Anonymity – What’s in a name?

Anonymity

We often come across musical instruments with no stamp and no indication as to where they were made or their makers. They remain forever unsigned, unstamped and anonymous. These instruments are often brushed aside and rejected as worthless or inferior. But are they? Why did instrument makers choose anonymity and is it worth buying an anonymous instrument?

Anonymity in musical instrument making

We can imagine that musical instrument makers didn’t simply forget to stamp their instruments… Ooh whoops… forgot to do that! [Although, apparently it does happen!] So, why no stamp? Let’s call our anonymous maker Joe Bloggs (for our international audience – John Doe, Fulano de Tal, Monsieur Tout-le-monde or Max Mustermann).

One theory is that old Joe Bloggs was not a member of an instrument-making guild and had no ‘licence’ to make instruments. Therefore, he was not allowed to make any. It could also be the case that Joe Bloggs made and subsequently sold some instruments off the record and paid no tax to the authorities.

Joe Bloggs could also have made instruments anonymously for someone else. That someone else would then need to put an own stamp on the instrument in question and in this case, it didn’t happen.

Finally, Joe Bloggs could have been an apprentice who made the instrument in his master’s workshop without the master’s signature.

In general, anonymity offers advantages. When you’re anonymous, you don’t have to live up to your fame and you can experiment and try new things. You can also practise and get better at what you do. Anonymity also enables you to fail… if you need to fail.

[Funnily enough, stamping musical instruments is not an easy task it seems, and many makers failed in the last moment… and the stamps went wrong. Just take a look at the stamp below.]

Buying an anonymous instrument

If you buy an anonymous instrument, its maker will always remain a mystery. However, by consulting an expert, it is possible to date the instrument and often determine its provenance.

For collectors, a maker’s stamp is extremely important. There are even books jammed full of information on makers and their stamps. Yet no stamp does not mean that the instrument is inferior in quality or not good. It’s often the case that anonymous instruments are very good value for money and great to play – perfect for those who are not impressed with just names!

LIBRARY OVERVIEW

Keyed bugle – METZLER & SON

This is an extraordinary six-keyed bugle by METZLER & SON. The company METZLER was founded in 1788 by Valentin METZLER... read more

Cornopean – RAOUX, Auguste

A rare and extremely collectable Cornet a Pistons (cornopean) in B-Flat by the famous maker, (Marcel) Auguste RAOUX (1795-1871).Auguste Raoux... read more

Last name HAYNES – American flute manufactory

The HAYNES surname is synonymous with Boehm flute manufacture in the USA. But it’s all somewhat confusing – same name,... read more

Piccolo – RITTERSHAUSEN, Emil

This delightful piccolo in C was made by the renowned Berlin-based maker Emil RITTERSHAUSEN. Carl Emil Cäsar RITTERSHAUSEN (1852-1927) worked... read more

Flute – KLEMM, Carl August

This beautiful ebony flute was completely restored.It is stamped with the marks of Carl August KLEMM (1769-1830). He was born... read more

Bass ophicleide – A.G. GUICHARD

This bass ophicleide was made perhaps around 1840 in Paris by the August G. GUICHARD workshop. This important maker would... read more

Fife – CAHUSAC, Thomas Sr.

This boxwood fife is very old indeed. It was made around 1780–90 by one of London’s famous instrument-making families –... read more

Emil Rittershausen – Boehm flutes made in Berlin

Who better to make Boehm flutes than a flute maker who received first-hand training from Mr. Boehm himself? Carl Emil... read more

E. Rittershausen, Berlin

One of the beautiful stories of mythology tells of the way the first musical instrument was suggested. As the story runs, as Orpheus was walking along the shores of the sea, his foot struck a reed that had been cast up by the waters, and had dried in the sun. The reed gave forth a soft, sweet sound as it was made to vibrate by the stroke of Orpheus’ foot and the result was the lyre or hand-harp of the ancient Egyptians. A similar story, and probably the same one adapted to the wind instruments, is that of Lucretius which says that “the simple flute had its origin from the breathing of western winds over certain reeds,” and thus was suggested the musical pipe, or simple tube, which has developed into one of the most fascinating of instruments.

The most elaborate and beautiful collection of flutes ever displayed in the United States, and probably in the world, was seen by visitors to the German section of the Columbian Exposition. The display was that of E. Rittershausen, of Berlin. It was arranged in a large, square glass case, and consisted of flutes made of various woods, of Ebonite and of sterling silver. The Rittershausen flutes are the standard of the world, and have received the indorsement of the best performers upon this favorite instrument. Until 1832 the flute was not regarded as a perfect instrument. In that year Theobald Boehm, of Munich, brought the instrument to such a degree of perfection as to make it one of the most prominent of orchestral and solo instruments. The Rittershausen flutes are made exactly upon the Boehm system, and with such wondrous skill and delicacy of workmanship as to have long since become the favorite of discriminating flutists. It is, in fact, the instrument universally referred to when the Boehm flute is desired.

Like the illustrious Boehm, Mr. Rittershausen is also a virtuoso as well as a manufacturer, devoting his entire faculties to the production of a perfect flute. By his own practical skill he is enabled to appreciate the many details and requirements in the construction of such an instrument as is demanded by the most fastidious virtuoso. This, it will readily be seen, is an invaluable consideration in the selection of a flute by a skilled performer. And in the rapid progress of musical culture of America, there are many lovers of the beautiful instrument who are its admirers and enthusiastic students at the present time.

Living in the musical city of Berlin, Mr. Rittershausen is thrown in personal contact with the greatest flutists of Europe, thereby receiving many suggestions from them that are of incalculable benefit in the manufacture of his instruments. The Rittershausen factory is located at 107 Bergmann street, Berlin, and its product has been famous from the establishing of the present business in 1870. Each year adds largely to the number of Rittenhausen-Boehm flutes in use in America, and they have received the highest testimonials from the most famous composers and performers in this country as well as those abroad. The American representative of the Rittershausen flutes is Mr. Carl Fischer, No. 6 Fourth Avenue, New York.

Musical Instruments at the World’s Columbian Exposition – Frank D. Abbottt, Charles A. Daniell – 1895 – P. 200