 

for Graves & Co., Winchester, N.H." There is also a seven-keyed 

instrument with similar markings in the collection of William 

Gribbon, Greenfield, Massachusetts (Figures 6 and 7), and one 

with nine keys belonging to Fred Benkovic of Milwaukee, 

Wisconsin. 

In 1837, Keat purchased one-half of the second story, including 

waterpower privileges, of a four-story building, the upper two 

16 floors of which were occupied by Graves & Co.15 He evidently 
Figure 4. The earliest known American-made keyed bugle by Nathan Adams, Lowell, Massachusetts, 1825. It is in 

Bi> with seven keys in box mounts. Displayed on board the U.S.S. Constitution, Boston Naval Shipyard, Boston, Massachusetts. 

Figure 5. Keyed bugle marked "Klemm & Bro., Philadelphia," circa 1835. In Bb with six keys in box mounts; probably imported. Mouthpiece not original. From the collection of Professor Martin Lessen, Rochester, New York. 
Figures 6 andy. Keyed bugle marked "J. Keat for Graves & Co., Winchester, N.H., " circa 1837. In Bb with seven 

keys in box mounts, crook and tuning bits. From the collection of William Gribbon, Greenfield, Massachusetts. 
intended to start his own business and may actually have produced instruments for a time. His health failed, however, and in 

1842 he sold the shop.16 Keat died in 1845. If his tombstone 

markings in the Winchester Cemetery are correct, he was born in 

London on May 7, 1813, making him the third of the four sons 

of Samuel Keat. 

Graves & Co. began making keyed bugles of their own, and 

many examples of their copper bugles with brass trim are found 

in collections in the United States. The earliest Graves & Co. 

models were probably made in the late 1830s and early 1840s and 

were almost exactly like Keat's examples. One of these early 

Graves & Co. bugles (Figure 8) is in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution (USNM 237,754) ; and another in the Pillsbury Collection (number 517), at the Henry Ford Museum, 

Dearborn, Michigan. 

The next step in the development of the keyed bugle in this 

country was the turn to the smaller bugle in e|j. Such instruments were known in Europe earlier, for keyed bugles in e\) and 

f were included in the 1821 patents of the Parisian maker Jean 

Hilaire Aste, better known as Halary.17 Following is an excerpt 

from a magazine article by Allen Dodworth, soloist, conductor, 

and arranger for the Dodworth Band of New York, one of the 

outstanding bands of the 1840s. 

Many are under the impression that a brass instrument that is 

not imported cannot be good; this is very erroneous, as it is a 

question whether as good instruments are made in the world, as 

can be, and are made in this country. The best e-flat bugles I 

have ever seen, were first made in Boston, by a person who was 

not a musical instrument maker, but a machinist, Mr. Sibley, 

who mathematically reduced the proportions of a B bugle to the 

size necessary for an e flat, and was so successful, that his pattern 

has been used ever since, by nearly all the bugle makers18 

Development of the 

Smaller e\) Bugle 

19 
One surviving bugle made by Henry Sibley is a nine-keyed instrument in e\> in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution 

(USNM 237,755) • It

 1S

 shown in Figure 8 with a Graves & Co. B\) 

bugle. At a time when mechanical ability was usually applied in 

several different fields, it is not surprising that Sibley did not 

always work as a musical-instrument maker. He appeared first in 

Boston directories as "musician" in 1832, and contemporary concert programs included him among the trombone players. In 

1834, his listing changed to "wooden leg maker," and then, a year 

later, to "musical instruments." In 1846, he was listed as a machinist and instrument maker, and from 1848 until 1859, a 

machinist. Sibley entered a "silver bugle with keys" in the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association fair in 1841. In awarding a silver medal, the committee remarked: 

This instrument, made by Henry Sibley of Boston, the committee 

pronounces to be a first rate piece of workmanship. Of the 

quality of its tone, and the correctness of its intonation they have 

not had a very favorable opportunity to judge for themselves; but 

they understand, from persons on whose opinions they can rely, 

that it is equal in these respects to the best imported instruments.19 

About this time another important maker of keyed bugles, E. 

(Elbridge) G. Wright, started business in Boston. Wright is 

listed in the Boston directories as "musical instrument maker" in 

1841. It is possible, however, that he worked earlier in a nearby 

town, for there is an ophicleide in the Essig collection in Warrensburg, Missouri, marked "E. G. Wright, Roxbury." Wright 

eventually became even more famous for his keyed bugles than 

Graves & Co. 

An interesting experiment in materials for keyed bugles was 

tried by George W. Shaw of Thompson, Connecticut, and protected by United States patent 4,132 of August 4, 1845. 

