Dante RANCILIO founded his firm in 1901 in Milan, Italy. The company made brass and woodwind instruments and supplied the army and municipal bands. His business really took off after the First World War, selling to the flourishing band market and exporting worldwide. He specialised in saxophones and the reed...
This is a wonderful metal-encased portable metronome produced by the company WITTNER in Isny im Allgäu, Baden-Württemberg. This famous company was founded by Gustav Wittner in 1895 and specialised in manufacturing metronomes. Gustav’s son, Rudolf continued to expand the business, making Maelzel as well as Taktell® metronomes. The firm was...
This ruby red plastic/resin echophone harmonica was made in Germany in ‘G’ by Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG. Matthias Hohner founded the company in 1857.The instrument and case are in great shape with the gold lettering intact. It sounds wonderful… even if you don’t know how to play it!
This extremely rare instrument was made at the famous STENGEL workshop in Bayreuth, Germany by the woodwind master Johann Simon STENGEL (1803-1885) A similar instrument can be found in the Sir Nicholas Shackleton (1937-2006) collection at Edinburgh University. This particular instrument could even be earlier than the one...
This beautiful Louis LOT silver-plated flute from the Debonneetbeau era was fully restored and in its original case. Listen to a marvellous sound sample of this flute playing Syrinx by Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918). It was made after Louis LOT (1807-96) had retired and his first successor Honoré Désiré VILLETTE had literally...
Niles CHRISTENSEN was born in Vejle, Denmark on 27 June 1874 to Karen Langsen and Christen Nilsen. He emigrated to the USA, arriving there in 1892 and was registered as a musician. Later, he took up American citizenship. If we take a look through the New Langwill Index, we can...
Isn’t this trumpet by PELITTI just amazing! The Pelitti instrument workshop was established in Varese in the region of Lombardy, Italy. The Pelitti instrument workshop was established in Varese in the region of Lombardy, Italy. The founding member of the family was Luigi Giulio Melchisedech PELITTI (1736-after 1835). Luigi Pelitti started...
This is a grenadilla oboe with nickel silver keys by Hermann TRAPP (1855-?). Hermann Trapp seems to have set up his instrument shop in 1878 where he was born in Neukirchen bei Eger after having trained in Paris, Vienna and Linz. Then he moved to Wildstein in 1893, which is now...
This delightful Romantic oboe was made by the Prague-based masters Franz LUDWIG (1801-1882) and his son-in-law Josef MARTINKA (1831-1886). It is crafted in grenadilla with nickel silver keys and rings. The literature states that Ludwig was an apprentice at the CZERMAK workshop in Prague. Around 1830, he set up his own business. Josef...
This double flageolet was restored and is in playing condition. It has a nominal pitch of C and lowest note D. It is made of beautiful boxwood and has five silver keys and two windcutter keys (labium shutters). The original beak, wind distributor and studs are all made of ivory....
