Music & Musical Instruments

This sarrusophone was made by an unknown maker, probably Italy, in the mid-19th century. It is a 16-keyed instrument in bassoon form in the key of E-flat, made of brass. This instrument is very similar to a contrabass sarrusophone.

This instrument was acquired from the collection of Leopoldo Franciolini in 1892. Leopoldo Franciolini (1844–1920) was an Italian antique dealer who flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is remembered as a fraudster who sold faked and altered historical musical instruments.

This buisine was made by an unknown maker, provenance and date undetermined. It is a buisinine in B-flat, made of brass. The buisine is engraved:

SE [shield] NA MDDDXI

This buisine was acquired from the collection of Leopoldo Franciolini in 1892. Leopoldo Franciolini (1844–1920) was an Italian antique dealer who flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is remembered as a fraudster who sold faked and altered historical musical instruments.

This oboe was made by Barnaba Grassi in Milan, Italy, around 1775-1799. It is a 2-keyed oboe, made of boxwood with ivory ferrules and brass keys. There are three interchangeable upper joints numbered 1 through 3 from the shortest for tuning. The oboe is stamped:

GRASSI
IN MILAN

This oboe was acquired from the collection of Leopoldo Franciolini in 1892. Leopoldo Franciolini (1844–1920) was an Italian antique dealer who flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is remembered as a fraudster who sold faked and altered historical musical instruments.

This pochette was made by an unknown maker, provenance unknown, probably 19th century. It is a composite instrument with a one-piece table of spruce with orange-brown varnish, body made from a single piece of maple painted black, crude maple neck, pegbox and scroll, and orange-brown varnish.

This object is composed of unrelated fragments and does not appear to have ever functioned as a musical instrument in this form. The elongated narrow table with S-holes is joined to a solid back with four hollow facets. The violin neck is terminated in a crude pegbox and scroll. Acquired from the collection of Leopoldo Franciolini in 1892.

Leopoldo Franciolini (1844–1920) was an Italian antique dealer who flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is remembered as a fraudster who sold faked and altered historical musical instruments.

This pochette was made by an unknown maker, provenance unknown, late 18th century. It is a composite instrument with a one-piece table of one-piece spruce, body of gourd, maple neck and repaired pegbox, and yellow-brown varnish

This object is composed of unrelated fragments and does not appear to have ever functioned as a musical instrument in this form. The flat table with stylized S-holes is fitted to a body made from a gourd. The neck is terminated in a repaired pegbox with missing head. Acquired from the collection of Leopoldo Franciolini in 1892.

Leopoldo Franciolini (1844–1920) was an Italian antique dealer who flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is remembered as a fraudster who sold faked and altered historical musical instruments.

This clarinet was made by Johann Samuel Stengel in Bayreuth, Germany around 1810 to 1825. It is a 10-keyed alto clarinet in F, made of boxwood with ivory ferrules and brass keys. It is stamped:

STENGEL
BAIREUTH

This clarinet was acquired from the collection of Leopoldo Franciolini in 1892. Leopoldo Franciolini (1844–1920) was an Italian antique dealer who flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is remembered as a fraudster who sold faked and altered historical musical instruments.

This trumpet marine was made by an unknown maker, provenance unknown, probably 19th century. It is a composite instrument with a table of spruce with two C-holes, back of seven strips of slab-cut hardwood, grafted walnut neck terminated in a poplar cello pegbox and closed scroll with two volutes, and opaque brown varnish.

The object is composed of unrelated fragments and does not appear to have ever functioned as a musical instrument in this form. However, the grafted neck bears an interesting 18th century violoncello pegbox and scroll fragment. Acquired from the collection of Leopoldo Franciolini in 1892.

Leopoldo Franciolini (1844–1920) was an Italian antique dealer who flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is remembered as a fraudster who sold faked and altered historical musical instruments.

This trumpet marine was made by an unknown maker, provenance unknown, probably 19th century. This is a composite instrument made of a table of spruce, two-piece back of plain fruitwood cut on the slab, grafted hardwood neck is terminated in a hardwood pegbox and closed scroll with three volutes, and opaque brown varnish

The object is composed of unrelated fragments and does not appear to have ever functioned as a musical instrument in this form. The grafted neck bears a crude 18th century cello (or viol?) pegbox fragment and scroll. Acquired from the collection of Leopoldo Franciolini in 1892.

Leopoldo Franciolini (1844–1920) was an Italian antique dealer who flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is remembered as a fraudster who sold faked and altered historical musical instruments.

