Orchestral horn

Johannes Gottfried Kersten

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Instrument

Valve horn/Horns/Wind/Musical Instrument ; Valve horn

Instrument Family

Wind

Maker

Johannes Gottfried Kersten

Place Made

Dresden ; Europe ; Germany ; Central Europe

Date Made

Circa 1830

Description

Overall size: corpus diameter 315; bell diameter 288. Sounding length: mouthpipe length 470; segment lengths, from distal end of tuning slide ferrule 460; bell segment 846. Bore: mouthpipe 11.8; v.t.s. (2,1) 11.2; 53.5mm from bell end, 124.5. Bell wall angle at D=100mm, 23.5. Dia of mouthpiece receiver: m.r.t. on all 8 crooks, 2 bits and one shank 7.2 at end; crook receiver taper on body 12.2 11.5. Technical description: Terminally crooked; angle between axis of mouthpipe / crook receiver and axis of bell 130. This is a convertible hand and valve horn, with valve assembly removable for replacement by plain slide. Metal construction: yellow brass; seamed throughout, gusseted bell, garland width 29. With shank for Bb alto; crooks for A, Ab, G, F, E, Eb, D; couplers for Db (with D crook) and Bb basso (with C crook); two tuning bits. Valve type: 2 rotary valves, lever operated, drum springs on tuning slide. First valve descending, semitone, changeable to ascending, semitone. Second valve descending, tone. Inscribed on bell garland "VERFERTIGT IOHANN GOTTFRIED KERSTEN / IN DRESDEN". With fitted box, probably original. F# crook missing. Valves possibly added c 1830, otherwise whole instrument dates from this time. General usage of type: Orchestral use. Usable pitch: Plays at A4 = 430 435 Hz. Performance characteristics: German sound. Probably purchased with and possibly supplied by manufacturer with mouthpiece (635). Specific literature references: G.S. (1958) No. 51; G.S. (1968) No. 289. Illustration references: Vol. 1 p.121; G.S. (1968) Plate XV (3); Morley Pegge 1973, Plate VI; Heyde 1987, p.129 with valve detail.

Other Information

General usage of type: Orchestral use.

Notes

P. Lewis, 1987; R. Parks, 16.02.91, 2.3.96.

Measurements

corpus diameter 315; bell diameter 288.

Provenance

Probably the `French horn in case' purchased by Professor John Donaldson for the Music Classroom from Thomas Glen, 2 North Bank Street, Edinburgh on 14th November 1855 which had previously belonged to Sir Wm. Keith Murray, and before that to D. Hamilton of Edinburgh, who had bought it from the maker for £12/18/-.

Collection

MIMEd ; Reid Collection

Accession Number

0204