Basset Horn in F

Franz Joseph Seidel was born in 1806 in Grafenort, Silesia, and died in Mainz 1872. He was appointed as court maker at Hesse-Darmstadt.


Overall size: 813
Bore: c-hole 14.4; f-hole 14.5

Technical description: Dark stained boxwood with silver plated German silver keywork, ferrules and silver plated brass bell. Five pieces: Mouthpiece, barrel, upper section, middle section, and butt with bell. Cocus mouthpiece intended for a ligature is a replacement. Bent barrel. All tone holes under keys lined with German silver. German silver tube in thumb hole, lined with ivory. Zig-zag speaker lever, speaker tone hole on the left hand side of the instrument, featured with an ivory chimney. Wood recessed under some touch pieces. Thumb rest and sling ring on the back of the lower section. Diatonic extension to C3. One tone hole on butt. 16 keys; 2 rings.

L0:   T; speaker.
L1:   T; throat A♮; throat A♭.
L2:   T; cross F4/ C6.
L3:   T; E♭4/B♭5.
L4:   C♯4/G♯5; E3/B♮4; F♯3/C♯5.
R0:   D3; C3
R1:   T; side F4/ C6; side E♭4/B♭5; side trill key for throat A-B♮ and B♭-C.
R2:   T + spectacle.
R3:   T + spectacle (forked B♭3/F♮5); cross B♭3/F♮5.
R4:   G♯3/E♭5; F3/C5.
Keyhead type: modern.

Keymount type: screwed-in pillars.

Inscribed on barrel and lower section "SEIDEL / MAINZ" and on bell in oval cartouche "Joseph Seidel / Großh[erzoglich] Heßs[ischer] / Hof-Instrumentenmacher"

On mouthpiece: in dotted oval cartouche "BUFFET / Crampon & Cie / A PARIS".

Playing accessories: a reed and a string.

(Heike Fricke, 2014)