Orchestral hand horn

W Sandbach

Orchestral hand horn. Photo by Rui Wang © The University of Edinburgh

Instrument

Naturhorn

Instrument Family

Wind

Maker

W Sandbach

Place Made

United Kingdom; England; Europe; London

Date Made

1810-1830

Description

Overall size: corpus diameter 280; bell diameter 262. Sounding length: overall air column length of crooks (203a) 585, (203b) 542; shanks (203c) 70; couplers (203d) 300, (203e) 410, (203f) 550, (203g) 550, (203h) 180, (203i) 250, (203j) 400; tuning bits (203k) (203n). Segment lengths, from distal end of mp ferrule to centre of ferrule before tuning slide 395; from distal end of tuning slide ferrule to bell segment 504; bell segment 1375. Bore: m.t.s. 10.7; 53mm from bell end, 124. Bell wall angle at D=100mm, 24.0. Dia of mouthpiece receiver: m.r.t. of shank (203c) 8.1 at end; of crooks (203a) 8.0 at end, (203b) 8.2 at end; external tapers of shank (203c) 11.1 11.9; of crooks (203a) 11.3 12.0, (203b) 11.9 13.0. Mouthpiece/crook/ receiver tapers of tuning bits (203n) 9.8 9.1; (203k) 11.9 11.3, (203l) 11.8 (?), (203m) 12.6 12.3; external tapers of tuning bits (203n) 8.9 9.2. (203k) 12.2 11.2, (203l) 10.9 11.5, (203m) 11.0 12.7. Crook/coupler receiver tapers of couplers (203d) 12.4 11.6, (203e) 12.7 11.7, (203f) 12.7 11.7, (203g) 13.3 12.5, (203h) 12.2 11.4, (203i) 12.3 11.4, (203j) 12.0 11.2, external tapers of couplers (203d) 11.3 12.2, (203e) 11.2 12.0, (203f) 11.4 12.1, (203g) 11.7 12.3, (203h) 11.5 12.2, (203i) 11.3 12.0, (203j) 10.9 11.6. crook/coupler receiver taper on body 12.4 11.6. Technical description: 3½ coils excluding crooks; angle between axis of mouthpipe / crook receiver and axis of bell 143; yellow brass, silver plated inside bell and parts of body. Metal construction: ferrule covered joint between intermediate segment and bell; long bell segment (traversing over one and a half turns); single seamed gusseted bell, garland width 38. Master and coupler type crooks. Two masters (203a) and (203b) are present in the material accompanying this horn; they appear to be of different workmanship. There is also a shank (203c) sounding Bb alto and a single crook (203g) sounding G. Four couplers combined with master crook give main tonalities from G to C basso. Short tuning bit (203n) has nothing to do with this horn the tapers are of quite different size. Coupler (203g) is of different workmanship from (203d), (203e) and (203f). For higher tonalities, shank (203c) is used with a separate set of short couplers coiled in reverse sense, (203h) and (203i) also (203j) which is of different workmanship from (203h) and (203i). Other equipment in the set are four short tuning bits (203k) (203n). Inscribed on bell garland "W. SANDBACH / MAKER / 40 PERCY ST. / RATHBONE PLACE / LONDON". Reinforcements over hand hold and two small patches. General usage of type: Orchestral instrument of early English pattern in use of last quarter of 18th century and first quarter of 19th. Usable pitch: Pitches referred to below approximate to A4 = 440 Hz: (203c) gives Bb alto (203c) plus (203h) or (203i) gives A alto. (203c) plus (203j) gives Ab. Smaller master (203a) gives G. (203a) plus (203e) gives F. (203b) plus (203g) gives F. (203a) plus (203d) plus (203f) gives E. (203a) plus (203e) plus (203f) gives Eb. (203a) plus (203d), (203e) and (203f) gives D. (203a) plus (203d), (203e), (203f) and (203g) gives C. For Db and keys below C basso, large couplers can be augmented by shank (203c) and shorter couplers. Performance characteristics: Free blowing with large sound; some stuffiness and uncertainty when multiple couplers are used for lowest pitches. An excellent playing instrument in medium pitches. Specific literature references: G.S. (1951) No. 214; G.S. (1968) No. 284. Illustration references: Workshop drawing by R. Parks in preparation for publication by the Collection; Vol. 1 p.120; Morley Pegge 1973, Plate III. Specific usage history: Used by Cornelius Bryant or O'Brien as principal french horn in Covent Garden Opera Orchestra c 1815; possibly the instrument used in the first performance of Weber's Oberon. Technical drawing available from the Friends of St Cecilia's Hall. Please see http://www.stceciliasfriends.org.uk/

Other Information

General usage of type: Orchestral instrument of early English pattern in use of last quarter of 18th century and first quarter of 19th. Specific usage history: Used by Cornelius Bryant or O'Brien as principal french horn in Covent Garden Opera Orchestra c 1815; possibly the instrument used in the first performance of Weber's Oberon.

Notes

P. Lewis, 1987; R. Parks, 23.2.91, 27.9.91, 17.2.96.

Measurements

corpus diameter 280; bell diameter 262.

Provenance

Gift of F. O'Brien and E. Chadwick, April 2002.

Collection

MIMEd

Accession Number

0203