new a bassoon by hirschstein: the instrument and its possible use … · 2018. 7. 2. · a bassoon...

DAVID RACHOR

A Bassoon by Hirschstein: The Instrument and Its Possible Use in the Military

I recently acquired a bassoon in Belgium that I purchased on eBay.1 Through a bit of detective work, I have discovered that the 'maker's mark'

on the instrument is that of Mathaus Hirschstein,

a music dealer active in Leipzig during the second third of the eighteenth century. The stamp is faint but legible, and after looking at other Hirschstein instruments with similar stamps I am convinced that it is a Hirschstein bassoon. Since this is the

only bassoon known today with a Hirschstein mark, and there are so few other extant Hirschstein

instruments,2 this bassoon is very important. As Hirschstein was a dealer rather than an instrument

manufacturer a possible maker of the instrument will be explored in this article. The question of a possible military use for the bassoon will also be considered. Like many bassoons of the period, the instrument is of maple and originally had four brass keys, but it also has some interesting and unusual features that deserve special comment.

Not a great deal is known about Mathaus Hirschstein (cl695-1760),3 although there is some documentary evidence that links him with important woodwind makers active in Leipzig during the first half of the eighteenth century. For example, Hirschstein was requested to stand as godfather in 1726 to one of the children of Johann Heinrich Eichentopf.4 In 1744, Hirschstein was established as a musical instrument dealer in

Leipzig: using surviving instruments as a guide, he was most likely in the business of primarily selling woodwind instruments. However, Paul de Wit refers

to Hirschstein in his Geigenzettel alter Meister vom 16. bis zur Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts so it is

possible that he also had some dealings in stringed instruments.5 Hirschstein appears to have had great business acumen and at his death left considerable

wealth, including land and personal effects. Indeed, Hirschstein and two other compatriots, the Leipzig musical instrument makers Johann August Crone

1 My thanks to James Kopp and Sharon Hansen for reading the draft of this article and for providing helpful suggestions.

2 The following is a list of the known signed Hirschstein instruments: two oboe d'amore (Museum fiir Musikinstrumente der Universitat Leipzig, nos. 1337 and 1337a); a one-keyed flute in A (Musikinstrumenten-Museum, Berlin, no. 2672); and a one-keyed flute (Dayton C. Miller Flute Collection, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., no. 272). See William Waterhouse, The New Langwill Index: a Dictionary of Musical Wind-instrument Makers and Inventors (London: Tony Bingham, 1991), p.177.

3 In The New Langwill Index, p.177, Waterhouse gives the death date of Hirschstein as 1769, but according to Giinter Dullat, Verzeichnis der Holz-und Metallblasinstrumentenmacher auf deutschsprachigem Gebiet (Tutzing: Hans Schneider, 2010), p.216, Hirschstein died in 1760.

4 Waterhouse, The New Langwill Index, p.177.

5 Willibald Liitgendorff, De Geigen und Lautenmacher vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart (Frankfurt am Main: Frankfurter Verlags-Anstalt A.G.,1922), 2, p.218.

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The Galpin Society Journal

and Johann Friedrich Schwabe, shipped boxes of musical instruments throughout Europe as far as England, Portugal, Poland and Lithuania.6 It is also known that Hirschstein kept a warehouse in Frankfurt an der Oder, probably to facilitate the shipment of instruments to the east. Three years after the death of Hirschstein, his widow Johanna Regina married Christoph Jonathan Korner, who continued to operate the Hirschstein firm until his death in 1767. How the firm continued after this is

unclear, but it was eventually sold in either 1772 or 1774.7

Herbert Heyde has shown that instrument making in Leipzig during this period frequently followed a business model known as the Verlag (out-working) principle, a system of subcontracting between instrument makers.8 The image of an instrument maker working alone in his workshop on a single instrument appears far from the truth.9 Established Leipzig master instrument makers frequently employed several journeymen and often made instruments for other makers. Complete instruments were made by independent makers but it was often the contractor or Verleger who put his stamp on the instrument. This system is quite different from another eighteenth-century business model in which parts of the instruments were made by several journeymen and then assembled by a master maker. In my opinion, Hirschstein contracted a woodwind maker to make the bassoon and then

put his own stamp on the instrument. The fact that only the proprietor of a workshop or a merchant

could place his stamp on an instrument is important to this study.10 In comparison, it is interesting to note that the London firm of Longman and Broderip purchased finished keyboard instruments from Thomas Culliford and Company,11 whilst at the same time supplying John Geib with all the necessary materials to make musical instruments and only paying him for his work.12

