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5 Charles Burney, A History of WesternMusic, vol. VI (London, 1789),
p. 396.
6 Eric
Halfpenny has discussedthis instrumentin GSJ XIII (1960), pp. 7-13.
The only known specimen is the one in the Museum of London, which dates
from 1787. I think it may have been used a bit! It plays really well.
7The Woodham-Rodenbosteltrumpet(asdescribedin PeterBarton'sarticle
in this issue) has a fine-tuning device on the finger-rod which is so simple and
effective that I cannot understandwhy it was not permanently adopted.
* Editor'snote: Crispian Steele-Perkins is Professor of Trumpet at the
GuildhallSchool of Music and is currentlySolo Trumpeterwith The Academy
of Ancient Music, The English Baroque Soloists, The King's Consort, The
Parley of Instruments,and The King's Trumpeters.
A SLIDE TUBA?
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Boosey contrabasseshave the large loop in the tubing for the player's
arm to pass through (as in the illustrationin the 1862 catalogue).
A close examinationof the Keighley instrumentreveals that the bore
increasesin each bow of the slide section, the bores of the inner slide
legs being 12.9, 13.9, 15.1 and 16.1. These are comparablewith the
Boosey instrumentin the FrankTomes Collection (13.8, 14.7, 15.5 and
16.5), the Thibouville Lamyinstrumentin the collection of Christopher
Baines (11.7, 11.9, 12.3 and 12.9) and a later SalvationArmyinstrument
in the TomesCollection (10.6, 10.6, 12.0, 12.0). The Besson instrument,
however, is uniquely characterisedby its large bell proportions, fully
the size of a fairly large EL bass or a smallishBb bass, the bell diameter
being 321 mm.
George Case4gives D. J. Blaikley and himself credit for remodelling
the double-slide trombone and claims that it was a Boosey instrument
used in the 1861 Crystal Palace Contest. Commenting on the
instrumentin a letter to EnderbyJackson,SH. L. Marrinerconfirmsthat
it was Midgley's own idea, conceived while playing in his privatebrass
band; but he says the prototype was built by Wigglesworth of Otley6
Associated with the instrument is a mouthpiece by J. Higham of
Manchester(which one would not be surprisedto learn was made for a
BB6 bass). The instrumentis very responsive to the player, very 'free-
blowing' and tuba-like in tone in close positions, only offering slightly
more resistanceand capableof giving a trombone'sedge to the tone in
the distant positions. One can imagine a skilled player choosing
alternativepositionsto achievethe tone qualitybest suitedto eachpassage.
The proportions of cylindrical and expanding tube are such that,
although its inventor thought of it as a contrabass trombone, this
instrumentcould surely with more accuracybe describedas a slide tuba
- a unique example. ARNOLD MYERS
NOTES
Arnold Myers, Catalogueof the BrassMusicalInstrumentsat Cliffe Castle.
1
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PLATE XXIV
trombone
Double-slidecontrabass (ortuba?)byBesson& Co.,
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