Ventil horn, tenor, E-flat
Maker
Henry Distin
Date1860 ca.
Place MadeLondon, England, Europe
Serial No.3372
SignedStamped on bell: No 337[6 miss-stamped]2 / HENRY DISTIN / MAKER / 9. GRT NEWPORT ST / LEICESTER SQUARE / LONDON / CL S IStamped on bell (opposite signature): DISTIN / LONDON [inside letter D]
MarkingsStamped on valve casings and caps, respectively: 7, 8, 9
DescriptionSilver-plated brass, double coil, tuning slide at U-bow before valves, fixed leadpipe, three Périnet valves (1, ½, 1½), bottom-sprung, alignment by one key on piston (brass), water reservoir at main tuning slide and first- and third-valve slides, windway 1-2-3.
In the late 1850s, Henry Distin created a family of circular brasswinds of intermediate bore profile with upward-pointing bell and called them ventil horns. The term is derived from the German word for valve, Ventil, and the round body shape of the horn. The ventil horn family (ranging from E-flat soprano to B-flat bass) was not patented, but first appeared in an advertisement for a concert announcing the appearance of Distin’s Ventil Horn Union in September 1859. The ventil horn’s sound was described as mellow, rich, and similar to a flugelhorn, with a “pleasing effect” when played as a uniform ensemble.
The tubular extensions at the main tuning slide and the first and third valve slides of this particular instrument are a peculiarity that appears to have been derived from a British registered design from 1845 (National Archives, Kew, Designs Act, BT45/2/345). These tubular extensions cover perforations in the tubing for releasing condensation water and can be closed with removable caps.
DimensionsHeight: 448 mm
Tube length: 1950 mm
Bore diameter (initial, minimum, tuning slide, valve slides): 12 mm, 10.3 mm, 11.2–12.1 mm, 12 mm
Bell diameter: 179 mm
ProvenancePurchased from Steve Dillon, Woodbridge, New Jersey, 1990.
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. 221-23, 295.
Credit LineJoe R. and Joella F. Utley Collection, 1999
Object number07013
On View
Not on view
1900 ca.
