About the Instruments
Original Antique Instruments
All of the musical instruments, the brass and percussion instruments, used by the Dodworth Saxhorn Band are antique instruments from the 19th Century. Most of the instruments were made between 1860 and 1880. The antique horns are conical-bore instruments commonly called “saxhorns”. These handmade saxhorns are pitched higher than modern 21st Century brass instruments and produce a uniquely mellow tone. This class of brass instruments was invented in the early 1800s by Belgian instrument maker, Adolph Sax.
The Back'ard Blaster
Over-the-shoulder horns, also known as “back’ard blasters,” were invented and patented by Alan Dodworth in 1838. They were designed primarily for military use. When a band marched at the head of a column of soldiers, the backward facing bells made it easier for the music to be heard. Adolphe Sax, a Belgian instrument maker working in Paris, also developed a family of bell up instruments in the 1840s (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass). Sax’s innovation inspired the production of similar families of instruments in the U.S.A. Such horns were widely referred to as “saxhorns.”
The Brass Instruments
Brass horns were primarily produced in the three configurations shown in the picture: with the bell of the instrument pointing forward, up, or over the shoulder of the musician when played. One can find instruments of the same type, such as a B-flat cornet, in all three configurations depending upon how it was made. One can also see from the picture that the valves are not uniform in size, shape, or mechanism of action. There was also no uniform pitch at which instruments were designed to be played. A440 pitch did not become the international standard for pitch until after World War I. In fact, the Dodworth Saxhorn Band tunes to A447, as that is the pitch at which the instruments can be played more or less in tune with one another.
The Percussion
The drums used are also authentic, made of wood (rosewood, ash, maple, white holly), using calf- or sheepskin heads, and snares made of sheep or catgut. Adjusting the “ears”, or leather straps surrounding two adjoining ropes laced through the outer hoops or through iron hooks mounted on the outer hoops controlled tension of the drumheads. A drum could be properly adjusted and sound very crisp, yet the slightest humidity would immediately change the tension, leaving the drum sounding like playing on a wet paper bag. We have two sets of period cymbals imported from the Turkish maker Zildjian, which has been around since 1623. Drum makers of the day were Soistmann, Vogt, Sauer, Keefer, Grosh, Thompkins, Boucher, and Horstmann.