A patent has been granted for a mode of making keyed bugles of 

20 tortoise shell. In this ingenious and beautiful device the brilliant 
Figure 8. Top, keyed bugl e marke d "Grave s & Co., Winchester, N.H., " circa 

1840. I n Bb with nine keys in box mounts. Mouthpiec e an d crook not original. 

USNM 237,7C4. Bottom, keyed bugl e marke d "H . Sibley, Boston, " circa 1840. I n eb 

with nine keys in post-on-footplate mounts. Mouthpiec e an d shank not original. 

USNM 237,755. 

tone of the bugle is preserved, while the instrument is made extremely light; and from the elasticity of the material, it is not 

subject to deterioration of tone from indentations. The instrument is made in 5 parts, which are welded together in an ingenious and perfect manner.

20 

21 
At least two of these instruments survive, one efo or f with nine 

keys (Figure 9), in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution 

(USNM 251,395) , and another small model in high b\j with nine 

keys belonging to the collection of Fred Benkovic in Milwaukee, 

Wisconsin. 

Samuel W. Richardson, a partner in Graves & Co. from 1832 

until about 1845, evidently established his own shop in Rochester, 

New York. A nine-keyed bugle in et-j marked "Richardson & Co., 

Rochester, N.Y." is found in the collection of instruments at the 

University of Illinois at Urbana. Directories show Richardson as 

an instrument maker in Rochester beginning in 1847. Demand 

for the small e|-> bugle could not have been too great in Rochester, 

for by 1851 Richardson had become an upholsterer. His subsequent listings are also interesting: "foreman Burrs Perfumery 

Factory" beginning in 1859 and "Patent Leg Maker" in 1866.21 

Figure 9. Tortoise-shell bugle marked "George Shaw, Thompson Ct.," patented 

1845. In eb or f, nine keys with channel-shaped shanks over block mounts. Hole 

covers are cupped for stuffed pads. Mouthpiece and shank not original, USNM 

251,395-
The small ef> keyed bugle became increasingly popular with Ned Kendall 

bandleaders and soloists in the United States, and it was on this 

instrument that this country's most famous keyed-bugle player, 

Edward (Ned) Kendall (Figure 10) amazed his listeners. Kendall was born March 1, 1808, in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island. 

His father was in the military and previously had been stationed 

at Savannah, Georgia, where an older son James had been born. 

Ned and his brother James are said to have been playing for 

military musters in Newport by 1823. Both became famous players in later years, Ned on the bugle and James on the clarinet and 

trombone.22 

A concert at Boylston Hall in Boston on May 27, 1825 featured 

James Kendall on the clarinet and also included the following: 

"Finale to 1st Part—Military Symphony, Haydn, with the introduction of the Kent Bugle."

 23

 Although the performer is not 

named, it seems likely that it was Ned Kendall playing the trumpet part with the orchestra on his Kent Bugle. 

What may have been Ned's first solo performance on the 

instrument appeared on a program of 1830 which has been 

preserved in the Boston Public Library. One item on the program is a "Solo, Kent Bugle (first time) Mr. E. Kendall."24 

Ned took up where Richard Willis left off, perfecting even 

greater skill in playing and spreading the popularity of the 

instrument. 

In 1835

 after

 pl avm g with the Boston Brigade Band directed 

by his brother and leading other small bands for several years, 

Ned formed the Boston Brass Band which was one of the first 

such organizations in the country (Figure 11). With the reputation established as leader and soloist with this band, he was 

soon in demand as a soloist by bands and concert groups throughout the country. Many stories exist about his excellence on the 

keyed bugle, and there is no doubt that he traveled widely. The 

Kendalls and a celebrated Boston vocalist, Miss Anna Stone, 

formed a concert company in the 1840s and appeared as concert 

soloists in many eastern cities. Ned and James are also known 

to have visited Europe. 23 
The famous contest between Ned Kendall on the keyed bugle 

and Patrick Gilmore playing the valve cornet was held in Salem, 

Massachusetts, in December 1856. Although it was more of a 

crowd-pleasing publicity stunt by the showman Gilmore than a 

contest, it was an exciting affair and is entertainingly described 

by Harry A. Schwartz in his Bands of America.2* Neither contestant could be said to have won the contest, and it is probably 

only in retrospect that some significance is attached to the 

outcome. The fact that a young band director could play as 

well on the cornet as this country's finest player of the bugle 

seemed to spell out the beginning of the end for the keyed 

bugle. Even before this, the cornet, easier to play and more 

consistent in tone quality had begun to replace the older 

instrument. 

For a few of his declining years, Ned "traveled with Spaulding 

and Rodgers' Circus, leading the band; and was a great card 

as a bugle soloist."20 Upon his death on October 26, 1861, the 

following obituary appeared: 

Death of Ned Kendall. Edward Kendall, the celebrated bugle 

player, died at his residence, No. 9 Piedmont street, Saturday 

morning of consumption. He has been quite ill for the last two 

years. His age was 54 years. 

