This E-flat ring-key piccolo comes from Munich, Germany. It is made of grenadilla wood and has rings and keywork crafted from nickel silver. Its maker was Johann Martin Benedikt LEHNER (1853-1915), who preferred simply Martin Lehner. The instrument is stamped with M. LEHNER / MÜNCHEN. The maker’s stamp also features a...
This exquisite, solid silver alto flute is a beauty to behold and was made by England’s finest flute-makers of the mid-twentieth century. The company was established in 1872 as successors to Rudall Rose, Carte & Co and was bought in 1943-1944 by Boosey & Hawkes. The history of this great...
This conical ring-key flute by Charles Boromée MAHILLON (1813-1887) was totally restored and now sounds fantastic. You can hear it for yourself playing Jean REMUSAT (1815–1880) Le flûtiste romancier, Introduction from around 1859. The flute is made of finely selected cocuswood with nickel silver keywork, rings and crown tip. All parts...
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...
We love walking stick instruments. This genuine walking stick or cane flute is a rare find indeed. The HÉROUARD family of woodwind instrument makers were established in La Couture from around 1760 and related by marriage to the HOTTETERRES. The Hérouard Frères company was active from 1835 to 1878....
Walking stick flute – DECKER, Joseph This is a fascinating and extremely rare walking stick instrument. This three-part marvel was made by the Bavarian master turner and instrument workshop of Joseph DECKER. It’s maybe from the mid-1800s. Very little is known about Joseph Decker and few of his instruments are...
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...
Münchner Kindl – ‘Munich child’
This emblem has represented Munich’s coat of arms since the 13th century. Initially, the depicted figure was a monk or friar with a Bible, but by the 16th century, it transformed into various representations, including that of a small child in a pointed hood, frequently seen holding a beer mug and a radish. It is believed that the name ‘Munich’ (München in German) is derived from the phrase Kloster von Mönchen, meaning ‘Cloister for Monks’, which relates to the nearby Imperial Abbey of Tegernsee, a Benedictine Monastery that was established close to the original settlement of Munich.
This image, in its numerous variations, has been displayed on countless items, including the city hall in Munich, manhole covers, and beer steins. The gender of the figure has also transformed over time, shifting from a clearly male representation to a gender-neutral child, and then to a small girl. Today, when the kindl is depicted by a person, such as during Oktoberfest, it is most often portrayed by a young woman.
