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Alto saxhorn, E-flat

Alto saxhorn, E-flat

Date: 1860 ca.
Place Made:Lyon, France, Europe
Serial No: 281
SignedStamped on bell: COUTURIER / à… Lyon / 290 / SA (monogram) AUTORISE [inserted in S] J.C LYON [inserted in A]
MarkingsStamped on second valve casing and all valve caps: 281
Valve caps and casings stamped with one, two and three dots, respectively.
DescriptionBrass, German silver, double loop, upright bell, tuning slide at first bow (smaller first loop), fixed curved leadpipe, three Périnet valves (1, ½, 1½), bottom-sprung, alignment by one key on piston (brass), windway 3-2-1.

Some early saxhorns, based on Adolphe Sax’s models, were made by other French makers who were licenced by Sax. Typically, these instruments are stamped with the AS monogram; the S of the monogram includes the word AUTORISE, and the A the maker's initials and location. The number 290 in the signature is the license number, while 281 is the serial number.
DimensionsHeight: 610 mm
Tube length: 1997 mm
Bore diameter (initial, minimum, tuning slide, valve slides): 11.4 mm, 10.3 mm, 10.7–12.5 mm, 12 mm
Bell diameter: 171 mm
ProvenancePurchased in 1997 from Tony Bingham, London, England.
Credit Line: Joe R. and Joella F. Utley Collection, 1999
Not on view
Published ReferencesSabine Katharina Klaus, Trumpets and Other High Brass: A History Inspired by the Joe R. and Joella F. Utley Collection. Volume 4: The Heydey of the Cornet (Vermillion, SD: National Music Museum, 2022), pp. 19-20, 264.
Object number: 07253