In the period of 2003-2005, I began writing and presenting more. In 2004, I wrote an article for the Historic Brass Society Newsletter, interviewing Dr. Robert Hazen. Bob is the lead scientist at the Carnegie Institution’s Geophysical Laboratory and a distinguished professor at George Mason University. He has written hundreds of articles and books and is considered the subject matter expert on how minerals and life interact, raising $1Billion for his research. But–he was also an active trumpet player and instrument collector (he has donated a lot of instruments to the Smithsonian Institute). It was wonderful to visit Bob at his home, ask him questions and take a few photos. During this period of time, we also played in many of the same gigs.
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- Dr. Robert Hazen in front of his fossil collection
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- Bob with his cornopean
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- Bob with an antique natural trumpet
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- Bob and me
Also, the next year, I presented a lecture at the Maryland Early Brass Festival, hosted by Dr. Elisa Koehler, on music for the cornopean–in fact, with Bob’s cornopean. It was about two 19th-c. French music books that he had acquired. This presentation also became the basis for my final lecture recital at Indiana University for my doctoral degree.
Me with my cornett made by Serge Delmas
That’s right. The doctoral degree at Indiana University that I had started in 1988 was still not finished!! I was also working feverishly on my paper about “Monteverdi’s Symbolic Use of the Cornett.” To underpin my research, a friend in the Navy Band, Keven Stewart, set me up with a database, so that I could populate it with any symbolic references to the cornetto that I could find–in music, literature and art. I eventually had more than 2,500 entries.
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