Hi, Here's information from www.grovemusic.com about brass mutes that might prove helpful. Incidentally, the print edition of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (second edition), is on special offer at the publisher's website for more than 50% off! I'll tack on the press release at the end of this email for those who are interested. Or you can visit www.macmillanonline.net/news/US2_musicart.htm (ii) Brass. Mutes are applied to brass instruments as much for modifying the tone colour as for softening the tone. Trumpets were being muted by the early 16th century for funeral ceremonies, and Mersenne depicted and described a mute in Harmonie universelle (1636-7; fig.2) and Harmonicorum libri XII (1648). 17th- and 18th-century references indicate that use of a mute raised the pitch of an instrument by a tone. However no surviving mute seems to transpose this exact amount: most raise the pitch a semitone or a bit more, depending on the mute and trumpet used (research has been hampered by a lack of mutes that can be linked with specific instruments). If desired, an instrument could be retuned to the original pitch by adding an appropriate crook. The technique of hand stopping on the horn is said to have been developed from experiments with mutes by the Dresden horn player A.J. Hampel around the middle of the 18th century (Domnich, Methode, 1807). (See Horn, =A72(iii); see also Gregory, 49ff.) Altenburg (1795) gave five reasons for muting the (natural) trumpet: secret military retreat; use at funerals; embouchure development; prevention of 'screeching'; and improving intonation. - Macmillan Publishers Ltd, 2001-2002 --- September 2002 Grove's Dictionaries is very pleased to announce its Fall Fantasy offers on The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The Dictionary of Art, and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. These remarkable and fascinating reference works can be the centerpiece of your music or art library now at significantly discounted prices. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition - Universally acknowledged as the ultimate authority on musical scholarship, TNGII offers a 'corridor with a million doors, each opening onto a separate world' and introducing readers to the people, places, and history of music throughout the world and throughout history. The Dictionary of Art - Bringing together the work of over 6,000 scholars and ranging over all the world, the Dictionary is a 'vast and glimmering' resource for both art and cultural studies, and the only place to turn for authoritative coverage of all the visual arts. The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, second edition - 'An astonishing, incomparable achievement,' Jazz II brings the elements, methods, lives, and evolution of jazz to the reader. These world-class, award-winning collections have been hailed by aficionados, scholars and the media as extraordinary works of 'love, dedication and scholarship.' Now, at the lowest-prices ever, these essential reference sets can become part of your library. Go to http://www.macmillanonline.net/news/US2_musicart.htm to order your sets today! Therese Ng <[log in to unmask]>