Keyed Bugle - Highland Falls, NY
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 41° 22.387 W 073° 57.765
18T E 586741 N 4580696
A Keyed Bugle owned by the first West Point bandmaster Richard Willis is on display at the West point Museum in Olmsted Hall at 2110 New South Post Rd, Highland Falls, NY.
Waymark Code: WMYFF0
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 06/10/2018
Views: 0
The keyed bugle was the forerunner of both the cornet and the trumpet. This historic instrument in in it's own display case at the West Point Museum.
A sign in the display explains describes the instrument and it's history.
Keyed Bugle of Richard Willis
This keyed bugle is engraved "Richd and is the instrument on
which Wills was best known as a performer. Before he was hired as
West point's first Teacher of Music (TM), Willis routinely performed
at the Scudder Museum, Saint Paul's Chapel and Castle Garden in New
York City, sometimes accompanied by two of his sons. He continued
to play these venues and several others even during his Military
Academy tenure (1817-1830). Often billed as "West point's
acclaimed bandmaster", Willis served as the Academy's first
musical
ambassador.
Richard Willis died at West Point on February 1, 1830.
Superintendent Thayer posted Order No. 23 announcing Willis' death
and funeral arrangements, and ordered "In consequence of the above
all academic exercises will be suspended tomorrow afternoon." The
Boston daily Advertiser reported"died at West Point, Willis, the
celebrated bugleman and leader of the West Point Band. He was buried
with the honours of war." Richard Willis was buried in the West Point
Cemetery but the location of his grave is now lost.
The keyed bugle is the predecessor of the coronet and the trumpet, and
it saw prominence in military bands from 1815 until just before the
American Civil War
On loan from th Joe R. and Joella Utley Collection at the National Music
Museum, the University of South Dakota in Vermillion