Tenor trombone, nominal pitch: B♭
3747
MIMEd
1865
19th century; 1860s
Brasswind case 4
Established as Courtois frères (Courtois brothers) in 1803, the firm became known as Antoine Courtois in 1844. Antoine Courtois (d 1880) was a French-born instrument maker who worked primarily in Paris. He had a specific interest in the cornet, with many of his instruments being well liked by English musicians at the time. He invented an instrument family called the Antoniophone, a set of brass instruments wrapped in a saxophone shape.
Technical 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).
Henri Ludovic Agnellé de Lorenzo was born in Naples, 13th September 1832, and won the second prize at the Conservatoire Impérial de musique for trombone in 1863; first prize in 1865. He was later musicien gendarmerie de la garde.; on loan to the Collection.