Alphorn, B-flat
Vernacular Name
- Büchel
Maker
Julius Emmenegger
Date1995
Place MadeEich, Canton Lucerne, Switzerland, Europe
ModelBuchel
Serial No.none
SignedHand-written with branding iron inside bell: Jul. Emmenegger / 6205 EichMarkingsnone
DescriptionRattan-covered conifer, cherry (bows), maple (bell); bell painted with assorted flowers, including edelweiss and gentian.
In the 1970s, Julius Emmenegger in Eich and his namesake, Anton Emmenegger (b.1929), in Hohenrain, canton Lucerne, developed a special method of manufacturing the wound alphorn, called Büchel. The laborious carving from two halves was replaced by a process of laminating veneer sheets to the desired shape and bore size. The present instrument is an example of this method, and as a result, is extremely light.
DimensionsHeight: 988 mm
Tube length: 2717 mm
Bore diameter (initial): 15.2 mm
Bell diameter: 145 mm
ProvenancePurchased in 1996 from Musik Hug, Zurich, Switzerland.
Published ReferencesKlaus, Sabine Katharina. Trumpets and Other High Brass: A History Inspired by the Joe R. and Joella F. Utley Collection. Volume 1: Instruments of the Single Harmonic Series (Vermillion, SD: National Music Museum, 2012), pp. 28–30, 279.
Credit LineJoe R. and Joella F. Utley Collection, 1999
Object number07146
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