The Verlag system that operated in Leipzig at this time may be demonstrated by the huge order of 64 bassoons in 1788 by the dealer Johann August Crone (1727-1804) from Carl Wilhelm Sattler (1738-88).13 Carl Wilhelm Sattler was an independent woodwind maker who, when business was slow, also worked as

a subcontractor and undertook piecework for other makers. However, it was Crone who, as Verleger, provided the materials and money to advance the production of these bassoons, which were made over a period of just sixteen weeks between 13 April and 7 August 1788. It is also known that Sattler employed three journeymen in his shop and subcontracted his brother-in-law Gregorius Ludewig,14 an independent brass instrument maker, to make the brass components of the bassoons. The need for such a large quantity of bassoons in Leipzig at this time will be discussed later in the paper.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE

HIRSCHSTEIN BASSOON

Of the four original keys (F, A-flat, D and B-flat), only

the D and B-flat keys on the long joint and the F key touch on the boot survive; the A-flat key is lost.15

6 Herbert Heyde, 'Der Holzblasinstrumentenbau in Leipzig in der 2. Halfte des 18. Jahrhunderts', Tibia 3 (1987), p.482.

7 According to Dullat, Verzeichnis der Holz-und Metallblasinstrumentenmacher, p.216, the Hirschstein firm was sold in 1772; however, Heyde, 'Der Holzblasinstrumentenbau in Leipzig', p.483, gives the year of sale as 1774.

8 Herbert Heyde, 'Entrepreneurship in pre-industrial instrument making', Musikalische Auffiihrungspraxis in nationalen Dialogen des 16. Jahrhunderts, Teil 2, Musikinstrumentenbau-Zentren im 16. Jahrhundert, edited by Boje Schmuhl (Augsburg: Wifiner-Verlag and Stiffung Kloster Michaelstein, 2007), p.56.

9 The famous engraving of 1698 by Christoph Weigel, which depicts a lone bassoon maker, possibly Denner, working on a dulcian comes to mind. See William Waterhouse, 'Bassoon', The New Gove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie (London: Macmillan, 2001), 2, p.883.

10 Herbert Heyde, 'Makers' marks on wind instruments', in Waterhouse, The New Langwill Index, p.xix.

11 See Jenny Nex, 'Culliford and Company: Keyboard Instrument Makers in Georgian London', Early Keyboard Journal 22 (2004), pp.7-48.

12 See Jenny Nex and Lance Whitehead, 'Musical Instrument Making in Georgian London, 1753-1809: Evidence from the Proceedings of the Old Bailey and the Middlesex Sessions of the Peace', Eighteenth-century Music 2/2 (September 2005), pp.251-71.

13 Herbert Heyde, 'Entrepreneurship in pre-industrial instrument making', pp.56-7.

14 Dullat, Verzeichnis der Holz-und Metallblasinstrumentenmacher, p.401.

15 For the terminology used to describe the keys and parts of the bassoon, see Philipp Young, 4900 Historical Woodwind Instruments: An Inventory of 200 Makers in International Collections (London: Tony Bingham, 1993), pp.xi-xii.


Rachor — Hirschstein

Table 1. Measurements (in millimetres) of the Hirschstein bassoon.

Overall assembled length 2129 (915 +1214)

Height (assembled boot joint, long joint and bell)

1214

Wing length (including tenon) 537

Boot joint length 424

Long joint length (including tenons) 599

Bell length 277

Wing joint bottom tenon diameter 17.6 x 18.1

Long joint bottom tenon diameter 23.4x24.4

Long joint top tenon diameter 30.3 x 31.0

Bell end diameter 24.9

Table 1. Measurements (in millimetres) of the Hirschstein bassoon.

The bocal is lost and the wing joint is totally rotted through about 3.5cm from the top, making the bocal receiver separate from the rest of the wing joint. The two keys on the boot joint are held by brass two piece saddles and the two keys on the long joint are held by integral wood blocks. With the exception of the wing joint and the missing keys on the boot joint the bassoon is in good condition. The poor state of the wing joint, however, precludes the restoration of the bassoon to playing condition, particularly considering the historical value of the instrument.16 For basic measurements of the instrument see

Table 1.

