The legendary Claude Rive
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…
C.S. Barfoot – Blandford
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…
Side-blown flute combi – Bainbridge, Hastrick, Goulding, Wheatstone
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…
Oboe – ALBERT, Jacques
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…
Bassoon – SIMIOT, Jacques François
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…
Conical ring-key flute – THIBOUVILLE
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…
Boxwood flute – Christian Friedrich Hetsch
This delightful, boxwood flute with horn rings and a brass key was made by Christian Friedrich HETSCH (1798-1880), sometime around 1840. He was the last in a generation of woodwind instrument makers and musicians who lived in the town of Urach, in the Swabian Alp in Germany.The flute has been…
18th-century flute – SCHLEGEL, Jeremias
Let’s travel to Basel… to the eighteenth century and the family woodwind instrument workshop of the SCHLEGELs. This eighteenth century flute was made by the musician and instrument maker, Jeremias SCHLEGEL (1730-1792) in around 1780. Jeremias was the son of Christian SCHLEGEL (1667-1746) and they both worked in Basel. In 1746…
