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BrassBulletin

International Magazine for Brass Players

Stories

Short-form editorial pieces drawn from Brass Bulletin — quotes, voices and visual stories that open a direct path into the original articles.

Crispy Brass Quote

Should today's hornist avail himself, then, of a corno da caccia for Bach, an invention horn for Mozart, an F horn for Brahms? I do — but only on the condition that the rest of the ensemble is likewise using historical instruments. Otherwise, the same effect would result as when a carriage of the turn of the century were to be coupled to a modern diesel locomotive...

Which Horn for which Music?

— Hermann Baumann

Which Horn for which Music?

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Crispy Brass Quote

Jazz and the Horn

Of all the instruments, the french horn looked and sounded the most beautiful, and it looked like it would be easy. But I was wrong, it wasn’t easy. By the time I found that out, it was too late...

— Peter Gordon

Jazz and the Horn

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Crispy Brass Quote

John Fletcher

Playing solos on the tuba is pretty unsatisfactory as well. After about five minutes, the average ear gets sick of the noise. Most people can’t hear at the bottom. Tuba players, with their extra aural sophistication, have completely forgotten that to most people anything below the top of the bass clef is just a rumble.

— John Fletcher

John Fletcher

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Crispy Brass Quote

The Trumpet in the USA

Many years ago, William Vacchiano of the New York Philharmonic purchased a Bach D trumpet which played horribly sharp in pitch. When he complained to Vincent Bach, the latter, in his own inimitable style, responded by saying Vacchiano didn’t know how to play the instrument properly! So Vacchiano put the instrument in a closet and never played it. Twenty years later he discovered the instrument had been improperly fitted with an E♭ trumpet leadpipe!

— Thomas Stevens

The Trumpet in the USA

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Questions & Answers

How the Digital Edition works

What does the Digital Edition include?

The Digital Edition brings together the articles already digitized as searchable online texts—not simply as scans or PDF files—along with their original illustrations, notes, authorship, issue information, and available translations. Related-article suggestions currently include only this digitized material.

Are the digital articles identical to the originals?

We preserve the original text, language, illustrations, captions, footnotes, and editorial context as faithfully as possible. The presentation is adapted for comfortable online reading, and obvious transcription or scanning errors may be corrected. The substance and character of the published article remain unchanged.

Which languages are available?

Brass Bulletin was published in English, French, and German throughout its history. Italian and Spanish translations were added from issue No. 60 onward.

On the Italian and Spanish sites, articles from issues 1–59 are therefore shown in English by default.

How often are new articles added?

New articles are added almost daily, with approximately one complete issue digitized each week. The pace may vary depending on the preparation, image work, and editorial checking required.

Why aren’t all articles available digitally?

The complete Brass Bulletin collection contains 1,246 articles published between 1971 and 2003. The full index is already available online, allowing readers to discover every article in the collection, including those whose complete text has not yet been digitized.

Digitization began in February 2026. Each article is carefully prepared for online reading, checked, and connected to its issue, authors, subjects, and illustrations. At the current pace of digitization, the complete collection is expected to be available online by February 2028.

Why do some references mention articles that are not available yet?

References in the original articles are preserved even when the material they point to has not yet been digitized. This keeps the historical and editorial record intact. As more issues are added to the Digital Edition, an increasing number of these references will lead to articles that can be read online.

Can I suggest an article or report a transcription error?

Yes. If there is an article you would particularly like to see digitized, or if you notice a possible transcription error or missing detail, please contact us. Reader feedback helps us improve the Digital Edition and prioritize useful connections within the archive.

How can I support Brass Bulletin?

Your support helps fund the preparation, verification, and online publication of the complete collection.

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How is the digitization progressing?

We’re gradually making the Brass Bulletin available online, article by article. You can read newly digitized articles as soon as they’re ready, even before an entire issue is complete.

Visit our Digitization Roadmap to browse recent additions and see estimated availability for upcoming issues. These estimates follow our recent pace and may change.

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