Images(2)

Bassoon, C

Date1796-1806 ca.

Place MadeDresden, Germany, Europe

Serial No.none

SignedStamped on butt joint: [crossed swords] / H. GRENSER / DRESDEN / 2 *
Stamped on all other joints: [crossed swords] / H. GRENSER / 2 *
MarkingsStamped on bell joint ferrule: H 6681
DescriptionMaple. Brass and horn (later) ferrules and keys. 8 touchpieces.

This is a typical example of the famed "Dresdener bassoon," a model that once was one of the most widely used throughout Europe. Incredibly, more than 50 examples are known to survive, a testament to the high regard in which his bassoons were long held.
DimensionsOverall length: 1254 mm
Wing joint: 476 mm
Butt joint: 428 mm
Long joint: 533 mm
Bell joint: 295 mm
(excluding tenons; overall length excludes feet)
ProvenancePurchased in 1985 from Phillip T. Young, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Previously owned by Friedemann Hellwig, Nürnberg, Germany.
Published ReferencesPhillip T. Young. 2,500 Historical Woodwind Instruments. New York: Pendragon Press, 1982. Page 53, No. 18.

André P. Larson. Amadeus: His Music and the Instruments of Eighteenth-century Vienna. Exhibition catalog, Dahl Fine Arts Center, Rapid City, South Dakota, February 4-March 2, 1990. Vermillion: National Music Museum, 1990. Page 17.

Phillip T. Young. 4,900 Historical Woodwind Instruments. London: Tony Bingham, 1993. Page. 105, No. 18.

André P. Larson. Beethoven: Musical Treasures from The Age of Revolution and Romance. With essays by John Eliot Gardner, William Meredith, and Gerhard Stradner. Exhibition catalog, Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Santa Ana, California, January 30-March 21, 1999. Santa Ana: The Bowers Museum, 1999. Page 13.

André P. Larson. Beethoven & Berlioz, Paris & Vienna: Musical Treasures from the Age of Revolution & Romance 1789-1848. With essay by John Koster. Exhibition catalog, Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, September 12-November 2, 2003. Vermillion: National Music Museum 2003. Page 49.

Credit LineBoard of Trustees, 1985

Object number03608

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