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musical instrument details

German Natural French Horn, Maker unknown, Brass and Sterling Silver, circa 1840

Estimated price for orientation: 4 500 $

Category: French Horns
Class:











Description
Brand: Unbranded Bell Material: Brass
Type: orchestral natural horn Skill Level: Professional
Finish: Brass


This is a very nice natural horn, maker unknown, but probably South German. The auction is for the horn with its extant crooks in F, E, and Eb. The outstanding feature of the horn besides the way it plays, is the trim, which is all Sterling Silver. The builder must have had fun making this horn! The maker made the braces especially ornate (see photos). The bell is 11 1/4 inches in diameter, and is a one -piece construction. The interior bore is .443 inches. The gauge of the metal is narrow, but still fairly even. There is one patch over a crack in the seam of the bell branch, the most common site for such things. Hand stopping is easily done; the notes seem to "think themselves into place". Intonation is precise and reliable, and response is quick and even. As stated, the auction is for the corpus ONLY, no mouthpiece, no case. Use of authentic instruments has become quite common. This more than just a historic interest. It has become widely accepted, that the instruments of the era speak the language of the music without a foreign accent. In didactic use, the natural horn is a sure-fire way to develop the lips and ears. Happy bidding!