BELL

There are two interesting features of the baluster shaped bell. Firstly, the bell rim (about 12mm across the top of the bell) is covered by the brass of the bell crown: this is very unusual and may have been designed to protect the top of the bell, especially if the instrument was intended for long periods of outdoor use (see Figure 1 in the colour section). Secondly, there is a brass arm (about 9mm wide, 83mm long and 3mm thick) screwed to the bell. It is not possible to ascertain whether the arm, which

may be the remnants of a lyre music holder, is original, but considering its condition it seems to be very old (Figure 2 in the colour section).

SPRINGS

The one extant spring on the boot joint is made of brass about 0.5mm thick, and is located under

where the A-flat key would have been (Figure 3 in the colour section). It is fixed to the body with a pin into the wood. The spring under the F key flap is missing but appears to have been attached to the body of the instrument in the same manner as the A-flat key spring, since there is a hole in the wood between where both the saddles and the spring would have been. The keys on the long joint cannot be removed since the pins on which these keys pivot are rusted into the integral wooden blocks, so it is impossible to inspect the two springs under the long joint keys in detail. However, they seem to be similar to the springs on the boot joint since they are attached to the body of the instrument and look to be of similar brass construction. During this period most bassoons springs were attached to the body of the instrument.

SADDLES

The key saddles on the boot joint are, in my opinion, one of the most interesting and important aspects of this bassoon, particularly with regards the identification of the possible maker. These three key saddles used to secure the A-flat key and two separate parts of the F key are constructed from brass plates pressed down in the wood. They are of a two piece design, with the pin (on which the key pivots) inserted into holes in the brass plates (Figure 3 in the colour section). Keys at this time could be supported by integral blocks, made when the boot joint was turned down from the billet,17 by brass saddles of a one-piece i—i-shaped design, with the bottom of the i—i fixed to the body of the boot using screws, or by a wire staple.18 The latter method, related to

16 It should be noted that the decayed upper portion of the Hirschstein wing joint is typical of many historical bassoons. Because of their high cost, bassoons were played for many years and the long-term exposure of this part of the bassoon to moist air from the player's mouth often led it to deteriorate. This is also the reason why the wing joints of modern bassoons are lined with ebonite.

17 Integral block saddles on the boot joint occur less frequently than brass one-piece saddles, but can be found on bassoons made by Johannes Scherer (Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag, no. MUZ-1952x0062); Johann Heinrich Eichentopf (Ober-Osterreichischen Landesmuseum, Linz, no. Mu 35); and August Grenser (Musee de la Musique, Paris, no. E.188, C.505).

18 For a discussion of this wire staple system see Phillip Young, Die Holzblasinstrumente im Ober-Osterreichischen Landesmuseum, Kataloge des Oberosterreichischen Landesmuseums, Neue Folge, Nr. 113 (Linz: The Museum, 1997), p. 196.


The Galpin Society Journal LXIV(2011)

the type found on the Hirschstein bassoon, was used by Johann Christoph Denner of Nuremberg around 1700.19

FERRULES

The two brass ferrules on the boot joint are very loose, undoubtedly caused by wood shrinkage. The brass ferrules on the top of the wing joint and the bell crown are also loose but less so than the ferrules

on the boot joint. In contrast, the ferrule on the bell socket is still very tight against the wood, perhaps because the long joint tenon inside the socket prevented the wood from shrinking.20

BOOT TURN AROUND

The boot turn around is of a two-hole design; although this system can be found on other bassoons from this period it is not as common as the

type characterized by an oblong cork in the bottom of the boot joint. The bore segment formed at the bottom of the boot where the bore turns around is

made by removing the wood between the two bore segments about 2-4cm from the bottom of the boot. When looking at the bottom of the boot, one sees only the two round holes formed by the ends of the bore segments (Figure 4 in the colour section). This system has certain advantages over the normal system of removing all the wood below the septum, especially in terms of fitting the cork made to close the bore of the turn around. In the system used on the Hirschstein bassoon, the corks are simply made to fit the round holes formed by the end of the bore segments. However, in other systems, the corks need to be oblong and it is quite time consuming to fit this irregular size to the boot. While the method used on the Hirschstein bassoon could be even more time

consuming to produce by the maker, it would be much easier to get an air-tight seal in the boot turn around, and the two round corks are much easier

to replace. In addition, this two-cork design makes it easier to maintain the bore profile in this critical area of the bassoon bore. With the commonly found

oblong cork design, the cork not only needs to be made in the correct form of the oblong hole to make an air tight seal, but also in the correct U-shape to make the turn around. It must also be placed at the correct distance from the septum, or the bore profile at this point would be too small or too large, greatly affecting the intonation of the bassoon.

