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{The Brussels Musical Instruments Museum Oboe Collection}
Stefaan Verdegem - Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel
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IND ?> Inv. number
0974
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CN/NP ?> Common name / Nominal Pitch
English horn in F
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TS ?> Type or system
9-keyed curved English horn
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MK ?> Maker
Triebert
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IN ?> Mark, inscriptions
(barbican tower with 4 merlons) / TRIEBERT / A PARIS – on all 3 parts;
(hardly legible on MJ but tower with 4 merlons very clear).
- PL ?> Place of origin Paris
- DM ?> Date of making 2nd quarter of the 19th century.
- MATERIALS Possibly maple wood, leather covered. Ivory and horn mounts, silver or silver plated keys.
- MEASUREMENTS
- Body Length c.779mm
- TJ length (body + tenon) c.290mm + 23.2mm
- MJ length (body +tenon) c.340mm + 25.3mm
- B length 148.4mm
- Acoustic Length c.447mm
- BORE
- Minimal bore 5.4mm
- Reed well diameter 8.7mm
- Reed or crook well depth (if cylindrical) 23.0mm (metal lined inverse cone)
- Bore at end of TJ 11.7mm
- Bore at top of MJ 11.8mm
- Bore at end of MJ 17.7mm
- Bore at top of B 18.2mm
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TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
Curved body with leather covered wood for TJ and MJ. Black stained or lacquered bell.
7 round keys with salt-spoon cups type Heyde-181/2 on short axles and pillars that are based on a half-moon or diamond-shaped plate.
2 keys in deviant style: round lipped flaps, one key on long axle and pillars.
On TJ: octave key, D or C# trill-key for L3, Bb for R1 and G# for L4;
On MJ: F# for R4, cross-F, Eb, C# and C key with ‘see-saw’ key.
Key-holes milled out with countersunk edge.
SATK (springs attached to the key).
Hole 1 and 2 with wooden insert.
3rd hole doubled with finger cove.
Metal ring for necklace on the back.
Bulb bell with two vent-holes, one being bigger than the other.
Metal lining: reed well, tenons, sockets.
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FL ?> Faults
Good condition. Ivory mount on MJ cracked. Leather on MJ worn out in some places. Some scratches on body. All pads and springs seem original.
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PA ?> Playing Accessories
None. Mahillon (R1978) Vol.II p.253 mentions a bocal and a reed. These are not with the instrument any more.
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UP ?> Usable Pitch
Best result was obtained with a reed TL 49mm / staple 27mm / tip width 9.5mm and a bocal TL 93mm ø 6mm + 3.1mm giving as a result A = c.438Hz.
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PC ?> Performance Characteristics
Nice and warm sounding instrument. Quite a lot of resistance.
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PO ?> Previous Ownership
Ex-Mahillon V. & J.
- FM ?> Further information on maker
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SR ?> Specific literature Reference
Mahillon (R1978) Vol.II p.253, with a special paragraph on see-saw key.
Listed in Young (1993) p.240.
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GL ?> General literature (about this type of instrument)
Finkelman (2000) Teil 6/7.
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Comparable instruments
Brussels: MIM Triebert English horn no.2321.
Edinburgh: EUCHMI Triebert English horn no.3322.
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Remarks
Triebert mentions on p.7 of his catalogue (1855) that “...the firm restricted the production of curved English horns...since there is no advantage any more in making them like this, given the latest improvements [on the straight English horn].”
Some elements point into the direction of an instrument c.1830 with a few later changes or additions:
- The instrument shows many similarities to the 6-keyed curved English horn depicted in Brod’s oboe method (1830) p.107 (Planche V), including the typical bridge-like design for C-C# keys. On p.108 Brod claims the invention of the ‘see-saw’ key (“la petite bascule”).
- The G# and C#-trill keys are most probably later additions, given the other key style. The octave key looks original though.
- The reed well, being metal lined but conic, could be a transition technique for the later cylindrical reed well. It is not clear whether the metal lining of the tenons and sockets is original.
The specific mark on this instrument – if not a counterfeit – seems to contradict the long-held view that the barbican tower with 4 merlons is identifiable with Triebert instruments from after 1881.
{Triebert}
