This trumpet was made by an unknown maker in England around 1825 to 1827. It is an F slide trumpet made of copper and brass with silver garnishes and a heavily chased silver ball. The trumpet features a double clock slide spring mechanism.
This trumpet was previously owned by Philadelphia composer and musician John T. Norton, a Professor of Trumpet at the Royal Academy of Music, who emigrated from London to the United States in 1827. W.G. Armstrong in his book, A Record of Opera in Philadelphia, indicates Norton’s first appearance in Philadelphia was at the King’s Theatre. Norton also performed with traveling opera troupes in New Orleans and New York.
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