Images from the Utley Virtual Gallery Tortoise-shell Keyed Bugle in High B-flat by George W. Shaw, Thompson, Connecticut, ca. 1845-1850 Note: Click on any image below to see a larger image NMM 7070.  Keyed bugle in High B-flat by George W. Shaw, Thompson, Connecticut, ca. 1845-1850.  Tortoise-shell body with nine German-silver keys. Joe R. and Joella F. Utley Collection, 1999. George W. Shaw of Thompson, Connecticut, was awarded a patent for the manufacture of tortoise-shell keyed bugles in August 1845. According to the patent description, this material permits the manufacture of an extremely light-weight instrument without compromising the tone quality of the bugle. Additionally, Shaw claims that "from the elasticity of the material, it is not subject to deterioration of tone from indentations. The instrument is made in 5 parts, which are welded together . . ." Shaw exhibited his tortoise-shell bugles in Philadelphia (1846 and 1848) and in New York (1853). Signature Engraved on eliptical German-silver plaque: Shaw's. Patent. / August 4th…1845. Key Mounts Single-piece, single-loop tortoise-shell body; German-silver receiver ferrule and keys. Ferrule with one engraved line. Cup-shaped key heads with white stuffed pads (old, partly replaced); tortoise-shell tone-hole-rims welded to body; channel-shaped shanks over block mounts; leaf springs. Nine keys in the following order (related to c-pitch): b1 (open, regulating screw with which the key can be rigidly closed); c-sharp2 (closed key; ring finger/right); d2 (closed key, index finger/right); lower e-flat2 (closed key, thumb/right), higher e-flat2 (closed key, middle finger/right); e2 (closed key, thumb/left); f2 (closed key, index finger/left); f-sharp2 (closed key, middle finger/left); a2 (closed key, ring or little finger/left). Mouthpiece Accessories: German-silver mouthpiece; wooden case (below) stained black with black velvet interior, ornate brass fitting, and two keys. Measurements Sounding length:  555 mm; internal diameter at receiver: 8.5 mm; internal diameter minimum at 23 mm: 7.8 mm; bell diameter: 80 mm. Lit.: Robert Eliason. Keyed Bugles in the United States (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1972), pp. 20-22. Margaret Downie Banks, "Brass Instruments from the Utley Collection Fill the Museum's Horn of Plenty this Harvest Season - Tortoise-Shell is Key Element in Rare Bugle," America's Shrine to Music Museum Newsletter, Vol. 26, No. 4 (November 1999), p. 7.   Click arrow to continue Tour of Utley Virtual Gallery Go to Utley Gallery Virtual Tour Index Go to Virtual Tour Index Go to Checklist of Keyed Bugles in the Joe R. and Joella F. Utley Collection National Music Museum The University of South Dakota 414 East Clark Street Vermillion, SD   57069 ©National Music Museum, 2000-2009 Most recent update:   January 21, 2009 This page was visited 4,842 times between November 27, 2000-May 5, 2008. You are the 2,966th visitor to this page since May 5, 2008. The University of South Dakota Return to Top of Page