For many years Mr. Kendall was connected with the military 

bands of this city, and he has been the leader of several of them. 

He also travelled abroad, and wherever he went his bugle playing 

excited the greatest wonder. He was doubtless the best performer 

on that instrument in the world. Those who have heard him 

play the "Wood Up Quickstep," or the "Wi72slow Blues Quickstep," can never forget him. He leaves several sons and daughters. 

The Funeral will take place tomorrow at 1 p.m. from Hollis 

Street Church.2" 

The brass band Kendall was leader of for so many years was 

present at his funeral and played three pieces. 

While the band was playing the first piece E. H. Weston (a 

24 former pupil of the deceased) walked up and took from its case 
Figure 10. Edward (Ned) Kendall (1808-1861) in 1841. Drawing from The Globe, Boston, January 26, 1890, page 19. 

Figure 11. Program of the first performance of the Boston 

Brass Band from the Boston Daily Advertiser and Patriot, March 

28, 1835, page 3. 

CT GRAND CONCERT. J% 

MR. J. KENDALL respectfully announces 10 tliepuhfic of Boston audit. vicinily.ihal his FAREWELL CONCERT will he given at the Masonic Temple, (D* THI S 

EVENING, . O March 28, previous to his departure for 

London, on which occasion he solicits the attention of thai 

kind public, under whose patfenage lie lias been so long fostered. He is happy to say thai all the principal talenl of the 

profession have generously volunteered their aid. By the 

generosity oflhe Manager of the Tremom Theatre.the entire 

strength of the Musical Department ol thai establishment 

will assist. 

Frincipal Vocal Performers—Mrs. Andrews, Mist A. 

Woodward, Mrs. Kellogg, Mr. Comer, and Mr. Andrews. 

Principal Instrumental Solo Performers—Messrs. Hill, 

Downes, E. Kendall and J. Kendall. 

Director— Mr. T. Comer. Leader— Mr. 0>linelli. 

Mr. Jones will preside at the Piano Forte. 

The Orchestra will be the largest and most complete ever 

offered to a Boston public. 

In addition to which he has the pleasure of introducing flfir 

the first lime in America, a Military Bandof brass instruments only, consisting of twenty performers. Leader—Mr. 

E.Kendall. _

 v 

PAR T I. 

1. Grand Overture, composed for and dedicated to the 

Aiuuicur Society of Uostou, and played now in public for the 

first lime. Isenbec. 

2. Glee—Red Cross Knight. CaWSolt. 

3. Solo—Clarionet. Mr. J. Kendall. Nel cor piu, with 

variations, composed by himself, arranged with orchestral 

accompaniments, by U. C. Hill. Mozart. 

4. Trio—Mrs. Andrews, Miss A. Woodward, and Mrs. 

Kellogg—"Spirits of Bliss." Burglmesl. 

5. Solo—Kent Bugle, Mr. E. Kendall. Air and Variations—"Sul Margine." Kendall. 

6. Song—Mrs. Andrews—"Should he upbraid." Bishop. 

7. Solo—Violin. Mr. U. C. Hill. Souvenir de Fologne— 

Variations and Rondo. Hill. 

8. Comic Song—Mr. G. Andrews—"Professional Dinner 

Parties,"—in which will be included Hair Dressers, Tailors, 

Shoemakers, Tallow Chandlers, Dancing Masters, Music 

Masters, Lawyers, Painters, Actors, &c. &c. 

9. March—Brass Band and pas redouble. Walsh. 

PAR T II. 

1 Grand Overture—"The Bride ol llie Brigand," 1st lime 

iu America. F. Ries. 

2. Song—Miss A. Woodward—"Come, come." Maeder. 

3. Duett—"Ebben per mai Memoi ia"—Mrs. Andrews Bnd 

Miss A. Woodward—from LaGazza Lndra. Rossini. 

4. Song—Mr.Comei—"King Deaths," 1st time. Neukom. 

5. Solo—Flute—Mr. Downe—Tema and Grand Variations. Drouet. 

6. Recitative and Song—Mrs. Kellogg—"I'll lollow tby 

fairy footsteps." Lee. 

7. Waltz and Quick Step—Brass Band. Mazzinghi. 

8. Glee—"Foresters sound the cheerful Hum"—Bugle 

Obligalo. Mr. E. Kendall, arranged wilh accompaniments, 

by T. Comer. Bishop. 

9. Solo—Trombone—Mr. J. Kendall—Introduction and 

Aria—"Oh no we never mention her," and Rondo from Der 

Freischutz, "Hunting Chorus,"—accompanied by tho Brass 

Baud, and Orchestra entire. Webor. 

