History

John Smithies, trombonist & enigma

By John Humphries

Part 2

Thomas Gschladt

An Historical Perspective of an 18th Century Trombonist

By J. Richard Raum

Vassily Gueorguievitch Brandt (1869–1923)

Biography

Sélianine traces Brandt’s life and artistry, from Bolshoi virtuoso to influential pedagogue, revealing the foundations of a distinctly Russian trumpet tradition.

By Anatoly Selianin

Part 1

The Haydn Trumpet Concerto

As editions, instruments and traditions diverge, Haydn’s trumpet concerto becomes a lens on notation, style and the shifting meaning of performance.

By Alfred Willener

Special Finland

The brass band tradition in Finland

Finland’s brass-band tradition grew from imperial reform into a nationwide phenomenon, before an equally systematic transformation brought the era to an end.

By Holger Fransman

Part 2

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

From invention to rivalry: the early history of rotary and piston valves reveals a battle of ideas, patents, and craftsmanship that transformed brass instruments forever.

By Herbert Heyde

Markneukirchen Musical Instrument Museum

Special GDR

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Part 2

The arab Trumpet II - Brass in the Middle East

Brass in the Middle East

By Nassim Maalouf

Special Finland

Brass achieves academic respectability

Once treated as marginal, Finland’s brass septet tradition entered academic research, challenging where folk practice ends and music history begins.

By Kauko Karjalainen

Part 1

Herbert L. Clarke (1867-1945)

Boyhood Years

From forbidden beginnings to cornet legend: Herbert L. Clarke’s early years reveal a path shaped by setbacks, persistence, and decisive discoveries.

By David Hickman

Jazz and the Horn Series • Part 1

Jazz and the Horn

The horn was once considered incompatible with jazz until changing ideas of sound and musicians like John Graas quietly overturned that certainty.

By Jeffrey Agrell

What is a Brass Band?

Barrie Perrins traces the 19th-century origins, instrumentation and social role of the brass band—from industrial roots to international musical life.

By Barrie Perrins

The unpublished horn file...

By Uwe Uustalu, Uwe Bartels, Stephan Katte

Part 6

Jean-Baptiste Arban (1825-1889) Biography

The Last Years of his Life

Arban and the call for progress: inspired by Saint-Saëns, he makes a final push for a C cornet—an effort that would ultimately fail.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Part 2

The role of the (contra)bass trombone in the Vienna sound

By Gerhard Zechmeister

Part 1

The contrabass trombone

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

From Praetorius to Wagner: Heinrich Thein traces the evolution of the contrabass trombone—revealing how history, acoustics, and design shaped this powerful orchestral voice.

By Heinrich Thein

Part 2

A brief survey of the historical evolution of our instruments

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

The untimely demise of the ophicleide

Once central to French orchestras, the ophicleide lost its place to the tuba—a disappearance shaped as much by institutions and repertoire as by sound.

By Stephen J. Weston

Part 2

The Haydn Trumpet Concerto

André, Wobisch, Dokshitzer, Stringer and others reveal how tempo, phrasing, ornamentation and cadenzas reshape Haydn's trumpet concerto.

By Alfred Willener

Joachim Eggert (1779-1813) - Trombone Pioneer

By Avishai Kallai

Editorial

10 Years of Brass Bulletin

Ten years after its launch, a small specialist publication reaches readers in more than sixty countries, reflecting how a shared artistic community took shape across borders.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Brass instruments at the Gemeente-Museum in the Hague

Special Holland

By Graham Nicholson

Part 3

The Moravian brotherhood trombone choirs: neither Moravian nor choirs

By Ken Shifrin

The "Neatores" of the Triumphal Arch of Augustus at Susa

By Carlo Arfinengo