POSSIBLE MAKER

In order to identify a possible maker of the Hirschstein

bassoon, one must consider both documentary and physical evidence. Perhaps the best way, though, is to compare it with four other bassoons known to have been made in Leipzig at around the same time:

• Sattler (Museum fiir Musikinstrumente der Universitat Leipzig, no. 1369)

♦ Sattler (Ringve Museum, Trondheim, RMT 75-2) ♦ Johann August Crone (Museum fiir Musikinstrumente der Universitat Leipzig, no. 1383)

• Johann August Crone (Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg, no. Mir 409)21

The fact that all five bassoons share a number of

common features, as well as the known connections

between their maker/dealers gives us three possible makers for the Hirschstein bassoon: Johann August Crone and two members of the Sattler family. However, while the two Crone bassoons in Leipzig and Nuremberg are both stamped with the I. A. Crone

mark the instruments themselves are markedly different and were probably not made by the same workshop. Indeed, Herbert Heyde has suggested that the so-called Crone bassoon in Leipzig bears a Handlersignature or dealer's stamp and that the Hersteller (maker) is unknown.22 Considering the lack of similarity between the two Crone bassoons plus the 1788 contract between Johann August Crone and Carl Wilhelm Sattler, it would seem that Crone was a dealer rather than a maker23 and that he obtained his bassoons from at least two different

19 Examples of Johann Christoph Denner bassoons that make use of this wire staple system include nos. 2969 and 2970 in the Musikinstrumenten-Museum, Berlin.

20 Information from Mathew Dart, personal correspondence (10 May 2010).

21 There are, of course, other bassoon makers who worked in Leipzig during this period who could be considered as possible makers for the Hirschstein bassoon: Johann Heinrich Eichentopf; Johann Poerschmann; Winckler; and Kraus. However, the bassoons of Eichentopf and Poerschmann are very different from the five under consideration, while the

Kraus bassoon preserved at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg (no. MI 373) only has a few features in common with the above mentioned five.

22 Herbert Heyde, Rohrblattinstrumente, unpublished catalogue (1979), p.442.

23 This theory has also been expressed by Gunter Dullat, 'Crone, Johann August', Verzeichnis der Holz-und Metallblasinstrumentenmacher auf deutschsprachigem Gebiet (Tutzing: Hans Schneider, 2010), p.104



sources. Since the Crone bassoon preserved in Leipzig bears little resemblance to the Hirschstein instrument it warrants no further comment in the

current study. The remaining three bassoons and the Hirschstein

instrument are very similar as regards all or most of the following features: two-piece saddles; the bell crown; the long joint construction; the two-hole design of the boot turn; and the key shape. Let us first consider the two-piece saddles. While they are found on both Sattler bassoons, the Crone bassoon

in Nuremberg and the Hirschstein bassoon, they are not a feature commonly found on bassoons from any period. Indeed, two-piece saddles appear to be characteristic of bassoons made in Leipzig and since only the Sattlers were known to be bassoon makers it strongly suggests that all four instruments are products of the same workshop.24

The design of the bell crown is also very similar in all four instruments: round holes as a part of the embellishment of the crown; a quasi-fleur-de-lis design below the round holes; and two horizontal lines intersecting the round holes. In addition, the bell shape of the four bassoons is strikingly similar: all four have the same portion of the bell without turnings, moving up about 11cm from the bottom of the bell socket ferrule to the beginning of the turning, that makes the baluster shape of the top 17cm of the bell.25

Three of the bassoons are also similar with regard the ornamentation of the brass ferrules. For example,

the Hirschstein and the Sattler in Leipzig have the same two-line pattern (about 1.5mm apart) in all four ferrules and the bell crown. All the ferrules on

the Sattler bassoon in Ringve are lost except for the bocal receiver ferrule on the wing joint and the bell crown, but both of these also have the same two line pattern. All the ferrules on the Crone bassoon in Nuremberg are smooth and lack the ornamental lines, but since we know that the metal work on

bassoons was contracted out, it is arguable that the ferrules came from a different source.

The construction of the long joint on all four bassoons is also similar. This evidence by itself would not point to a single maker or family, but it does add to the list of common characteristics shared by the bassoons. The long joints all have the following common features: the same number and shape of large, integral wood blocks in which the keys pivot; the same single turning at the bell tenon; and the same shape of flattened area where the key flap touches the long joint. In addition, the long joints of the Hirschstein and the two Sattler bassoons have a

long flattened area starting directly above the tenon, which is inserted in the boot going about 30cm up the long joint. This flattened area is on the side of the long joint that fits next to the wing joint when the bassoon is assembled and decreases the diameter of

the long joint in this area. It has the effect of enabling

the wing to be closer to the long joint. This flattened area would indicate that the wing and long joints are of the same proportions with regard wood thickness, and that the two bore segments in the boot are the same distance apart.