This tuba was made by Franz Olitsch in Vienna, Austria, around 1835-1865. It is a tuba made of brass with nickel silver trim, in ophicleide form with 3 Viennese-style double piston valves. This instrument is inscribed:

Franz Olitsch
Instrumenten Fabrik
in Wien

This tuba was made by August Beyde in Vienna, Austria, around 1835-1865. It is a bass tuba in F, made of brass, in an ophicleide form with 3 Viennese-Uhlmann style double piston valves. This instrument is inscribed

August Beyde In Wien

Leopold Uhlmann apprenticed with his father, Johann, in Vienna and studied horn at the Vienna Conservatory. Uhlmann received a patent for his improvements for double piston valves in 1830. He made instruments until his death in 1878, and his firm was continued by his son until about 1900.

This viola d’amore was made by an unknown maker, provenance unknown, probably 18th century. It is a composite instrument made of a two-piece table of spruce, two-piece back of maple with irregular, gently descending figure, ribs of similar maple, plain maple neck, pegbox and scroll, and yellow to yellow-orange varnishes. There is a printed and handwritten repair label inside the instrument:

Repaired by NR
Nicola Reale da Viggiano
Washington, D.C., 1939

This object was probably assembled by Leopoldo Franciolini to represent a viola d’amore with:
a) French neck, pegbox and scroll, ca. 1740
b) French table with “flame” soundholes, cut at bottom block area for a sympathetic string-holding system with iron tuning pins
c) German back, with slopes at upper and lower bouts and ribs, altered to fit a sympathetic string tuning pin system. The resulting instrument is inauthentically configured with six bowed and seven sympathetic strings. Acquired from the collection of Leopoldo Franciolini in 1892.

Leopoldo Franciolini (1844–1920) was an Italian antique dealer who flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is remembered as a fraudster who sold faked and altered historical musical instruments.

This tuba was made by Stengel, in Bayreuth, Germany, around 1830-1870. It is a contrabass tuba in BB-flat, made of brass with nickel silver trim, in an upright form with missing valve section (originally 3 or 4 mechanical rotary valves). This instrument is inscribed;

Stengel in Bayreuth
Deposito Brizzi e Niccolai Firenze

This oboe was made by an unknown maker in Italy, in the 19th century. It is a piffaro oboe, similar to a type of shawm, made of maple, and with 4 fingerholes. The cap and bell sections are decoratively turned. It has a slightly conical bore.

This oboe was acquired from the collection of Leopoldo Franciolini in 1892. Leopoldo Franciolini (1844–1920) was an Italian antique dealer who flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is remembered as a fraudster who sold faked and altered historical musical instruments.

This trumpet was made by Hirsbrunner in Sumiswald, Switzerland around 1800 to 1825. It is a G circular trumpet made of brass with an F crook, lead pipe, and mouthpiece. This compressed trumpet model, known as a stopftrompete, has a tuning slide in the center of the coil similar to a cor d’orchestre of the period.

The Hirsbrunner firm was founded by Christian Hirsbrunner in the late 18th century. The company continued with Hirsbrunner family members and still makes musical instruments to this day.

This set of planchettes was made by an undetermined maker and place, around 1847-1850.

It is tune #466 - dead march. These planchettes were accessioned with Debain player piano (Cat. #236911). They feature English patent #11359 (1846), by Alexander Debain for improvements in keyed musical instruments

This music box disc was made by Regina Music Box Co. in Rahway, New Jersey, around 1901-1902. It is Regina Disc #1993 - "Hiawatha (A Summer Idyl)," by Neil Moret. This disc is playable in a Regina Disc Music Box that can accommodate a 15-1/2” diameter disc.

This disc features the following patents:

U. S. Patent #417649, dated December 17, 1889 by Oskar Paul Lochmann for a music plate for mechanical instruments.

U. S. Patent #500374, dated June 27, 1893 by Gustav A. Brachhausen and Paul Riessner for a note-plate for music boxes.

various artists. Historic Jazz Concert at Music Inn (Atlantic 1298).
33-1/3 rpm.

Music Inn, also called the Music Barn, was an inn, performance venue, and the summer program of jazz education for the Lenox School of Jazz, in Lenox Massachusetts. From 1957-1960, the school featuring faculty including Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Giuffre, Percy Heath, and Connie Kayvenue. The performance venue and inn was in in operation from 1950–1979.

This cornet was made by the Buescher Band Instrument Co. in Elkhart, Indiana in 1912. It is a B-flat/A cornet, serial #15133, made of silver plated brass, and has 3 Périnet piston valves and a quick change slide. This cornet is accessioned with a period wooden case covered with black leatherette and lined with green plush. The cornet is engraved:

THE
Buescher
ELKHART
-IND.-

Ferdinand August “Gus” Buescher (1861-1937) began his career making instruments with the C.G. Conn Company in 1876. In late 1894, Buescher started his firm, in partnership with clothing merchant John L. Collins and salesman Harry L. Long, and formed the Buescher Manufacturing Company in Elkhart. By 1904, the company name was changed to the Buescher Band Instrument Company.

In 1916, Buescher sold a major share of the company and remained with the company until his resignation in 1929.