A Journey Report

On 16 November, the time has finally come. After long and intensive preparations, Frauke, my charming assistant, without whom the trip would not be possible, Charlie and I have set off southwards. We are on our way to the joint symposium of the Historic Brass Society at the

Conservatoire national supérieur musique et danse

in Lyon. Our motorhome, loaded with 30 instruments for an exhibition there, will be tested for the first time in winter. Dog Charlie and also the driver and co-driver are excited about the adventure.

After a stopover in Müllheim on the French border, we arrived in Lyon on

Monday afternoon and checked into a really beautiful and comfortable place.

On Wednesday at around 10 a.m., we drove to the Conservatoire. After failing to reserve a parking space for the motorhome, we were a little worried that we might have to carry the instruments halfway across town. So we took the bull by the horns, and after Frauke simply moved the pylon that was blocking the entrance, we were already halfway through the passageway when the gatekeeper asked us, quite perplexed, what we were doing there. After explaining the situation and showing him our ‘official’ vehicle, he was very helpful and we simply stayed there. That solved the biggest problem. Once again, the old saying proved true: ‘It's better to explain afterwards than to ask beforehand.’ All the Conservatoire staff were very friendly and Arienne showed us everything and gave us a tour.

For lunch, we went with Jean-François Madeuf, Jean-Daniel Souchon and Sandy Coffin to the

In the evening, I had another rehearsal with the wonderful pianist Arthur Schoonderwoerd. Before that,

I took the opportunity to watch Vince DiMartino and Clément Saunier rehearsing; after all, there is always something to learn when others are rehearsing.

The First Day

I was planing to relax and enjoy the first day. All I had to do was set up 30 instruments, two boxes of books and sheet music, a small box of mouthpieces and various boxes of CDs from 8 a.m. onwards, with Frauke and Baptiste (from the Conservatoire) being an incredible help.

Unfortunately, I couldn't hear everything because I also had to supervise the exhibition, but I was back for Stanley Curtis's talk on French cornet literature from 1840 to 1860. It was very interesting, as I had long included Joseph Forestier's Fantaisie Brillante in my repertoire, played on a Lecomte cornet in G.

I could only follow the next few sessions with one eye and one ear because the exhibition was getting crowded.

But there were also great conversations here with many interested musicians and lovers of these instruments.

f course, I was there again for the concert. Unfortunately, Friedemann Immer was unable to attend, so there were a few changes. There were wonderful contributions from Stanley Curtis and Robert Apple on the keyed trumpet and the keyed bugle, followed by Vince DiMartino's version of Georges Kastner's Adagio et grande Polonaise.

The first part concluded with a lovely duet as played by Messrs Arban and Koenig.

Clément Saunier joined in, accompanied on the piano by the magnificent Arthur Schoonderwoerd.

The second half featured a brilliant performance by the ‘Fanfare Ensemble’ under the direction of its leader Jean-François Madeuf, who switched from the grande bugle in Eb to the petit bugle in Eb. Pieces by Fessy, Mendelssohn, Verdi, Girard, Demersseman and Jonas were performed with stylistic confidence, great musicality and impressive precision.

What a rousing finale to a strenuous but highly interesting first day.

The second Day

The second day revolves primarily around Julius Kosleck and I am the keynote speaker.

Keynote, key-note; back in my student days about 40 years ago, that meant the first note in the Haydn concerto and the high Eb in the same concerto.Today, however, it's an hour-long lecture, thankfully including 20 minutes of music.But first, the gas runs out.The car has faithfully served me so far and passed its winter test.Without gas, there's no coffee or tea, so I have to get out and change the gas cylinder.This is a great start.Luckily, Arthur, who's just arrived, provides some moral support.After a short "power warm-up," we get started.I begin with a greeting in French.Then—silence. Oh dear, I think, this is going to be interesting—but maybe that's the custom here, or maybe people are still tired.Sure enough, I forgot to read the text before my first musical contribution.Oh well, I'll just do it afterward.The first piece, "Post im Walde" (Post in the Forest), is a true classic; I could play it even if someone called me at 3 a.m. Then came Kosleck's "Concert Fantasy."Both pieces are on my CD "Nicht Für Jeden" (Not For Everyone)."O du mein holder Abendstern" (O You My Lovely Evening Star) and "Gruß an die Waldesrose" (Greeting to the Forest Rose) are featured on Helen's CD "Auf den Spuren von Julius Kosleck" (In the Footsteps of Julius Kosleck).Now, finally, much enthusiastic and warm applause—well, there you go.The audience was particularly taken with Kosleck's quotes from his personal reminiscences.The most popular one was: "Have you ever seen an angel with a bassoon? They all play the trumpet."The performance went well, and I received a lot of applause and only positive feedback afterward.

You can read my text on Kosleck in more detail, with many pictures and sound examples, at

brassunlimited.de "200 Years of Kosleck".

