Walter B. Rogers "The Harp That Once Thro' Tara's Halls" CORNET classic recorded August 14, 1903

Walter B. Rogers plays "The Harp That Once Thro' Tara's Halls" on Deluxe 31110, recorded on August 14, 1903.
Walter Bowman Rogers, born on October 14, 1865, was a key figure of the phonograph industry for three decades, first as a featured cornet player on records and then as a music director for companies, the two most important being the Victor Talking Machine Company and Brunswick.
He was born in Delphi, Indiana, to William and Nancy (Bowman) Rogers, both of whom had emigrated from Bradford, Yorkshire, England, around 1860 (Nancy's mother followed and lived next door to the couple in Delphi).
Victor catalogs from around 1910 through 1916 gave this biographical sketch: "The career of this brilliant young conductor has been one of uninterrupted success. After some years of study in the Cincinnati College of Music, he joined Cappa's Seventh Regiment Band of New York as cornet soloist, and during the years that followed he was one of the great features of that famous band. On the death of Bandmaster Cappa, Mr. Rogers became the leader of the band and served four years in that capacity. In 1899 John Philip Sousa made him a flattering offer and he became the cornet soloist of Sousa's Band. After five successful years with Sousa, the Victor Company induced Mr. Rogers to leave the band and become its general Director of Music. His work with the Company speaks for itself in the Victor Orchestra records and the artistic accompaniments which are provided for Victor singers."
His first records were made about the time he was hired by Sousa, who permitted band members to make records as "Sousa's Band" under the direction of Arthur Pryor (the full Sousa Band never assembled for sessions since recording technology could not do justice to such a large ensemble) and also permitted members to make records as soloists. Rogers recorded cornet solos for Berliner in 1900 as a member of a Sousa recording group and is featured on two Berliner discs as cornet soloist accompanied by Sousa's Band: "Souvenir of Naples" (01187) and "Ah! 'Twas a Dream" (01188).
On another Berliner, "The Three Solitaires" (01189), Rogers is included in a trio, the other two being the famous cornetists Herbert L. Clarke and Henry Higgins.
A distinctive voice makes announcements at the beginning of many Berliner and Victor discs--it could be the voice of Rogers, who was often in the Berliner and Victor studios from 1900 onwards.
On October 1, 1900, Sousa's Band under Pryor's direction began recording for Eldridge R. Johnson's new Consolidated Talking Machine Company (soon renamed Victor). The Victor record catalog for February 1902 noted Rogers had signed an exclusive contract with the company.
Records made with piano accompaniment include "Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder," "Bonnie Sweet Bessie," "Concert Polka," and "German Sounds." He recorded duets with trombonist Pryor, such as "Nearer, My God, to Thee" (3415), and joined flautist Darius A. Lyons on Titl's "Serenade" (3424).
The 1904 catalog showed a significant increase in cornet discs. Most of Rogers' 1902 titles had been remade, and those that had earlier featured piano accompaniments now had orchestral support. Rogers was also included in Victor's $1.50 Deluxe series, introduced in 1903. Deluxe discs were the first twelve-inch discs to be marketed.
The 1904 Victor catalog lists more titles featuring Rogers as a cornet player than catalogs before or after. Soon afterwards his responsibilities as recording director took so much time that he stopped recording as a soloist, and with each passing year the Victor catalog carried fewer of his records made earlier as a soloist.
Before 1904, piano accompaniment for vocal numbers was standard during Victor sessions, with orchestral accompaniment provided only occasionally. In 1904 orchestral accompaniment was increasingly provided during Victor sessions and by early 1905 had become standard for popular singers, with orchestral accompaniment becoming standard for operatic singers by the autumn of 1905. Enrico Caruso was accompanied by piano during his first two Victor sessions--one in February 1904, the next in February 1905 (his pianists are unknown).
For his third session, in February 1906, orchestral accompaniment was provided, and the orchestra may have been led by Rogers. Surviving ledgers clearly identify Rogers as leader during most of Caruso's sessions from 1907 to 1916.
A versatile arranger, Rogers was responsible for many novelties in the Victor catalogs. He arranged and directed most of the company's early dance records. He also conceived the idea of organizing a staff ensemble to sing "gems" or medleys from musical comedies (the Victor Light Opera Company) as well as grand opera (the Victor Opera Company).
Walter B. Rogers "The Harp That Once Thro' Tara's Halls" CORNET recorded August 14, 1903

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Reminds of the scene in the biopic of Sousa starring Clifton Webb, where Sousa takes the cornet from a performer and gives him a very energetic example of the sort of triple-tonguing he's looking for.