Natural trumpet, D
Maker
Johann Wilhelm Haas
Date1720 ca.
Place MadeNuremberg, Germany, Europe
Serial No.none
SignedEngraved on bell garland: I. W. Haas, Nor. ["N" reversed: И]MarkingsMaster’s mark with initials engraved on bell garland: [rabbit facing left, looking forward, back legs on the ground, front legs off the ground] / IWH
Hallmark stamped on bell garland: N / [zigzag line, where silver was removed for testing]
Dedication engraving on bell: [coat of arms of the family of Spiegel zum Desenberg: three round mirrors (2 over 1) in red (upright-hatched) shield, and in two wings over crowned helmet] / Eberhardine Spiegel, Freÿ Frau / zum Desenberg, gebohrene Freÿin / von Neuperg. / 1765
DescriptionSolid silver; garland, bell in area of inscription and on the inside, ferrules, and ball gold-plated; garland with scallop-shell decoration on upper edge, floral engravings, and applied castings depicting arms and armor, flags, trumpets, drums and kettle drums; cast ball with arms and armors, trumpets and drums; Nuremberg rim, impressed wire with floral dots and tendrils; helical fluting ferrules.
This trumpet tells two conflicting tales that can only partially be reconciled: The dedication inscription to Eberhardine von Spiegel zum Desenberg on the bell with the date 1765 suggests that the instrument was made by Ernst Johann Conrad Haas (1723-1792), but the master's mark on the garland indicates that it was made by his grandfather Johann Wilhelm Haas (1649-1723). The shape of the Nuremberg hallmark stamp, used on this trumpet, is recorded between 1716 and 1734, confirming an earlier date.
Eberhardine Dorothea von Neipperg married the military commander Carl Ludwig von Spiegel zum Desenberg in 1720, and it has been suggested that this trumpet may have been made for their wedding. The engraving style of the dedication with the date 1765 is of higher quality than that of the signature and master's mark, and it is unlikely that the two inscriptions were done by the same person. The dedication could therefore have been added later by a professional engraver to a preexisting trumpet.
DimensionsBore diameter (initial, minimum): 12.2 mm, 10 mm
Bell diameter: 122-123 mm
ProvenancePurchased in 1991 from Edward H. Tarr, Rheinfelder-Eichsel, Germany.
Published ReferencesNMM catalog: _As Good as Gold: The First 50 Years (1973-2023)_. Vermillion, SD: National Music Museum, 2023. (pp. 49-50, 54-55)
Apple, Robert Warren. The Music Composed for Keyed Trumpet. 2022. University of Memphis. PhD Dissertation. p. 38.
Klaus, Sabine Katharina. Trumpets and Other High Brass, Volume 1: Instruments of the Single Harmonic Series (Vermillion, SD: National Music Museum, 2012), pp. 97, 117, 138.
Larson, André P. Beethoven & Berlioz, Paris & Vienna: Musical Treasures from the Age of Revolution & Romance 1789-1848. Exhibition catalog, Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, September 12-November 2, 2003 (Vermillion, SD: National Music Museum 2003), p. 52.
Larson, André P. Beethoven: Musical Treasures from The Age of Revolution and Romance. Exhibition catalog, Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Santa Ana, California, January 30-March 21, 1999 (Santa Ana: The Bowers Museum, 1999), p. 14.
Larson, André P. "National VSA Meeting Hosted . . . 1991 Acquisitions Include Rare Andrea Amati Violin," The Shrine to Music Museum Newsletter 19, no. 2 (January 1992), pp. 1-4.
Larson, André P. "1991 Acquisitions at USD Music Museum," American Musical Instrument Society Newsletter 21, no. 1 (February 1992), p. 8.
Credit LineArne B. and Jeanne F. Larson Fund; funds given in memory of Grace L. Beede by Helen and Robert D. Thorne; and funds gift of Clifford and LaVonne Graese, 1991
Object number05071
On View
Not on view