My four instruments held up admirably, Arthur provided excellent accompaniment, and I had an incredible amount of fun playing here.

O du mein holder Abendstern

This was followed by an interesting lecture by Helen Barsby about Kosleck's comprehensive method for

cornet and trumpet.I immediately bought a copy; I'm curious to see how much better I can become with its help.

Another highlight of the symposium was the performance by the Sextet Prins Carl from the

Livgardets dragonmusikkår from Stockholm.

They demonstrated perfect ensemble playing in an unusual instrumentation (Eb cornet, Bb cornet, alto horn in Eb, bass cornet in Bb, valve trombone in Bb, and tuba). Together with Ann-Marie Nilsson, they gave a presentation on the distinctive Swedish brass instruments (which clearly show Prussian influence), their instrumentation, and their repertoire.

Gustav Lundström, esskornett; Christer Fredriksson, B-kornett; Alice Palm, althorn;
Göran Christensen, bastuba; Mikael Welin Vessberg, tenorhorn; Hjalmar Ståhlberg, tenorbasun;

From 1:00 PM onwards, I was back at my exhibition, ready to answer numerous questions about the prussian instruments I had brought.

From 2:45 PM onwards, there were roundtable discussions about the instruments used by the two masters and their influence on future generations of cornet players.Unfortunately, not much is known at this time about Kosleck's youth and his instruments.During his military service, he certainly played the bugle and the Prussian cornet.He also experimented with the "Bach trumpet" and patented an echo valve. In 1878, Ernst Leberecht Paulus built a cornet for him, but little else is known.Since the art of cornet playing virtually disappeared in Germany in the 1920s, the only remaining influence is the method of Schlossberg, a student of Kosleck's who should be familiar to at least every American trumpeter.

Sandy Coffin then spoke about the brass band scene in Paris from the 1830s to the 1860s.An interesting insight into the "Sociétés des artiste musicien et amateur" (Society of Musicians and Amateurs).

During the intermission before the concert, I went on an autograph hunt. I had brought along some books from my collection, and now I have signatures from:

Elisa Koehler, "Fanfares and Finesse"

Arnold Myers, "Historical Musical Instruments in the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland"

Sabine Klaus, "Trumpets and Other High Brass"

George Foreman, "Bands in American Musical History"

Xavier Canin, "Jean-Baptiste Arban, Du Cornet à la Baguette"

Jean-François Madeuf, "The Birckholtz Trumpet of 1650"

The evening concert began with the youngest ensemble, just one day old, which had dedicated itself to the music of the "Kaiser Cornet Quartet."Helen, Jean-François, and Beth performed alongside me.The program ranged from the festive march in its original instrumentation with two Bb cornets of the "Berlin style" and tenor and bass cornets with "Berlin pump valves," to the use of the Eb soprano-cornet (as suggested by Kosleck in some pieces), the angel's trumpet (a later development of Kosleck's "Bacht trumpet"), the orchestral trumpet in F (as prescribed by Ramsöe), and finally the "modern" KCQ with two Schediwy cross cornets and tenor and bass cornets of the "Berlin style," made by Carl Wilhelm Moritz, who also crafted the bass trumpet for Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung.It was a great pleasure to make music with these charming and highly professional musicians, and I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks once again to Jean-François and Beth.To conclude our concert, I simply couldn't resist playing one of those pieces described by George Bernard Shaw as "staccato polkas and other such atrocities..." – "Devil's Tongue.

"We left the stage to enthusiastic applause.

Afterwards, the wonderful Prins Carl Sextet from the Livgardets dragonmusikkår performed again.

Gustav, Christer, Alice, Hjalmar, Mikael, and Göran once again played at the highest level.

It is truly a joy to watch and listen to these musicians.

Finally, the Kosleck Brass Ensemble, under the direction of Helen, presented their program.My collection of brass gems was in use again, and everyone clearly enjoyed playing them.The sound with the large ensemble and the four natural trumpets plus timpani was truly magnificent.

A worthy and magnificent conclusion to two days full of historical brass music with interesting lectures (a big thank you to the speakers) and great concerts.

Now we have to pack up, but that's no problem; everyone pitches in, and so the instruments disappear back into the car in no time.Everything is packed up again except for the books and CDs I sold.I hope you enjoy listening and reading. We're going to a cozy, alcohol-free restaurant (unthinkable for brass players back in the day).We'll end the day with delicious food and pleasant conversation.

After one last night in the campervan, it's time to head home.One last time through the archway at the entrance of the Conservatoire, and after a final look at the very welcoming

Conservatoire national supérieur musique et danse LYON, France,

we're off.

It did snow, but the roads were clear, and so after a 12-hour drive plus a 1-hour power

nap, we happily arrived home safe and sound.

The Jura