ICpTickets CO cents each, to be had at the principal Book 

and Music Stores, and at the daor of the Temple on the 

evening of porlormauce. Concert to commence at 7 o'clock 

precisely. WSis mh 28 
the silver bugle, whose strains had entranced millions, and laid 

it on the coffin, where it remained through the deeply impressive 

services.2* 

The Brass Band Era The instrumentation of bands in the United States varied a great 

deal, but up until about 1835 had consisted generally of four or 

five clarinets and perhaps a flute; a trumpet or bugle, and a pair 

of French horns; and some combination of bassoons, serpents, or 

trombones. The Salem band of 1805 or 1806 is reported to have 

consisted of five clarinets, two flutes, bugle, trumpet, two French 

horns, bassoon, trombone, and drum.29 

About 1835, probably as a result of similar changes made in 

European bands, most bands in the United States became all 

brass by discarding their clarinets and flutes in favor of keyed 

bugles, and their bassoons and serpents for the advantages of 

ophicleides or valved basses. A writer in the October 1835 issue 

of New York's American Music JournalTM did not find this 

change to be much of an improvement. Among several causes 

for the "not very flattering" state of military bands in New York, 

he reports the following: 

Another cause has been in operation lately, viz: the revolution 

or rather the transmigration which these bodies have been undergoing to the state of brass bands, which seem at present to be 

all the rage. Brass bands when they play in tune are good things 

to march after; but it is not in the nature of things that they can 

produce the beautiful effects of the old bands. A full band ought 

to consist of:31 

8 clarinets 2 bassoons 1 bass drum 

1 E flat clarinet 2 trombones 1 pair cymbals 

1 piccolo flute 1 serpent 1 [set] Chinese bells 

2 horns 1 bass horn 1 muffled drum 

2 trumpets 

By this time the Dodworth Band of New York had become all 

26 brass, and the Boston Brass Band had been organized under Ned 
Kendall. Very soon, virtually all bands followed their example. 

The first concert of the Dodworth Band after the change has 

eluded this author's search, but the first appearance of the Boston 

Brass Band took place on March 28, 1835,

 m conjunction with a 

vocal and orchestral concert. The newspaper program stated: 

"Introducing for the first time in America, a military band of 

brass instruments only, consisting of 20 performers, leader Mr. 

E. Kendall." 32 

The instrumentation of these first brass bands is not known 

exactly, but was probably similar to that of the Salem Brass 

Band of 1837: e[? bugle, B^ bugle, trumpet, Efj alto, post horn, 

three tenor trombones, bass trombone, baritone, two basses, snare 

and bass drums;

 :{:!

 or the American Brass Band of Providence in 

1838: one e\) and three Bf> keyed bugles, E^ trumpet, B^ post 

horn, two French horns, tenor trombone, bass trombone, bass 

horn, bass drum, small drum, cymbals, and fife.34 Additional 

examples of instrumentation are suggested by band arrangements 

found in the American Journal of Music and Musical Visitor of 

1844. In the May 4 issue, the "Lucy Long Quickstep" was 

arranged by B. A. Burditt for Bfo bugle 1, B(j bugle 2, or post 

horn, fife, tenor trombone, bass or ophicleide.35 In the July 16, 

issue, "Hewitt's Quickstep'' by Burditt is arranged with a larger 

instrumentation of ef? bugle, two B[> bugles, E\) trumpet, two 

B\) post horns, two tenor trombones, bass trombone, two ophicleides, bass drum, cymbals, and side drum.36 

Bands became a very popular form of entertainment during 

the 1840s. Almost every town had its military band loosely attached to the town militia, and some towns had independent 

bands as well. They played for militia musters and drills, 

marched in parades, and put on concerts with other town 

musicians. They were often engaged for political events, picnics, 

and dances. Occasionally, they played in places of general entertainment such as Niblo's and Castle Garden in New York. On 

occasion, they could also be heard at the theaters before the first 

curtain and between acts. 27 
The change to brass bands with the keyed bugle as the leading 

solo voice encouraged a number of soloists on the instrument. 

Inscriptions on gift instruments and newspaper accounts of other 

gift bugles tell of G. R. Choate, leader of the 35th N.Y.V. Regimental Band; Rufus Pond, leader or ihe Milford Brass Band; 

S. Wells Phillips, leader of the Greenport Brass Band; D. Chase 

of the Clinton Brass Band; Francis W. Morse and Jerome H. 

Smith, leaders of the Salem Brass Band; J. C. Greene, leader of 

the American Brass Band of Providence; A. R. Fitch of the 

Fitchburg Cornet Band; Captain Ed Pier of Corning; D. C. Hall, 

leader of the Lowell Brass Band; and A. W. Fisher of Bangor, 

Maine. 

Some measure of the honor given these men is found in the 

cost of gift bugles presented to them. An E. G. Wright silver e\j 

bugle with 12 keys for A. W. Fisher cost the citizens of Bangor 

$350 in 1851. Another similar instrument presented to J. H. 

