18 News - Historic Brass Society

If you have news of concerts, workshops, or any early brass activity, please submit it to: Historic Brass Society, 148 West 23rd Street #5F,
New York, NY 10011 USA Tel/Fax 212 627-3820 or email president@historicbrass.org
Trumpeter Crispian Steele-Perkins receives the 2004 Historic
Brass Society Christopher Monk Award.
For his outstanding contributions to brass performance, scholarship,
organology, pedagogy and his particular dedication to and study of
the English trumpet tradition, Crispian Steele-Perkins was presented
President, Jeffrey Nussbaum, presented the Award to Steele-Perkins
at the University of Durham, UK on November 12, 2004 during a
Brass Symposium organized by the Centre for Brass Band Studies,
Durham University.
Crispian Steele-Perkins is recognized as one of leading natural trumpeters
of his generation. As an early brass specialist he performs and
Collegium Musicum 90, the Taverner Players, Talelmusik, the English
Baroque Solists, The Parley of Instruments, and other eminent period
ensembles. Steele-Perkins has distinguished himself as a leading expert
on the English trumpet tradition both as a music historian, organologist,
instrument collector and performer. Exploring authentic period
performance practice, he often drawns on his personal collection of
over 100 pre-1900 mechanised and natural trumpets. Steele-Perkins
has also edited many editions of trumpet music, particularly from the
English repertoire. His recordings are well-known to HBS members,
particularly those such as , Let the Bright Seraphim,
and , where Steele-Perkins employs authentic
period trumpets. While his recordings represent the very highest level
of trumpet artistry, anyone who has heard him live, knows that they
pale in comparison to his live performances, particularly his many
workshops and demonstrations. The exuberance, humor and joy that
Crispian Steele-Perkins exudes at those events is nothing short of
remarkable.
During his career Steele-Perkins has embraced many genres of music,
including that of a symphonic musician with the English National Opera
Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as well as an active
Batman, Jaws, and the movies.
The Historic Brass Society established the Christopher Monk Award in
1995 to recognize and honor scholars, performers, instrument makers,
Monk, a performer, teacher, scholar, and instrument maker, who was
Christopher Monk Award recipients have been: Edward Tarr, Herbert
Heyde, Keith Polk, Mary Rasmussen, Hermann Baumann, Bruce
Dickey, Stewart Carter, Trevor Herbert, and Renato Meucci.
Brass Instruments in the Kugler Collection of The Schubert Club
Museum
by Holly Windle
In warehouse storage space overlooking the Mississippi River in downtown
Saint Paul, hundreds of brass instruments lie on shelves. Several
helicons and sousaphones (some partly crushed) are on the top shelves,
with old instrument cases of band trumpets, cornets, and trombones
lined up on the lowest level. The collection spans about a hundred
years and includes examples of instruments of different periods and
styles, including some Civil War over-the-shoulder horns. There is a
twentieth century, some from companies no longer in existence.
These instruments are part of The Schubert Club Museum of Musical
Instruments. The Museum also includes an extensive Keyboard Collection
of historic instruments and playable copies, and The Gilman
Ordway Manuscript Collection (mostly letters and autographs from
composers and performers). The brass instruments are all part of a third
section of the Museum, The Kugler Collection. The Museum itself is
just one part of a larger arts organization, The Schubert Club, which
has been presenting recitals for more than a century.
The Kugler Collection came to The Schubert Club in 1984, as part of
an assortment of instruments from around the world that were collected
by William Kugler, band leader and instrument maker. He started collecting
in the 1930s, buying interesting instruments from pawnshops
that he came across while touring with his band. Later, at his violin
shop and his record store, he displayed his growing collection of instruments.
He kept collecting instruments throughout his life - from
an addition to his home (and eventually the home itself). Thousands
of people visited the Kugler Musical Instrument Museum that he and
his wife ran from their home in Roseville for many years.
As part of The Schubert Club Museum, the instruments have been
used for exhibits, a concert series, educational loans, and a couple
of different touring presentations for schools. Cataloguing, however,
has been cursory, the pressing needs of day-to-day arts administration
taking precedence over the long-term goal of detailing the collection.
museum) and limited funds, The Schubert Club has provided a home
for these instruments but not much else. Expanding the website material
about the Museum is a long-term and slow-moving project. In
inquiries - and even accommodate special behind-the-scenes visits
from researchers, musicians, and instrument makers.
sicology
student or budding brass historian could help publicize this
extensive collection. Such work would be a good deed for both the
Museum and historic brass community. There probably would not be
pay for the work of creating a detailed catalogue of the brass instruments
or an online view of the highlights, but the organization might
sponsor a publication about the collection.
Learn more about The Schubert Club and its Museum on their website:
www.schubert.org. Inquiries should be addressed to Director of
Education Holly Windle. Email to hwindle@schubert.org or telephone
651-292-3267.
HISTORIC BRASS SOCIETY NEWSLETTER - WINTER 2005 | 37