The two-hole design of the boot turn around also points to a single maker, since by the second half of the eighteenth century most bassoons are found with the oblong cork design in the boot. The two signed Sattler bassoons and the Hirschstein bassoon all have the two-cork design in the boot.26

Since bassoon makers purchased their keys from specialist metal workers, similarities in design provide weaker evidence for a particular workshop than other similar physical characteristics.27 However, it should be stressed that both the key touches and the key flaps on the long joints of the three bassoons have similar shapes. The surviving key parts on the Hirschstein boot joint are also similar to the two signed Sattler bassoons.28

Thus, it is highly likely that both Sattler bassoons, the Crone bassoon in Nuremberg and the Hirschstein bassoon were made by the same maker or family and, if we can identify the maker or family of the two signed Sattler bassoons, then it should be possible

24 According to both Herbert Heyde and Mathew Dart (personal correspondence), two-piece saddles seem to be a unique feature of bassoons made in Leipzig.

25 The bell thickness of the Hirschstein and the Sattler in Leipzig are very similar and at five corresponding points along each of the two bells the dimensions are within 0.3mm. Just above the bell socket ferrule: 46.4 mm (Hirschstein), 46.5mm (Sattler); the widest portion of the baluster: 52.1mm (Hirschstein), 52.0mm (Sattler). The wing and long joint wood thicknesses also are very similar in dimensions, although not as close as the bells.

26 It was not possible to determine whether the Crone bassoon in Nuremberg also has the two-cork design on the boot since the boot cup could not be removed.

27 Heyde, 'Entrepreneurship in pre-industrial instrument making', p.56.

28 The shape and form of the keys of the Crone bassoon in Nuremberg is very different from the other three, perhaps

because they were produced in a different workshop.


The Galpin Society Journal LXIV (2011)

to identify the maker of the Hirschstein instrument. However, there is much confusion with regards the Sattler family: different members of the family were active at the same time and several generations were given the same name.29 Thus, there are actually three members of the Sattler family that could have made the Hirschstein bassoon: Johann Cornelius E. Sattler (1691-1739), Johann Gottfried Sattler (1707 55) and Carl Wilhelm Sattler (1738-88).30 Johann Cornelius E. Sattler can be eliminated since he died

a few years prior to Hirschstein's arrival in Leipzig. However, there is a case to be made for Johann Gottfried Sattler, the father of Carl Wilhelm.31 While Dullat has described Johann Gottfried as a Metallblasinstrumentenmacher (metal wind instrument maker), he also states that Carl Wilhelm (a known woodwind instrument maker) learned his trade from his father.32 In addition, we have an oboe

d'amore in the GNM (MIR 392) which has been attributed to Johann Gottfried by Phillip Young.33 So we have some support for the possibility that Johann Gottfried made woodwind instruments.

At this point the stamps of the members of the Sattler family need to be addressed. There are four elements in the stamp of both Johann Gottfried and Carl Wilhelm Sattler: a crown, crossed swords, the Sattler name, and an 'S'. Anything else that might give a clue to which member of the Sattler family made a particular instrument, for example the initials of the given name of the maker, is not present on the instruments we are considering. The stamp on the oboe d'amore attributed to Johann Gottfried mentioned above contains three elements:

a crown; the 'Sattler' name; and an 'S'. The stamp on the Sattler bassoon at Ringve also contains

these same three elements with the addition of

two crossed swords below the crown and above

the name 'Sattler'. If we consider the similarities

of the stamps of the Johann Gottfried Sattler oboe d'amore and the Sattler bassoon at Ringve, a case could be made for Johann Gottfried being the maker of one of the signed Sattler bassoons and therefore the Hirschstein. However, the Sattler bassoon in