Smith in Salem in the same year cost $480, more than half a 

year's salary for a skilled tradesman.37 

The excitement over the new brass bands also led several 

American composers to write marches, quicksteps, and other 

pieces for brass bands. Names most often appearing on programs 

of the period were Allen Dodworth, B. A. Burditt, S. Knaebel, 

Charles Zeuner, Oliver Shaw, and J. Holloway whose "Winslow 

Blues" and "Wood Up Quickstep" were outstanding favorites. 

Mechanical 

Improvements 

A number of mechanical improvements were made in the bugle 

from 1840 to i860. The number of keys increased from nine to 

ten, eleven, and finally twelve; the key mounts which earlier had 

been of the box type were replaced by posts on footplates; and 

tuning bits and crooks were discarded in favor of the telescopic 

tuning shank. On some very late bugles, cupped hole covers and 

stuffed pads replaced the flat covers and leather pads of earlier 

models (Figures 6, 8, 14, 15). Materials used included brass, 

silver, gold, German silver, and even tortoise shell as well as the 

traditional copper. 
Figure 12. Table of written and sounding pitches for eb and Bb bugles. Fingering 

charts from Dodworth's Brass Band School for eb and Bb bugles with eleven keys. 

3

4 indicates that either key 3 or keys 3 and 4 may be used. The same applies to 

other similar groupings. 

SERIES OF NOTES 

PRODUCED BY A BUGLE 

WITH ALL KEYS AT REST 

AS WRITTEN 

m 

\UL -*: 

AS SOUNDED 

# 

Bfc, BUGLE E|, BUGLE 

fa*. ^ "» 

.. bd ° " b * — 

i V? 

s 

FINGERING CHARTS E^ BUGLE (SOUNDS THREE SEMI-TONES HIGHER) 

i M°"ft" 1 1 '1 = 

feg, kg. 

-v*-**-^* s^2 6 1 0 2 3 3 1 O 2 3 31 0 2 10 Z7 17 9* 19 2 10 l

0

*H%7 * $ H ^ f 9 10 2 11 

BUGLE (SOUNDS TWO SEMI-TONES LOWER) tut, fag, ^r fe g 

zr-^f^-^ J^t^i* 0 2 3 * * C 29 91 0 2 10 27 17 9* 19 2W 2 I 

, 0 2 33 5 6 7 ^ ^ 5 $ 4* 10 3 il 

The function and fingering of at least the first seven keys 

remained unchanged. Key 1, which stood open, gave written 

b when pressed and c' when at rest; key 2, c#'; key 3, d'; key 4, 

an alternate fingering for d' and vent for dfl', b[/ and e|j"; key 5, 

df; key 6, e'; and key 7, f (Figure 12). The notes f#' and g' were 

then produced by starting the series again with key 1. This time 

the sequence needed only to be followed to key 5 for written b|/ 

before beginning another sequence on b' and c" with the first 

key. Since the open or natural tones were closer together in the 2g 
Key B b efc 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

1 0 

I I 

12 

Nu 

13.6 

21.3 

27.2 

$

l

-9 

40.0 

46.6 

5°-9 

62.3 

70.1 

74.8 

mber of 

9-7 

16.7 

20.9 

24.4 

30.0 

35-4 

38.8 

42.6 

46.9 

49-9 

53-° 

56.6 

keys: 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

12 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

11 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

1 0 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

9 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

8 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

7 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

6 

Figure 13. Key placement on Bb and eb bugles. Columns two and three of the chart give the distance of 

each tone hole from the bell on representative Bb and 

eb bugles. Checks in columns four through ten show 

which keys are included on bugles with less than twelve. 
higher range of the bugle, only the first few fingerings were theoretically necessary after the first octave. The fingers used for the 

first seven keys were invariably 5, 4, 2, 1, and 3 of the right hand, 

followed by 1 and then 2 of the left (thumb being 1). 

Additional keys were added m an Trregular, but consistent 

way. Of the twelve keys with which the later bugles were 

equipped, an eleven-keyed instrument has all except key 8; a 

ten-keyed instrument has all except 8 and 12. In addition to the 

basic seven keys, a nine-keyed bugle has keys 9 and 11; and an 

eight-keyed instrument, key 9. Six-keyed bugles lack the fifth 

key of the first seven. Figure 13 includes a photograph of a bugle 

showing the placement of the tone holes, and a table giving the 

distance of each hole from the bell on representative B(^ and e\> 

bugles. Checks in columns to the right indicate the keys normally 

found on bugles with less than the full compliment. Although 

the e\) bugles often have twelve keys, no American B[? bugles 

have been found, so far, with more than ten keys. 

