Basset-horn, nominal pitch: F

Strobach

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Instrument

Basset horn

Instrument Family

Wind

Maker

Strobach

Place Made

Central Europe ; Europe ; Germany

Date Made

Circa 1800

Description

Technical description: Boxwood, stained dark; horn ferrules, half-round; brass keywork. Five pieces: mouthpiece with integral barrel, upper section, middle section, lower section, bell. Mouthpiece/barrel of lighter wood (less stain?), stepped in three diameters, 21.5 overall diameter at base of mouthpiece proper, 23.7 overall diameter at middle part, 31.2 overall diameter at bottom; mouthpiece proper narrow and tapered. Upper section straight, with narrow finger-holes (c 4mm). Keys mounted in rings of rectangular section. Speaker liner projects into centre of bore. Middle section has integral elbow-joint. Elbow-joint is angled c 110°; it has two horn ferrules. Lower section has E♭ key to the right of C♮,not in its usual place to the left. Bell globular, with boss and tenon; plug and ivory stopper opposite tenon; aperture at top, 32.1 by 29.4; two horn ferrules. L0: T; speaker. L1: T; A♮. L2: T. L3: T. L4: E/B♮ bascule; F♯/C♯. R0: Basset D♮; basset C♮. R1: T. R2: T. R3: T. R4: F/C♮ bascule; G♯/E♭. Keymount type: keys all carried in turned rings except bascules of basset keys which are in blocks; the key pivot-pins all have neat spherical heads; SATK. Keyhead type: flat and bevelled, trapezoidal. Overall size: Slant length (mouthpiece to bell) c 960. Bore: Upper section 13.8; lower section 14.2 at bottom. Usable pitch: A⁴ = 435-445 Hz. Upper section stamped "STROBACH / CARLSBAD / * * "; middle section stamped " * * "; lower section stamped "STROBACH / * * ". Specific literature references: Galpin 1927, lot 1755; G.S. (1958) No. 34; G.S. (1968) No. 193. Illustration references: Vol. 1 p.100; Rendall 1954, Plate VI; Follan 1987b, p.39.

Notes

T.K. Dibley, 1992; T.K. Dibley, August 1991; H. Fricke, July 2005.

Measurements

Slant length (mouthpiece to bell) c 960.

Provenance

ex- Van Raalte Collection; failed to sell at the 1927 auction; subsequently purchased by H.I. Brackenbury from Sir Arthur Wheeler, 9 December 1929, for £3/0/0. ; Government allocation to the University, 1991.

Collection

C.H. Brackenbury Memorial Collection ; MIMEd

Accession Number

0969