W. Paris Chambers

William Paris Chambers (November 1, 1854 – November 13, 1913) was an American composer, cornet soloist, and bandmaster of the late 19th century. Life and career William Paris Chambers was born in Newport, Pennsylvania but spent most of his early years in Newville, Pennsylvania. It was in Newville that he studied music, quickly becoming a proficient performer on the cornet, which he began to study around age thirteen. By the age of eighteen he was conducting the Keystone Cornet Band. At the age of twenty-five, he conducted the Capital City Band of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He was also given credit for bringing the Chambersburg and Martinsburg bands into statewide fame. Between 1887 and 1893 he conducted the Great-Southern Band of Baltimore, Maryland. While on a tour with the Great-Southern in 1892 Chambers demonstrated his stamina and skill with the cornet with a solo performed from the 14,500 foot summit of Pike’s Peak. At the turn of the century, Chambers managed the C.G. Conn store in the city of New York, performing impromptu on the cornet for the customers, including fellow cornet virtuosi. His forte was a phenomenally high register ascending to the third high C. He liked to te