Leipzig contains only two elements of the stamp: the name 'Sattler' and below it an 'S'. It is possible that the simplified stamp was used by Carl Wilhelm, who may have wanted a design that was similar yet distinct from that of his father, but it has not been

possible to verify this. The strongest evidence for Carl Wilhelm Sattler

being the maker of the bassoon is the contract for 64 bassoons made in 1788. While Carl Wilhelm Sattler

was only 22 at the time of Hirschstein's death in 1760,

making a contract with Hirschstein himself very unlikely, there is the possibility that one was made between Carl Wilhelm and Christoph Jonathan Korner or another proprietor of the Hirschstein firm during the 1760s or early 1770s.34 No contracts have come to light between a member of the Sattler family and Hirschstein, or between anyone else connected to the Hirschstein firm before it ceased operations in 1772 or 1774, but this, of course, does not preclude that a Sattler could have been one of Hirschstein's

subcontractors. Although it is difficult, if not impossible, to definitively attribute an instrument to a single maker or family, especially considering the Verlag system of instrument making in Leipzig at that time, when one takes into account the similar characteristic of the above discussed bassoons, there

is a strong likelihood that either Johann Gottfried

29 For a discussion of the identification of Sattler instruments, see Phillip T. Young, Loan Exhibition of Historic Double Reed Instruments (Victoria: University of Victoria, Aug. 1988), No. 58 (unpaginated); and Phillip T. Young, 'Inventory of Instruments: J.H. Eichentopf, Poerschman, Sattler, A. and H. Grenser, Grundmann', Galpin Society Journal XXXI (1978), pp.100-1.

30 Dullat cites two other members of the Sattler family living in Leipzig in the second half of the nineteenth century: Friedrich August Sattler (1775-1850) and Christian Friedrich Sattler (1778-1842). However, both of these instrument makers were born too long after the demise of the Hirschstein firm to have made the Hirschstein bassoon. See Dullat, Verzeichnis der Holz-und Metallblasinstrumentenmacher, p.401.

31 To add to the confusion, Waterhouse posits that there were two makers named Johann Gottfried Sattler: father (1707-1755) and son (1731-1807). See Waterhouse, The New Langwill Index, pp.9 and 345.

32 Dullat, Verzeichnis der Holz-und Metallblasinstrumentenmacher, p.401.

33 There is some disagreement regarding the attribution of this instrument: while Martin Kirnbaurer believes that

it was made by Johann Gottfried Sattler, Phillip Young has argued that it was made by Johann Cornelius Sattler. See Martin Kirnbauer, Verzeichnis der Europdischen Musikinstrumente im Germananischen Nationalmuseum Niirnberg, Band 2, Floten- und Rohrblattinstrumente bis 17S0 (Wilhelmshaven: Florian Noetzel Verlag, 1994), p.148; and Young, 4900 Historical Woodwind Instruments, p.197.

34 Heyde has suggested that Carl Wilhelm Sattler is the likely maker of the Sattler bassoon in Leipzig. See Heyde, Rohrblattinstrumente, p.424.



Sattler or his son Carl Wilhelm Sattler was the

original maker of the Hirschstein bassoon.35

GERMAN MILITARY MUSIC

Having given a brief description of the system of the manufacturing of wind instruments during this period and having given an example of a contract for a substantial order of bassoons, the question of who purchased all these bassoons remains. To whom did Johann August Crone expect to sell 64 bassoons, and how does this relate to why Hirschstein most likely contracted a maker to make the bassoon in question? In the eighteenth century there were two categories of ensemble in which the majority of bassoons were employed: orchestras and bands. At first, one might think that all these bassoons manufactured were intended to be played in court orchestras. But if one looks into the numbers of

bassoons needed to supply bands, one will soon discover that it was probably for wind bands that the majority of the bassoons were produced.

There were two very popular wind ensembles in German-speaking regions during the second half of the eighteenth century, the Harmonie and the military band or Hautboisten. Both had more or less the same instrumentation: pairs of oboes, clarinets, horns and bassoons. Before the military band became a standard feature of the infantry regiment, the expense of the band was borne by the commanding officer, often the colonel of a regiment, and the instrumentation varied. In 1763, Friedrich II (the 'Great') standardized the Prussian military band with the instrumentation of two oboes, two clarinets, two horns, and two bassoons; this instrumentation remained the norm until the

end of the eighteenth century, when additional clarinets and brass were added.36 Two examples of schools that trained military musicians attest to the popularity and importance of military music: the

Hautboistenschule in Potsdam (established in 1724 by Friedrich Wilhelm I),37 and the Ecole de Musique de la Garde Nationale in Paris (established in 1792 by Bernard Sarrette). In 1795, this Ecole became the Conservatoire Nationale de Musique.™

In order to get a sense of just how large the military market was at this time, the states of Prussia and

Saxony may serve as examples. While the number of troops employed by the two states fluctuated somewhat during the second half of the eighteenth century, at about the time of Hirschstein's death in 1760 there were some 74 regiments in the Prussian and Saxon armies that contained Hautboisten.39 This

suggests a total of approximately 148 bassoonists in regimental bands in these two states alone. With numbers such as these, it is clear that military ensembles alone could account for the contract for

64 bassoons. In addition, Leipzig was a garrisoned city and there is evidence that instrument-making centres tended to be concentrated in cities with a

large military presence.40 Thus the market for mili tary instruments partly explains both the important instrument-making industry found in Leipzig and why we have evidence of these instruments being made by independent makers, then being sold and shipped all over Europe using the business model described above.

