Baritone. Nominal pitch: C / B♭.

Antoine Courtois

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Alternative Title

Saxhorn baryton.

Instrument

Baritone saxhorn

Instrument Family

Wind

Maker

Antoine Courtois

Place Made

Europe ; Western Europe ; Paris ; France

Date Made

1856-1858

Description

Technical description: Silver-plated brass. Single loop in main tuning-slide; with looped slide the instrument stands in B♭. The valves 1-4 lower pitch 2, 1, 3, 5 semitones respectively. Fitting for music card-holder. Valve type: 4 rotary valves. Buffers: two circumferential strips of cork mounted on hub of rotor, engaging with matching concave recesses on link arms. Repair History: Mouthpipe is a replacement by N. Perry, 1992. Centre screws on valve rotors are replacements, not fitting perfectly. Probable original C tuning slide (air column length probably c 290mm shorter than Bb slide) missing. Overall size: 720; bell 220. Sounding length: minimum (in Bb) 2661. Bore: mouthpipe at c 40mm from mouthpiece receiver (minimum bore) 11.1; centre of valve cluster at c 355mm from mouthpiece receiver, v.t.s. bore (1,2,3,4) 13.2; m.t.s. at c 555mm from mouthpiece receiver, tuning slide bore 14.4; m.t.s. at c 996mm from mouthpiece receiver, tuning slide bore 14.8; 1331mm from bell end, c 20.1; c 979mm from bell end, 28.4 15.5mm from bell end, 165. Bell cutoff = 800 Hz. B= 0.48 (in Bb). Dia of mouthpiece receiver: m.r.t. 12.1 11.8. Inscribed on bell "MEDAILLE / DE / 1RE CLASSE / EXPOSITION / UNIVERSELLE / 1855" in circle / "APPROVED BY / HERMANN KOENIG / ANTOINE COURTOIS / Breveté / FACTEUR DU CONSERVATOIRE IMPÉRIAL / 88, rue des Marais St. Martin / CI DEVANT RUE DU CAIRE / Paris / JULLIEN & CO / Sole Agents / 214 Regent St. London".

Other Information

Specific usage history: This instrument belonged to J. Wilson Spence of Brechin, the grandfather of the donor. It was given to him, along with a bassoon and an ophicleide, by Mr David (?) Lamb, the proprietor of a lemonade factory in Brechin, circa 1925. Lamb had been the bandmaster of the Brechin Band, in which these instruments had probably been used.

Notes

R. Parks, 23.5.92, 20.11.99; Arnold Myers; N. Parks.

Measurements

720; bell 220.

Provenance

Gift of W.R. Day, 1991.

Collection

MIMEd

Accession Number

3164