The Potters were a celebrated family of woodwind instrument makers and musicians working in the Classical Period in central London. Their story is a fascinating one and the subject of much detailed research specifically about flutes as they were flute specialists. Surviving Potter flutes outnumber by far those of other...
Joseph WALLIS is perhaps best known for joining forces with Carlo Tommaso GIORGI (1856–1953) to produce the Giorgi flute under patent in England. There’s much more to his story though – from the rise to the sad demise of the business he founded. Early life and career Our Joseph Wallis was...
Imagine an ocarina with exceptional intonation, pure sound quality and design elegance. Then its maker could be the man known as the Stradivarius of ocarinas – Cesare VICINELLI (1841-1920). From kiln man to ocarina maker par excellence, Cesare Vicinelli certainly had an exciting life. But how could that all come...
Ring-key flutes are very special, aren’t they? This Clair GODFROY Ainé (1774-1841) ring-key flute is just fabulous. There were five generations of the Godfroy family. Clair Godfroy Ainé or Clair Godfroy II was trained by his father – Clair GODFROY I (1750-1813) of course. Although he made all woodwinds, he is...
Joseph-René LAFLEUR (1812-1874) was considered to be one of the best bow makers in Paris where he had a music shop. Among his clientele was the French violinist, conductor and composer, Jules Prudence RIVIÈRE (1819-1900), who had settled in London in 1857 and fortunately for Joseph-René had learned to speak...
Here is a grenadilla oboe with nickel silver keys that was made by Hermann SAUERHERING (1840-1909) sometime around 1900. Hermann Sauerhering was born in a town called Rogätz – about 30 km north of Magdeburg, Germany. He was a woodwind instrument maker and instrument dealer. In 1875, he started working together...
Here is an extremely unusual and rare item – we’ve never laid eyes on such a thing before. It’s a walking stick instrument. We think it is probably German as there were quite a few makers of ‘Stock Trompeten’ including B. Schott of Mainz, Germany. It’s a walking stick trumpet,...
Imagine a four-part, full ivory flute made by one of the Scherers – Georg Henrich SCHERER (1703-1778). The Scherers made woodwind instruments for the rich and royal, including Frederick the Great (1712-1786), the King of Prussia. Father and son made some extremely beautiful woodwind instruments – this flute is...
This is a beautiful, boxwood flute made at the turn of the nineteenth-century by no other than Thomas CAHUSAC Junior or Thomas II (1756-?1843). The Cahusacs were among the first woodwind instrument makers in London and became extremely famous. Thomas Cahusac II was at the 41 Haymarket address from 1800...
Here we have a wonderful E-flat clarinet, crafted in grenadilla with nickel silver rings and fifteen nickel silver keys. It was made in around the 1920s by Joseph/Josef PÖSCHL (1866-1947). Joseph Pöschl was born in Graslitz, today’s Kraslice in the Czech Republic. He appears in the Munich address books in 1894...
