Contra-bassophon
Alternate name(s)
- Contrabassophon
- Bassoon
Maker
William G. Schultze
Date1880 ca.
Place MadeNew York, New York, United States, North America
Serial No.none
SignedEngraved on a nickel-silver plate screwed to the bell: Contra=Bassophon / erfunden u. verfertigt [invented & built by] / von / Wm G. SCHULTZE / New York.Markingsnone
DescriptionInstrument made of black-stained wood (aspen, cottonwood or poplar, with first section of birch). Brass (nickel- or silver-plated) ferrules and keywork. 17 keys with cupped covers and stuffed pads. Brass bocal.
This seems to be the only known contra-bassophon not attributed to a specific European maker. The instrument is handmade rather than a factory product, and could be a prototype. Research surrounding William G. Schulze (born Wilhelm Schultze) suggests that this instrument might have been made earlier in Germany, and may be connected with Haseneier's contrabassophon invention.
DimensionsOverall length: 1390 mm
Approximate:
Length from top of bell to bottom of floor peg: 1680 mm
Width 260 mm
Depth with bocal and reed: 345 mm
Published References"Important Acquisitions Made by Museum During 1981." _The Shrine to Music Museum Newsletter_ 9, no. 3 (April 1982): 2.
"Phi Mu Alpha Provides Funding For Display Case." _The Shrine to Music Museum Newsletter_ 10, no. 1 (October 1982): 4.
Berdahl, Susan. "The First Hundred Years of the Boehm Flute in the United States, 1845-1945: a biographical dictionary of American Boehm Flute Makers." PhD diss., University of Minnesota, 1986. (pp. 695-699)
Credit LineGift of James and Emaline Newton, 1981
Object number02887
On View
Not on view
