I was asked to play with the vintage brass band out of Springfield, Illinois recently. When performing with the group I usually play my standard horn, because the vintage trombones are not all that different from what we have available today. We did have the opportunity to play on instruments from the Sousa archives at the University of Illinois. These instruments are really amazing. They are mostly civil war era horns and everything is rotary valves (valved bugles, alto horns, tenor horns and bass horns. Horns with reverse bells for marching and more). What is truly amazing about these instruments is they are still playable!
I think the value of playing some of these instruments and studying the music played in the time period is extreme in helping brass performers understand our heritage. The quotes and imitations I hear in more modern compositions become clear after knowing more about this music and allow me to create a detailed interpretation that is educated.
Check out a couple of theses sites on vintage brass instruments and music:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/vbband
Vintagebrassband.com
http://www.library.illinois.edu/sousa/
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