Special Thanks to the University of Illinois, The Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music​, and the Graduate School of Library and Information Science.
Instruments of the Civil Brass Band
These instruments were mainstays of the Civil War brass bands of the 1860s. Bands were usually volunteer musicians and would preceed marching soldiers through the nation's towns and cities.​
E Flat Cornet, 1860
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The E-flat cornet is a valved brass instrument, commonplace in nineteenth century English and American brass bands. Its evolution begins with the keyed horns and bugles of the pasty, often used for hunting and battle. The addition of the valve in the 1820s lead to many styles of the cornet, with changes to the piping and bell of the instrument. Like the E-flat bass, a rotary valve system is used with the key engaging a rotating cylinder and changes the airflow, producing the sound.
E Flat Bass, John Stratton​
​​This 1862 E-Flat bass saxhorn, manufactured by the prestigious John Stratton, is one of many commonly designed brass instruments of the period. Stratton was the first American instrument maker to produce brass instruments of considerable quality, as most musicians ordered their instruments from European counterparts before the war. The over the shoulder horn was made to project sound behind its musician and toward the marching soldiers in the rear. The E-flat saxhorn is also a string linkage rotary valved instrument, with the pressing of each key corresponding to a rotating movement that opens a valve. Together with other brass instruments, the E flat bass developed a mellow and homogenous sound. Musicians of this instrument were considered official regiment members and would often continue playing compositions through the thickest of battles.​