Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette Visitors to Fort Wilkins Saturday were treated to a concert of the Dodworth Saxhorn Band, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, which uses only 19th century instruments to perform 19th century tunes.

COPPER HARBOR — Visitors to Fort Wilkins last Saturday evening received a special treat in celebration of the 175th anniversary of the fort.

The Dodworth Saxhorn Band (DSB), of Ann Arbor, Michigan, gave a live performance of 19th century music, most of which would have been familiar to the troops stationed at the fort during its second occupation, from 1867-1870.

The DSB is modeled after the Dodworth Band of New York City, which was the premier brass band in the United States from the 1840s to the 1880s.

“In fact,” said Band Director Mark Felder, “they were Abraham Lincoln’s favorite band.”

The original Dodworth Band was directed by brothers Allen and Harvey Dodworth, who were among the most highly respected musicians and bandmasters of the 19th Century, said Felder. In 1985 musical instrument collector, Alexander Pollock, created the modern DSB as a living history project.

In keeping with its living history origins, the DSB uses only brass and percussion instruments that were built in the 1800s. The antique horns are conical-bore instruments commonly called “saxhorns”. These handmade saxhorns are pitched higher than modern 21st Century brass instruments, and produce a uniquely mellow tone. This class of brass instruments was invented in the early 1800s by Belgian instrument maker, Adolph Sax.

“They (original horns) are hard to find,” said Felder. “They are very expensive, because they are hard to find. And, because they are from that period, 19th century music just does not sound as good when played on 20th or 21st century instruments.”

The band performs 19th century music, including compositions and arrangements from the Smithsonian Institute, the Library of Congress, private collections and university libraries as well as a few new arrangements by musicologists who are experts in 19th Century brass band style and instrumentation, states the band’s website.

While few from the Copper Country may have heard of the brass band, they are, in fact, renowned.

“We provided music for three of the Ken Burns documentaries, including ‘Baseball,'” Felder said, “and because of that, we got to play at the White House, when Clinton was president, so we’re going back a few presidents.”

The DSB is also the official band of Greenfield Village in Dearborne, he said, adding that 10 members of the band were playing there while 13 members performed in Copper Harbor.

The DSB constists of approximately 50 members, but an 18-piece arrangement is the ideal for the style of music. Because the DSB is a professional band, said Felder, its various components are able to perform at a number of events simultaneously.