Archived under: Equipment, History, Horn and music history | Conn, Tenor horn
A Little Lady on an Old Conn Tenor Horn
I recently had the chance to try this old Conn alto (tenor) horn in E-flat that was borrowed by ASU from the U of A for possible use in a brass band project. One thing that has always intrigued me about old instruments is the engravings, which were all done by hand by master engravers. One of the more interesting engravings I had heard of but not personally seen is the Conn “naked lady.”
Here she is! This attractive and slightly racy cameo turns an above average alto horn from 1952 (made for the military, as it is also engraved U.S.) into an interesting collectable for sure.
In terms of playing qualities, this is really not a bad instrument of its type, although for the project ASU is using instead a matched set of Besson tenor horns borrowed from the Salt River Brass. But I do plan to sit in on some rehearsals and will likely use this instrument.
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