This System Schwedler-Kruspe flute featured in the MEINEL & HEROLD product catalogues. Meinel & Herold, established in 1893 in Klingenthal, Germany, started as an accordion factory, but over time, it evolved into one of the key trading companies in the area. The company was extremely successful, focussing solely on mail order for private customers. These private customers included musicians, instrument teachers, orchestras, and more, both at home and abroad. It had a diverse selection of products that were produced in the Saxon-West Bohemian region. In the 1930s, it started production of its own brass instruments, guitars and percussion instruments.

This flute, made for Meinel & Herold, features some of the improvements of the 1895 Schwedler model. German flutist Maximillian SCHWEDLER (1853-1940) was the leading flutist in Leipzig’s Gewandhaus Orchestra and taught flute at the city’s conservatoire. He was a strong supporter of the ‘old’ conical bore wooden flute rather than the new Boehm flute. So, he worked on making improvements to the ‘old’ flute for it to become the reform flute with flute maker Carl KRUSPE Junior (1865-1929).

So, in terms of special features, it has the brille (the German word for spectacles) as it looks like a pair of spectacles. This consists of ring keys for finger holes 1 and 2. There is also an extra pad for a small tone hole between these two finger holes. The brille moves together by rotating on an axle. This flute also has the F# brille for the right index finger and the 1898 metal head joint with tuning slide and ebonite lip plate.

It is in very good condition with no visible cracks and is supplied in its original case.  It does actually play… at around a=435 Hz.

The Meinel & Herold catalogue from about 1935 includes the marvellous product description!