| Biography | Thomas Harper (181698), Professor of Trumpet, 188493
Born in London on October 4, 1816, he was the son of a still more eminent performer on the trumpet, Thomas Harper. The elder Harper was seized with his fatal illness, terminating on the same day, at a rehearsal of the Harmonic Union (not the Sacred Harmonic Society as a contemporary has it), at Exeter Hall, January 20, 1893. Since then, and until his retirement a few years ago, Thomas Harper, the younger, has been facile princeps of orchestral trumpet players. Between 1830 and 1836 he was a student at the Royal Academy of Music, where he was for many years professor of the trumpet and a Fellow of the Institution. He studied the violin and pianoforte in addition to the trumpet, and for a time he was a violinist in the opera band of Her Majesty's Theatre. But he soon devoted himself entirely to the more ancient instrument, upon which he became a very eminent performer. He was Sergeant Trumpeter to the Queen, and for nearly half-a-century trumpeter to the Lord Mayor. The late Mr. Thomas Harper took a prominent part, in a very literal sense, in many state functions-royal christenings, marriages, opening of exhibitions, visits of foreign sovereigns, &c.- and, of course, many civic functions. But he will best be remembered to old habitués of the Sacred Harmonic concerts by his trumpet obbligato to "The trumpet shall sound", when his smooth, silvery, and unforced tone did much to reconcile one to Handel's too literal treatment of those words. During the preceding chorus, "Even so in Christ" the tall, handsome, black-bearded form of Harper would be seen quietly making his way between the music-desks towards the front of the orchestra. Having arrived there, Costa would turn his stand round, upon which Harper placed his music, and then he would play as a true artist. In like manner he accompanied nearly every prima donna of note in the obbligato to "Let the bright Seraphim" always with fine effect and artistic restraint. Two of Mr. Harper's brothers, both of whom predeceased him, were well known in musical circles - Charles Harper, the first horn in Costa's band, and Edmund Harper, of Belfast, organist to the late Marquis of Downshire, and a leading professor in the Ulster capital. |