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{Grundmann}

IND ?> Inv. number
2331
CN/NP ?> Common name / Nominal Pitch
Oboe in C
TS ?> Type or system
4 keys
MK ?> Maker
Grundmann, Jakob Friedrich
IN ?> Mark, inscriptions
(Saxon swords) / GRUNDMANN [with all N's reversed] – on MJ;

(Saxon swords) / GRUNDMANN / DRESDEN / (dot) [with normal N’s] – on B;

Saxon swords on B different then those on MJ.
PL ?> Place of origin Dresden
DM ?> Date of making End of 18th century.
MATERIALS Boxwood with brass keys.
MEASUREMENTS
Full measurement drawing no.PL0017 available at the MIM museum shop www.mim.be.
Body Length 565mm
TJ length (body + tenon) 210mm + 19mm
MJ length (body +tenon) 210mm + 24mm
B length 145mm
Acoustic Length 322mm
BORE
Minimal bore 4.2mm
Reed well diameter 6.6mm
Bore at end of TJ 10.0mm
Bore at top of MJ 10.7mm
Bore at end of MJ 14.6mm
Bore at top of B 19.1mm
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
4 brass keys; 2 of them with octagonal flat flaps, type Young-N.
Raised Eb- and C-key rings are circular.

2 keys, a G# and a F-key with square flat flaps type Young-H.

G#-key on woodblock, F-key on saddle.

SATB (springs attached to the body) for C-Eb and G#.

SATK (springs attached to the key) for F.

3rd and 4th hole doubled with finger cove.
Bell with 2 vent-holes and inner rim.
FL ?> Faults
Fair condition. Instrument warped. Very small cracks in TJ lower finial. More serious crack on the top of the MJ. (2 brass wires were put on socket brink to close the crack). Glue or shellac spot around F-key.
UP ?> Usable Pitch
A = c430Hz with reed TL 62mm / staple 42mm / tip width 8mm. A = c435Hz with reed TL 63.5mm / staple 38mm / tip width 9mm.
PC ?> Performance Characteristics
Easy sound emission in the low register. High register unreliable. Forked-fingerings very sharp. Octave d’-d’’ unbalanced. Uneven intonation.
PO ?> Previous Ownership
Ex-Mahillon V. & J.
FM ?> Further information on maker
Young (1978).
SR ?> Specific literature Reference
Mahillon (R1978) Vol. IV p.199.

Young (1978) p.129. See pp.106–7 about Saxon swords mark.

Listed in Young (1993) p.112.
GL ?> General literature (about this type of instrument)
Adkins (2001).
Comparable instruments
- Brussels MIM Grundmann / Grenser oboe 0962.
- Oxford, The Bate Collection: Grundmann & Floth oboe no.2015, dated 1800 on bell, has many similarities, including the 2 ‘extra’ keys, the G# key being definitely original, the F-key possibly a later addition.
- See also Young (1993) pp.112–5
Remarks
Young (1978) p.129, states that the G# and F-keys are a later addition, and this oboe might be a compilation of 3 different oboes.
According to Marcel Ponseele, the top joint is unusually short, thus confirming Young’s hypothesis. Hence, perhaps, the unbalanced and uneven intonation.

Young (1993) p.112–5 listing 54 Grundmann oboes, reveals that only 4 of them have the 4th hole doubled.

There seems to have been another number in the bell (‘9x2’ = 962 in the other MIM Grundmann?) that has been erased. This might possibly be a numbering mistake by a museum staff member confusing this oboe with the other Grundmann 0962 (ex-962) while numbering. This bell does not seem to belong to the 0962 Grundmann at all.

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{The Brussels Musical Instruments Museum Oboe Collection}

{Grundmann}