DescriptionTechnical description: Silver-plated brass. Inner slides silver-plated, with stockings. Spring-loaded `siphon' water-key on outer slide bow guard. With alternative tuning-slide for a different pitch standard.
According to the firm's archives [instruments books], the instrument was model A55, made in a batch of six.
Overall size: 1145; bell 151.
Sounding length: with shorter tuning slide, 2668; the longer of the alternative tuning slides adds c 90mm to the air column length; lengths of inner slides each 648.
Bore: minimum 11.3; descending slide, 11.4; ascending slide, 11.4; m.t.s. bore, 12.2 - 13.4; at c 403mm from bell end, 16.1; at 23.6mm from bell end, 88.7. B = 0.81 (with shorter tuning slide).
Bell cutoff = 900 Hz.
Dia of mouthpiece receiver: m.r.t. 12.0 - 11.5.
Decorative features: Ornate embossed embellishments on ferrules and stay ends.
Signature marks: Inscribed on bell (within applied embossed oak-leaf wreath) "Conservatoire Imperial / de musique / 1er. Prix / décerné à / Henri Ludovic / de Lorenzo / 1865", and "ANTOINE COURTOIS / Breveté / FACTEUR DU CONSERVATOIRE IMPÉRIAL / 88, rue des Marais St. Martin / CI-DEVANT RUE DU CAIRE / Paris.
Usable pitch: Plays a little higher than A⁴ = 440 Hz with short tuning-slide, which can be pulled to play at 440; plays at A⁴ = 430 Hz with long tuning-slide.
Repair History: Tuning-slide receivers on bell section have been shortened, but the legs of the shorter tuning slides have not been shortened to match, so it stops at c 22mm short of full insertion. The limitation is a step in the proximal receiver at c 62mm, the distal receiver is unrestricted (expanding to the bell).
Purchased by lender and possibly formerly used with mouthpiece (3748). |