WAS THE HIRSCHSTEIN BASSOON MADE FOR THE MILITARY?

Were bassoons intended to be played in the military ensembles made differently, and did they incorporate any unique features that those played in court orchestras did not? Although not certain, the Hirschstein bassoon has some features that

suggest it was intended for military use. A military bassoon could either be made less expensively than a bassoon intended for normal use, or it could be made for more rugged service, using more time

35 Young has suggested that the Sattler bassoon preserved at the Ringve Museum in Trondheim, RMT 75-2 is by Johann Cornelius or Johann Gottfried Sattler. See Young, Loan Exhibition of Historic Double Reed Instruments, No. 58.

36 Clifford Bevan, Bram Gay and Anthony C. Baines, 'Band', The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments, 1, p.123.

37 Bernhard Hofele, 'Militarmusik', Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, 2. neubearbeitete Ausgabe, edited by Ludwig Finscher (Kassel: Barenreiter, 1994), 6, p.275.

38 Janet K. Page, 'Band', The New Gove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2, p.624; and Edmond Neukomm, Histoire de la musique militaire (Paris: Librairie Militaire de L. Baudoin et Ce., 1889), p.20.

39 Saxony had 12 infantry regiments that maintained Hautboisten; Prussia had about 50 infantry regiments and 12 regiments of Dragoons. See J. M. Baron de Helldorff, An Historical account of the Prussian army and its present strength to which is added a succinct account of the army of the elector of Saxony (London: T. Harrison and S. Brooke, 1783), pp. 37-61 and p. 131.

40 According to Baron HellforfF, Leipzig was a garrisoned city, with the 9th Saxon Regiment posted there. See J.M. Baron de Helldorff, An Historical account of the Prussian army, p.131. My thanks to Denis Watel for pointing out the correlation between important instrument making-centres and important military garrisons.


The Galpin Society Journal LXIV (2011)

consuming and expensive features. I believe that the latter is the case with bassoons made for military use: namely, that they were made in a more costly and sturdy fashion.41 Indeed, this is consistent with the production of military wind instruments in the nineteenth century, which often have extra reinforcing straps and guard caps.42

First consider the boot joint. While the two-hole turn around design of the Hirschstein bassoon would have been more time consuming to make than the oblong cork design, the cork is easily lost and difficult to replace, especially in the field.43 In addition, corks tend to become dry and brittle, then fall out or leak over time. I believe that the two-cork design would have been a better system for long term or rugged use 44 In addition, it is possible that the maker of the Hirschstein bassoon used a two-piece saddle design in the hope that it would be more robust that the more normal one-piece, i—i-shaped saddle. In the '—'-shaped design, the saddle is fixed to the body of the

instrument using a single screw. If this type of saddle were hit reasonably hard (by another instrument while on the march, for example), the saddle could fall off and be lost. By contrast, the two-piece design, with the entire length of the brass saddle forced down into the wood of the boot, would be much less

susceptible to damage. In my opinion, the two-piece saddle design was not done to save time and money. It would have been easier to fit the i—i-shaped saddle

on the boot joint, rather than boring two long holes into the boot the exact size to fix the two brass plates of the saddle in a secure manner.45

Lastly consider the bell crown: on the Hirschstein instrument the brass crown entirely covers the rim of the bassoon bell and protects the top of the bell from breakage. Many bassoons do not have a bell crown and many have a tapering bell that becomes quite thin at the top of the bell. While the fact that the Hirschstein bassoon has a bell crown is not in

itself a rarity, but it does give extra support to the top of the bell, an advantage for an instrument being used in rough service.46 Lastly, there is a brass arm connected to the bell that is probably the remnant of a music support lyre.47

CONCLUSION

The Hirschstein bassoon is a unique and important historical artefact. Taking into account the instrument's unusual features and the very large numbers of bassoons required by the Saxon and Prussian military during the eighteenth century, I have postulated that the Hirschstein bassoon was fabricated for military service. In addition, the discovery of this instrument opens up new avenues of research, notably in the area of the military bassoon in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The Hirschstein bassoon could play an important role in such future research.