The exact function of the additional keys beyond the standard 

seven remains an area of inexact knowledge. Three additional 

keys added in 1822 by Halary of Paris were clearly intended to 

extend the downward compass of the instrument. The fingering 

chart given in the patent for a ten-keyed bugle is different from 

that for the seven-keyed instrument only in that it includes a 

lower octave fingered with combinations of keys including the 

added three.38 Adam Carse describes additional keys on some 

bugles as trill or shake keys. "Some eight-keyed bugles are 

provided with two shake keys for the left little finger, one of 

which was to be used when the instrument was in c, and the 

other when it was crooked in B flat." 39 

This author has been able to locate only three keyed-bugle 

instruction books published in the United States: The Complete 

Preceptor for the Bugle by B. A. Burditt; Dodworth's Brass Band 

School by Allen Dodworth; and The Instrumental Director by 

Ezekial Goodale. The following statement concerning extra keys 

is quoted from Burditt. 31 
The compass of the bugle is about the same as that of the post 

horn, with this exception—the notes are not good below B (some 

bugles having extra keys for producing high and low notes 

with.) 4° 

Fingering charts given in Dodworth's Brass Band School for both 

e\) and B|j keyed bugles with eleven keys indicate the use of keys 

8, 9, 10, and 11 (9, 10, 11, 12 on a twelve-keyed bugle) only on 

the highest four tones of the two-octave chromatic compass: 

a", b\)", b", and c'" (Figure 12). 

No doubt the added keys on American bugles provided some 

or all of the functions described above, but the possibility of 

ornamental or prestige value should not be overlooked. Most of 

the twelve-keyed bugles were gift instruments presented to 

famous bandleaders and soloists. 

Three Outstanding 

Examples of Workmanship 

in the United States 

32 

The summit in keyed-bugle design in the United States was 

reached by E. G. Wright and Graves & Co. of Boston in their 

exquisitely made and highly decorated presentation bugles. 

These instruments are alike in function and mechanical detail, 

but each is unique in its decorative design. So far eight of them 

have been examined by the writer, seven having twelve keys and 

one having eleven keys, all dating from 1850 to 1862. Three of 

these are illustrated and described here in some detail. They 

are a silver Graves & Co. model presented to Captain Ed Pier in 

i860 (USNM 63.610); a silver, E. G. Wright instrument with gold 

keys and trim given to J. C. Greene in 1850 and preserved in the 

Rhode Island Historical Society Museum; and a gold, E. G. 

Wright bugle presented to D. C. Hall, also in 1850, and now in 

the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan (cover illustration and Figures 15 through 24). 

Functionally and mechanically, the instruments are nearly 

identical, and can be described together. They are in e\) and have 
Figure 14. Left, mouthpieces from Hall 

and Greene bugles by E. G. Wright. 

Right, tuning shank from the Hall bugle. 

twelve keys or tone holes. The keys are mounted on axles 

between short posts as can be seen in several of the photographs. 

The footplate on which these posts are attached is shaped in 

the form of a heart. A flat spring is attached beneath the key, 

its free end sliding in a small, iron-reinforced channel on the 

footplate. The key nearest the bell stands open, the rest are 

closed keys. The Pier instrument by Graves & Co. has cupped 

hole covers for stuffed pads; the others, flat covers for leather 

pads. The Hall bugle's keys have tiny sleeves of harder metal 

protecting the axle holes on which they pivot. 

All three instruments were equipped with a telescopic tuning 

shank adjustable from seven to about thirteen centimeters by 

means of a screw mechanism. The Hall instrument, however, is 

the only one of the three which still has the original shank. 

Mouthpieces survive for both the Hall and Greene bugles. They 

are alike in general outline, but not identical. These are shown 

in Figure 14 with the tuning shank from the Hall instrument. 

The Pier bugle is made of silver, as is the body of the Greene 

instrument. The Hall bugle and the keys, trim, and mouthpiece 

of the Greene bugle are of a gold and silver alloy. 

The bell of the Pier bugle is engraved with an eagle above 

swirls of plumage and the inscription "Presented to Capt. Ed 33 
Pier by his Corning Friends, i860." On a banner below is the 

maker's mark: "Made by Graves & Co. Boston" (Figure 15). 

The Greene bugle by E. G. Wright is the most striking in 

appearance with its silver body set off by gold keys and fittings. 

The bell-garland in gold is intricately engraved with plumes, 

nude cherubs, musical instruments, and other figures. On top of 

the bell, the maker's trademark is engraved in the silver of the 

main body of the instrument: "E. G. Wright, Maker, Boston" 

with a small flourish of decoration. Below this, there is an 

elaborate gold medallion with banners, plumes, an anchor, and 

an eagle engraved: "J. C. Greene Providence Nov. 5, 1850." 

The Hall bugle is the most elaborately decorated of the three. 

