Everyone is familiar with the flutemakers FREYER! This Johann Gottlieb FREYER (ca.1764-1808) flute is crafted in boxwood and has three silver keys. The ferrules are turned from ivory just like its beautiful cap. All parts of this flute are stamped with the maker’s Prussian eagle and I.G. FREYER stamp. But that’s...
This C clarinet was made by the Bavarian and Munich-based master instrument maker, Benedict PENTENRIEDER (1809-1849). Pentenrieder’s life story and that of his immediate family are quite sad ones. He lived a very short life… dying at the age of just 40. He worked at the same time and location...
This A clarinet was made by the Bavarian and Munich-based master instrument maker, Benedict PENTENRIEDER (1809-1849). Pentenrieder’s life story and that of his immediate family are quite sad ones. He lived a very short life… dying at the age of just 40. He worked at the same time and location...
This unique all-silver flute was created at the beginning of the 1900s by the revered French flute-maker Louis Léon Joseph LEBRET (1862-1942). Take a moment and listen to Pierre-Octave FERROUD (1900-1936) – Bergère captive (from 3 Trois pièces pour flûte seule) The son of a music teacher, Lebret worked for ten years...
It is thought that only around 900 flutes were made by the legendary French master, Claude RIVE (1833-1895). Each Claude Rive flute is considered a masterpiece and players worldwide are drawn to Rive’s flutes since they combine aesthetic beauty with exceptional sound. Owning a Claude Rive flute is a dream...
Who was C.S. Barfoot? C for Charles and S for Smith, makes Charles Smith Barfoot (1778-1843). According to the Langwill Index, he was a music seller – well that’s exactly how he describes himself in his will. However, with a bit more digging, we discover that Charles Smith Barfoot was also...
This instrument certainly needs some explaining! It came to us as you can see on the photos and was used for music making just how it is! It surely belonged to someone who couldn’t make an embouchure properly to play the flute. Therefore, that person needed to use the W. Wheatstone...
This oboe was made around 1910 in Brussels, Belgium. It is a full system oboe and features a thumb-plate. The key mechanism is silver plated. The instrument is finely made… by one member of the Albert family of instrument makers. It wasn’t just any family member, but rather Jacques (Émile) ALBERT...
This beautiful bassoon was made by the famed and innovative Lyon-based maker of woodwind instruments, Monsieur Jacques François SIMIOT (1769-1844). He was particularly renowned for his clarinets and bassoons. This is an early example of a Simiot instrument, made perhaps around 1800. Jacques François Simiot was born in Dole, France in...
This is a stunning, fully-restored conical ring-key flute by THIBOUVILLE. There were many members of the THIBOUVILLE family and despite years of research and over 30 known maker’s stamps (thanks to René Pierre), this is a new one! The flute is made of grenadilla and has nickel silver keywork. It was...
