Instrument making

Part 1

Instrument Makers in USA

American brass making in the mid-1980s stood between workshop tradition and industrial change, with ten firms offering a striking cross-section of the trade.

By Stephan Suter

The Midwinter Horn

De Midwinterhoorn

A Christmas horn tradition from eastern Netherlands preserves ancient construction, ritual and performance, linking rural practice with Leopold Mozart's Sinfonia pastorella.

By Herman Jeurissen

I myself have formed this instrument

“Forming” the instrument? A dangerous illusion. This article debunks the myth: the instrument cannot be shaped — it is the player who must adapt.

By Robert Ischer

Václav F. Cerveny (1819-1896)

Famous instrument maker

A pioneer of brass design: V. F. Červený shaped modern wind instruments—challenging Adolphe Sax and defining the rich sound of the Austrian school.

By Vaclav Hoza

The stamps on Sax instruments

Sax instrument stamps reveal makers, addresses, patents and distinctions, giving collectors concrete clues for dating instruments across three generations.

By M. Haine, I. De Keyser

Editorial

Behind a musician’s instrument lies a quiet industrial battle, as European, American and Japanese makers compete to shape the future of brass playing.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

On the sensitivity of brass instruments

Metal, pressure nodes and temperature shifts shape response, timbre and tuning, as Emile Ferron links instrument acoustics to the player’s imprint.

By Emile Ferron

Part 5

Instrument Makers in USA

S. W. Lewis Orchestral Horns

For Steven Lewis, building a horn begins with playing it: craftsmanship, acoustic compromise and observation shape instruments made for musicians rather than theory.

By Stephan Suter

The tuba in France

How did the tuba emerge as an orchestral force? Fernand Lelong and Robert Coutet trace its path—from serpent to Sax—and its rapid rise.

By Fernand Lelong, Robert Coutet

Part 3

The Trumpet in the USA

Gadgets I

From Schilke soundposts to piccolo trumpet extensions, American performers turned technical frustrations into specialized tools for modern playing.

By Thomas Stevens

The contrabass sackbut

a modern copy

A reconstructed 17th-century contrabass sackbut revives forgotten low brass practice, from Venetian polychoral music to modern performance challenges.

By Richard Lister

Part 3

Instrument Makers in USA

C. G. Conn Ltd. Abilene, Texas

In Abilene, automated production and workshop skills meet under a familiar name, as an American brass maker seeks to regain ground lost over the previous decade.

By Stephan Suter

Part 1

300 Years of the Horn

1680-1980, an attempted survey

From Versailles to Bohemia, hunting horns enter orchestral life through makers, players, early works and the Austro-Bohemian tradition.

By Peter Damm

My new developed descant double horn

Why does the ideal horn not exist? Theo Westhof designs a new descant double horn to solve tuning and tone issues—without compromise.

By Theo Westhof

Part 2

The contrabass trombone

Picture and sketches, taking particularly into account the construction principles (1973)

Inside the workshop of innovation: Heinrich Thein reveals how rethinking every detail—from valves to bell—transforms the contrabass trombone into a modern orchestral instrument

By Heinrich Thein

Tuba and Euphonium today

A new era for low brass: Willy Kurath explores how modern tuba and euphonium design—driven by innovation and collaboration—redefines sound, technique, and solo potential.

By Willi Kurath

Brass instrument research at Surrey University

Acoustics, materials, bore design, and player perception meet in Surrey research linking laboratory measurements with the realities of brass performance.

By John Goodwin

Early Brass Instruments and Restoration

Restoring historic brass instruments means deciding what to preserve, what to undo and how modern methods can serve objects shaped by another musical age.

By Ursula Menzel

Part 2

The Trumpet in the USA

The Piston C Trumpet in American Orchestras

American orchestral trumpeters reveal how Bach C trumpets, hall acoustics and extensive modifications shaped playing traditions in major ensembles.

By Thomas Stevens

On the sensitivity of brass instruments

Cold-hammered hunting horns retain a tactile memory of sound and playing, leading Jacques Poncet to question how brass instruments evolve in use.

By Jacques Poncet

Part 3

On the early history of valves and valve instruments in Germany (1814-1833)

Herbert Heyde traces early German valve instruments from Stoelzel’s horns to basses, makers, patents, and shifting brass-band sound.

By Herbert Heyde

Part 2

Instrument Makers in USA

Schilke Music Products, Inc. Chicago

In a Chicago workshop, traditional handwork meets new bell-making methods, while Renold Schilke’s uncompromising standards shape an unusual company culture.

By Stephan Suter

Harmonics or partials?

Behind every brass note lies a compromise between acoustical theory and instrument design, as E. Ferron questions what players call a harmonic.

By Emile Ferron

Part 4

Instrument Makers in USA

Lawson Horns

Walter Lawson built horns by testing alloys, valves and leadpipes with unusual precision, while keeping craftsmanship, musicians and acoustics closely connected.

By Stephan Suter