We think that someone perhaps used this fife in the Great War, maybe as a soldier in a military band. The instrument and the musician had a history together and the owner therefore wanted to keep those memories and fife with him. So, the pommel and stick were added later for it to become a walking stick fife.

The stick part is made of very heavy wood, probably grenadilla. It has a previously repaired crack in the lower section. The stick part has to be removed in order to play the fife and can then be reinserted afterwards.

The playable part of this walking stick is a C-sharp fife. Its pitch is a=435 Hz, which was a common pitch used at the time. It is made of grenadilla wood and has nickel silver ferrules. It has six regular tone holes, normally found on earlier fifes, and a seventh elevated hole for the right little finger or pinky finger. This is a semi-tone hole. An ivory pommel is fixed to the top of the fife.

The fife was made by C.W Moritz – a company founded by Carl Wilhelm MORITZ (1811-1855). He was the son of the court wind instrument maker Johann Gottfried MORITZ (1777-1840), who invented the tuba along with Prussian bandmaster Wilhelm WIEPRECHT (1802-1872). The four generations of the Moritz family were famous for new inventions and patents for wind instruments – around 150 years of history.

When Carl Wilhelm Moritz died, the company name and maker’s stamp were still used right up until the company went into liquidation in 1955. The two World Wars and increasing competition led to its demise.  

When it’s put together, this walking stick is very long.  It must have belonged to a very tall person indeed, who added the ivory pommel for a bit of stability plus extra style – in fashion at the time!

Important note

This instrument contains ivory. A certificate for the legal sale of this instrument within the European Union is supplied when purchased.

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