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{The Brussels Musical Instruments Museum Oboe Collection}
Stefaan Verdegem - Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel
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IND ?> Inv. number
0968
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CN/NP ?> Common name / Nominal Pitch
Oboe in C
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TS ?> Type or system
3 keys
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MK ?> Maker
Steenbergen, Jan
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IN ?> Mark, inscriptions
I:STEENBERGEN (in scroll) / (fleur-de-lis) – on TJ and MJ.
- PL ?> Place of origin Amsterdam
- DM ?> Date of making 1st half of the 18th century.
- MATERIALS Ebonised boxwood or plum-wood for TJ and MJ; ebonised maple for bell; ivory mounts and silver keys.
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MEASUREMENTS
Measurements courtesy of Jan Bouterse (2005).
- full_measurements1
- Body Length 579mm
- TJ length (body + tenon) 217mm + 24mm
- MJ length (body +tenon) 217mm + 26mm
- B length 145mm
- Acoustic Length 333.6mm
- BORE
- Minimal bore 6.1mm
- Reed well diameter 8.3mm
- Reed or crook well depth (if cylindrical) 11.3mm
- Bore at end of TJ 11.1mm
- Bore at top of MJ 11.3mm
- Bore at end of MJ 16.6mm
- Bore at top of B 17.5mm
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TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
3 silver keys, square flat flaps with indentation type Young-D for Eb-keys; round flat flap type Young-Y for C-key.
Raised key rings circular.
SATB (springs attached to the body).
3rd and 4th hole doubled with finger cove.
Bell with 1 vent-hole only and inner rim.
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FL ?> Faults
C-key woodblock is chipped. Hairline crack in bell.
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UP ?> Usable Pitch
A = c.412–415Hz with reed TL 80.5mm / staple 58mm / tip width 9.5mm.
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PC ?> Performance Characteristics
Rather nice but thin, narrow sound.
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PO ?> Previous Ownership
Ex-Mahillon V. & J.
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FM ?> Further information on maker
Bouterse (2005) Cd-rom pp.89–90, pp.215–6 (on mark) and pp.509–12.
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SR ?> Specific literature Reference
Mahillon (R1978) Vol.II p.250.
Listed in Young (1993) p.223 (being inaccurate, ‘2 vent-holes’).
Bouterse (2005) Cd-rom App.C Steenbergen.13.pdf.
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IR ?> Illustration reference
Bouterse (2005) Cd-rom photos-file:14 pictures, found under ‘Steenbergen no-13’.
- GL ?> General literature (about this type of instrument)
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Comparable instruments
Brussels MIM: Steenbergen oboes 0967 and 2611.
Amsterdam: De Vries Collection (1999) p.11, Steenbergen oboe.
The Hague: Gemeentemuseum Collection, oboes Ea3-x-1952 and Ea7-1952. See: Van Acht, Bouterse & Dhont (1997) pp.212–21 for pictures, drawings and full measurements.
See also Bouterse (2005) Cd-rom p.160–1.
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Remarks
Boxwood (“buis teint en noir”) according to Mahillon (R1978) Vol.II p.250.
Ebony according to Young (1993) p.223, who also remarks that there is no mark on the bell.
Ebony for TJ and MJ and fruit-wood for B, according to Bouterse (2005) app.C.
Not ebony according to Charles Indekeu and Marcel Ponseele.
{Steenbergen}
