Distin B-Flat Cornet, used by Walter F. Smith
date: label: date made
content: 1878
name: label: user
content: Smith, Walter F.
label: referenced
content: Sousa, John Philip
label: maker
content: Distin, Henry
notes: label: Description
content: <p>This cornet was made by Henry Distin in New York, New York in 1878. It is a B-flat cornet, serial #226, made of silver plated brass with 3 piston valves and highly engraved with leaf and ribbon patterns on the top of the bell and has decorations on the piston casings, shank receiver, and slide ferrules. This cornet is engraved:</p>
label: Description
content: <p>1878<br>HY. DISTIN NEW YORK<br>TRADE MARK<br>No. 226<br>HENRY DISTIN<br>MAKER<br>386 BOWERY OPP. 5TH STR.<br>NEW YORK</p>
label: Description
content: <p>This cornet was previously owned by Walter F. Smith (1859-1937), cornetist in the Sousa Band (1893-1896) and the United States Marine Band (1885-1893 and 1898-1921).</p>
label: Description
content: <p>Walter F. Smith joined the Sousa Band in 1893 and was made acting leader. In this role, Smith conducted Washington, D.C. concerts, various touring concerts, and also went with the band to perform in the inaugural ceremonies for the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This experience was a huge success and an article from the Stanley Barney Smith Collection in the Western Michigan University Archives states:</p>
label: Description
content: <p>“Played to an audience of 50,000… Although the hour set for appearance of Sousa’s old organization was 3 o’clock, the crowds began pouring into the great playground after luncheon… By 2 o’clock the crowd extended from Van Buren Street to Harrison, lined the East side of Michigan ten to twenty deep. Conductor Smith began his part without any delay and without any preliminaries… Every number was enthusiastically cheered and it is scarcely necessary to say the program was as near perfection as may be.”</p>
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
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content: Music & Musical Instruments
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content: Military
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content: Cornets
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Berger, Kenneth. March King and His Band, The
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Edna M. Smith
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1981.0425.02
label: accession number
content: 1981.0425
label: catalog number
content: 1981.0425.02
objectType: label: Object Name
content: cornet
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: silver (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 12 1/2 in x 5 in x 6 1/2 in; 31.75 cm x 12.7 cm x 16.51 cm