The top of the bell is engraved with a handclasp, armor and a 

Figure 15, the Pier bugle, side view. Figure 16, the bell of the Pier bugle photographed from the top. Figure 17, a detail of the Pier bugle showing the saddlerest, lead-pipe, tone-hole-border, and end-plate engravings. 
i6 

l

7 

0$-i]L - ^^^¥^ 
Figure 18, the Greene bugle, side view. Figure 19, the bell-garland of the Greene bugle. 

Figure 20, the bell of the Greene bugle photographed from the top. Figure 21, a detail of 

the Greene bugle showing the saddle-rest, lead-pipe, tone-hole-border, and end-plate 

engravings. 

*9 
20 

21 
22 

23 
<"2#i^ Mt& by 

^E.G .WRJGH'J 

'Me.}!en 

Figure 22, the Hall bugle, side view. Figure 23, a detail of the Hall bugle showing the saddle-rest, lead-pipe, tonehold-border, and end-plate engravings. Figure 24, the bell of the Hall bugle photographed from the top. 
shield, spears, a bayonet, horns, a banner, and the following 

inscription: "Presented to D. C. Hall Esq by the members of the 

Lowell Brass Band April 15, 1850." Below this elaborate design 

is the maker's trademark, "E. G. Wright, Boston" (Figure 22). 

Mr. Hall evidently valued this instrument too highly to use it 

as his regular playing instrument for he made a duplicate of 

brass, plated with gold, which is preserved in the Henry Ford 

Museum.41 

Decline Neither the workmanship of Graves and Wright nor the virtuoso 

playing of soloists like Ned Kendall could forestall for long the 

advance of the valved cornet. As early as 1831 valved instruments 

began to appear on concert programs. The following was heard 

on a program of February 12, 1831, at Boylston Hall, Boston: 

"Solo—Tyrolese Air, with variations by Kendall, (James) on a 

newly invented instrument called the VALVE TENOR TROMBONE, 

made by Mr. Whitney of this city."

 42

 In 1845 at Providence, 

Rhode Island, an attempt was made to form an entire band of 

valved instruments. An advertisement in the March 12, 1845, 

issue of the Providence Gazette stated that the new Providence 

Brigade Band would be ready for engagements on the first of 

May. "The wind instruments, 12 in number, are to be upon 

the improved plan, operating with valves." By 1850 almost all 

advertising of band instruments in newspapers and magazines 

featured saxhorns and other valved brasses. The contest, already 

mentioned, between Ned Kendall on the bugle and Patrick 

Gilmore with his valved cornet took place in 1856 and helped 

enhance the image of the valved instrument. Ned Kendall died 

in 1861, and the Civil War bands forming at that time outfitted 

themselves largely with valved instruments. In 1871, E. G. 

Wright passed away after helping to form the Boston Musical 

Instrument Manufactory, a company that produced only valved 

brasses. In 1877, Henry Distin emigrated to this country and 

40 brought with him the latest knowledge of the P£rinet piston 
valve. In that year, Graves & Co. ceased business in Boston. Th e 

field was then left entirely to the valved-instrument makers. 

T h e heritage of this era when the Royal Kent Bugle was the 

most popular band instrument in the United States is preserved 

in the history of many fine bands and bugle soloists, in music 

written for these bands, and in the many beautifully made 

instruments of Graves, Wright, and other early craftsmen. Th e 

American band tradition of air and variation solos, so popular 

with the Sousa band, began with the keyed-bugle playing of 

Willis, Johnson, and Kendall. 

i. R. Morley Pegge, "Key Bugle," Grove's Dictionary of Music and NOTE S 

Musicians, vol. 4, p. 733. 

2. Phillip Bate, The Trumpet and Trombone, pp. 118, 119, 

3. "The Famed Distin Family," The New York Times, August 7, 1881. 

4. Contributions of the Old Residents Historical Association, vol. 5, 

pp. 179-181. 

5. Sidney Forman, The i8o2d Special Regiment, p. 11. 

6. Major Sylvanus Thayer to the Adjutant General, Records of the 

Office of the Adjutant General, United States Military Academy, National Archives, item 321. 

7. Sylvanus Thayer, "The West Point Papers, 1808-1872," Index. 

8. The Aurora, Philadelphia, November 20, 1820. 

9. Thomas S. Lanard, 700 Years with the State Fencibles, pp. 16-18. 

10. Louis Cephas Madeira, Annals of Music in Philadelphia, pp. 44, 45. 

11. Francis Johnson, "The Death of Willis" (Philadelphia: Fiot, 

Meignen 8c Co., 1830). 

12. On board the TJ.S.S. Constitution, U.S. Naval Shipyard, Boston, 

Massachusetts. 

13. Contributions of the Old Residents Historical Association, vol. 5, 

pp. 179-181. 

