Founded in 1871, Berlin's Kaiser-Cornet-Quartett was arguably the foremost small brass ensemble of its time. During its thirty-seven-year existence, from 1871 to 1908, the group undertook long concert tours through at least seven countries. The quartet pioneered and popularized the idea of a small brass ensemble, both in Europe and the United States, and they had a broad influence on the artistic capabilities of brass instruments in a chamber-like setting. Their performances at P. S. Gilmore's 1872 World's Peace Jubilee and International Music Festival in Boston, and the American tour that followed, showcased them as one of the few small brass ensembles crossing the ocean from Europe. During the quartet's two months in the United States, they played for extraordinarily large audiences, and that success would lead to imitators.

This essay examines the nature, organization, reception, and influence of the Kaiser-Cornet-Quartett's performances in America in an effort to better understand the forces that propelled them to fame and a multidecade existence. Previously overlooked documents and news reports offer the opportunity to examine the ensemble's origins, player biographies, instruments, and repertoire in detail.

Origins: Berlin, 1871–1872

Trumpeter and cornetist Julius Kosleck (1825–1905) founded the quartet early in 1871. A member of the Berlin court theater orchestra, and Royal Chamber Musician since 1853, Kosleck had already appeared at home and abroad as a cornet soloist and performed frequently at the palace of King Wilhelm of Prussia (eventually Emperor Wilhelm I of Germany) and his son Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm.

The 1870–71 Franco-Prussian War led to a wave of patriotic concerts in Berlin in which Kosleck performed solos, most often in collaboration with military bands and civilian choirs. Just a week after the surrender of Paris, a turning point in the war, a concert on February 5, 1871, saw Kosleck joined by three brass colleagues on stage. During this, the first-known performance of the foursome, Kosleck was said to have “again proved himself a master on the cornet à piston, excellently supported by Messrs. Philipp, Senz, and Teichen.”