Elisa Koehler's Research
Salvatore Minichini (1884-1977)
Italian-American Bandmaster
Born in Corbarra, Italy in 1884, Salvatore Minichini came to America in 1904 with his new bride, his E flat clarinet, and high hopes to become a great bandmaster in the United States of America.
His story, the subject of my dissertation, is a fascinating slice of band history as well as a revealing study of popular culture and ethnic identity.
Minichini's extensive personal music library, the largest private collection of Italian band music in the United States of America, is housed at the American Bandmasters Association Research Center at the University of Maryland.
Frank Joseph Kapralek (1878-c.1921)
Bohemian-American Clarinetist
Elisa Koehler's maternal great-grandfather was an E flat clarinet soloist in John Philip Sousa's famous touring band between 1905 and 1915.
Early Brass Instruments
Cornett, Baroque Trumpet, Vintage Cornets, and the Music They Play
This topic has captivated my attention like a mystical force ever since I first realized that most music written before 1950 was not meant to be played on a modern B flat trumpet. Most of my publications concern this topic as well the annual Maryland Early Brass Festival.
For example, the cornet pictured on the right was made by William Seefeldt in Philadelphia around 1890. Its design is similar to that of a Courtois artist model of the time.
The second picture shows me playing the horn as the solo cornetist and stage leader of Newberry's Victorian Cornet Band at the First International Vintage Band Festival in Northfield, Minnesota in 2006. The solo I'm playing in the photo, F.J. Keller's Fantasia on "Safe in the Arms of Jesus," was so popular with audiences that I arranged it for cornet and piano. It was the featured music supplement in the International Trumpet Guild Journal in June 2009 along with an article detailing my adventures finding workable antique instruments on eBay and bringing the past to life. To see a video of my performance of the solo with Newberry's Victorian Cornet Band at the Second Vintage Band Festival in August 2010, CLICK HERE.
Photo courtesy of David Perez. Used with permission.