14. The Klemm & Bro. instruments are found in the collections of 

Clifford Allanson of Delmar, New York, and Martin Lessen of Rochester, New York. The Firth, Hall, and Pond instruments are in the 

collection of the University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois; the Henry 

Ford Museum (no. 29.2951), Dearborn, Michigan; and in the collection of Fred Benkovic, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 41 
15. Cheshire County Registry of Deeds, vol. 145, p. 119. 

16. Ibid., vol. 147, p. 122. 

17. French patent 1,849 °f 1821. 

18. Allen Dodworth, "Brass Bands, " The Message Bird, New York, 

Jun e 15, 1850, p. 361. 

19. Third Exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic 

Association at Quincy Hall in the City of Boston, September 20, 1841 

(Boston: T. R. Marvin, 1841), p. 84. 

20. Annual Report of the Commissioner of Patents (Washington: 

Government Printing Office, 1845), p. 38. 

21. Rochester, New York, city directories for 1851, 1859, an d 1866, 

respectively. 

22. "Kendall's Silver Bugle," The Globe, Boston, Januar y 26, 1890. 

23. Program reproduced in James W. Thompson , "Music an d Musical 

Activities in New England, 1800-38," p. 650. 

24. Ibid., p. 655. 

25. P. 31-36. 

26. Op . cit. (note 22). 

27. Boston Evening Transcript, Monday, October 28, 1861. 

28. Op . cit. (note 22). 

29. Thoma s Carroll, "Bands and Band Music in Salem," a pape r read 

before the Essex Institute, April 16, 1900, p. 3. 

30. P. 251. 

31. "Th e State of Military Bands in New York," The American 

Music Journal, New York, October 1835, p. 251. 

32. Boston Daily Advertiser & Patriot, Boston, March 28, 1835. 

33. Op . cit. (note 29). 

34. James W. Thompson , "Music and Musical Activities in New 

England, 1800-38," pp. 417, 419. 

35. P. 304. 

36. P. 348. 

37. The American Musical Review, New York, Januar y 1, 1851, and 

March 1, 1851. 

38. Op . cit. (note 17). 

39. Adam Carse, Musical Wind Instruments, p. 284. 

40. The Complete Preceptor for the Bugle, p. 2. 

41. Pillsbury Collection, Henr y Ford Museum, Dearborn, Michigan, 

no. 667. 

.„ 42. Op . cit. (note 23), p. 411. 
Bate, Phillip. The Trumpet and Trombone. New York: W. W. 

Norton & Co., Inc., 1966. 

Burditt, B. A. The Complete Preceptor for the Bugle. Boston: 

Elias Howe, circa 1850. 

Camus, Raoul Francis. "The Military Band in the United States 

Army Prior to 1834." Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, New 

York University, 1969. 

Carroll, Thomas. "Bands and Band Music in Salem." A paper 

read before the Essex Institute on April 16, 1900. 

Carse, Adam. Musical Wind Instruments. London: MacMillan & 

Co., Ltd., 1939. 

Contributions of the Old Residents Historical Association. Vol. 5. 

Lowell, Massachusetts: The Association, 1894. 

Dodworth, Allen. Dodworth's Brass Band School. New York: 

H. B. Dodworth, 1853. 

Forman, Sidney. The i8o2d Special Regiment. West Point: 

United States Military Academy Printing Office, 1948. 

Goldman, Richard Franko. The Wind Band. Boston: Allyn & 

Bacon, 1961. 

Goodale, Ezekial. The Instrumental Director, 2d ed. Hallowell: 

Glazier, Masters & Co., 1829. 

"Kendall's Silver Bugle." The Globe. Boston, Massachusetts, 

January 26, 1890. 

Lanard, Thomas S. 100 Years with the State Fencibles. Philadelphia: Nields Co., 1913. 

Madeira, Louis Cephas. Annals of Music in Philadelphia. Edited 

by Phillip H. Goepp. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, Co., 1896. 

Morley-Pegge, R. "Key Bugle." Grove's Dictionary of Music and 

Musicians, 5th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, Inc., 1959. 

Schwartz, Harry W. Bands of America. New York: Doubleday & 

Co., Inc., 1957. 

"The State of Military Bands in New York." The American 

Music Journal. New York, October 1835. 

Thayer, Sylvanus. "The West Point Papers, 1808-1872." Unpublished manuscript in the United States Military Academy 

library, West Point, New York. Copy in Library of Congress. 

SELECTED 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

43 
Cindy Adams, editor; J. Thomas Russell [and others] associate 

editors. 1965. 

Thompson, James W. "Music and Musical Activities in New 

England 1800-1838." Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, George 

Peabody College for Teachers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1963. 

White, William Carter. A History of Military Music in America. 

New York: The Exposition Press, 1945. 

4 4 -&U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1971 O 445—335