41 The cost of a bassoon, or, for that matter, the eight-piece band of a regiment, would have been miniscule compared the cost of maintaining the regiment itself. See Helldorff, A Succinct Account of the Manner in which the Prussian Army are provided for in times of War and Peace', in An Historical account of the Prussian army, pp.112-19. For example, every soldier, from general to private, received a new uniform each year and each day was provided with two pounds of bread; non-commissioned officers and privates received one pound of meat every other day. Helldorff does not mention the cost of arming the regiment, but taking into account that there are about 2200 men in a normal infantry regiment, the cost of a bassoon would have been miniscule in comparison.

421 am grateful to Dr Bradley Strauchen-Scherer for this information (personal correspondence).

43 The two-hole turn around design of the Hirschstein bassoon would have been more time consuming to make, since the wood below the septum and between the two bores would have to be carved out using tools inserted in the two holes at the bottom of the boot.

44 It should be stated that oblong cork design became the standard later in the eighteenth century. However, I have seen two bassoons by Johann Heinrich Grenser, active in Dresden during the period 1796-1817 (Museum fiir Musikinstrumente der Universitat Leipzig, nos. 1386 and 1387) and Winckler of Leipzig (Paris, private collection) with the two-cork system. See Waterhouse, The New Langwill Index, p.145.

45 However, because of wood shrinkage, many of the brass plates did fall off: of the four instruments with the two piece saddle design (the Hirschstein; the Sattler in Leipzig; the Sattler at Ringve; and the Crone in Nuremberg) 15 plates are intact and nine are missing of the original 24.

461 am aware of the following bell crowns that cover the entire top of the bell: the Hirschstein; both the Crone and Kraus bassoons preserved at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg (nos. MIR 409 and MI 373 respectively); and a Scherer bassoon preserved at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (no. 89.4.886).

47 There are other examples of music holding devices or lyres, but these are all found on bassoons made later in the nineteenth century.


Colour Section

DAVID RACHOR

A Bassoon by Hirschstein

179

Figure 1. Bell rim of the Hirschstein bassoon (photo by the author).

Figure 2. Brass arm on the bell of the Hirschstein bassoon (photo by the author).

Figure 3. Remaining plate of the two-piece saddle and A-flat key spring on the boot joint of the Hirschstein bassoon (photo by the author).

Figure 4. Bottom of the boot joint of the Hirschstein bassoon (photo by the author).


Contentsp. 117p. 118p. 119p. 120p. 121p. 122p. 123p. 124p. 179

Issue Table of ContentsThe Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 64 (March 2011) pp. 1-296Front MatterEditorial [pp. 2-3]A Harpsichord by Diego Fernández? [pp. 5-48]A Comparison of Two Surviving Guittars by Zumpe and New Details Concerning the Involvement of Square Piano Makers in the Guittar Trade [pp. 49-59, 180-183]Some Thoughts on the Tuning of the Early Three-String Violin [pp. 61-66]Charles Nicholson and the London Flute Market in the Early Nineteenth Century [pp. 67-78, 184-187]Nineteenth—Century French Oboe Making Revealed: a Translation and Analysis of the Triebert et Cie '1855' "Nouveau Prix-Courant" [pp. 79-116, 188-194]A Bassoon by Hirschstein: The Instrument and Its Possible Use in the Military [pp. 117-124, 179]The Microtonal Tuba [pp. 125-177]Innovative Neglect: Contextual Divergence and the Development of the Mey in Turkey [pp. 201-207, 195]The Jew's Harp Trade in Colonial America [pp. 209-218, 200]'Keeper-of-the-Drum': Silent Objects and Musical Pasts of Pohnpei, Micronesia [pp. 219-242, 196-197]Notes & QueriesThe French Court Musette to 1672: Further Notes [pp. 243-247]The Tartini Violin Relics [pp. 248-261, 198-199]

CORRESPONDENCE [pp. 262-263]ReviewsReview: untitled [pp. 264-266]Review: untitled [pp. 266-267]Review: untitled [pp. 267-269]Review: untitled [pp. 269-271]Review: untitled [pp. 271-273]Review: untitled [pp. 273-275]Review: untitled [pp. 275-276]

Abstracts [pp. 277-279]Author Profiles [pp. 280-282]Back Matter

new a bassoon by hirschstein: the instrument and its possible use … · 2018. 7. 2. · a bassoon...

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