Alto Clarinet in E-flat
Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Wernicke was appointed as court instrument maker in 1863. The Prussian eagle in his stamp hints to that privilege. His customers included musicians in court and theater orchestras, in Saint Petersburg, Sweden, and Berlin.
Overall size: 890
Bore: 17.0
Technical description: This instrument is a 14 key Müller system alto clarinet. Boxwood with ivory ferrules and brass keywork. Five pieces: mouthpiece, barrel, upper section, lower section, bell. Very interesting mouthpiece of ebony covered with German silver. Bent barrel. Brass tube in thumb hole. Speaker liner projects ca. 4 mm into the bore. All keys mounted in blocks, except for G♯3/E♭5, which is mounted on a rod-axle and F3/C5, which is mounted between pillars. Wood recessed under some touch pieces. Integral wooden thumb rest. Silng ring below thumb rest. Wooden rim on bell. Wooden guidance for F♯3/C♯5 lever.
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.
R1: T; side F4/ C6; side trill key for throat A-B♮ and B♭-C.
R2: T.
R3: T; B♭3/F♮5; side B♮3/F♯5.
R4: F3/C5; G♯3/E♭5.
Keyhead type: shallow cups.
Keymount type: wooden blocks.
Inscribed on barell and upper section "HOLZINSTRUMENTENMACHER" / Prussian Eagle / "Wernicke / BERLIN / 2" / two stars"; on lower section with Prussian Eagle / "Wernicke / BERLIN" / one star; below that with Prussian Eagle / "Wernicke / BERLIN / 2" / two stars; and on bell with Prussian Eagle / "Wernicke / BERLIN / 2" / two stars.
Playing accessories: a German silver ligature. (Heike Fricke, 2014)
Overall size: 890
Bore: 17.0
Technical description: This instrument is a 14 key Müller system alto clarinet. Boxwood with ivory ferrules and brass keywork. Five pieces: mouthpiece, barrel, upper section, lower section, bell. Very interesting mouthpiece of ebony covered with German silver. Bent barrel. Brass tube in thumb hole. Speaker liner projects ca. 4 mm into the bore. All keys mounted in blocks, except for G♯3/E♭5, which is mounted on a rod-axle and F3/C5, which is mounted between pillars. Wood recessed under some touch pieces. Integral wooden thumb rest. Silng ring below thumb rest. Wooden rim on bell. Wooden guidance for F♯3/C♯5 lever.
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.
R1: T; side F4/ C6; side trill key for throat A-B♮ and B♭-C.
R2: T.
R3: T; B♭3/F♮5; side B♮3/F♯5.
R4: F3/C5; G♯3/E♭5.
Keyhead type: shallow cups.
Keymount type: wooden blocks.
Inscribed on barell and upper section "HOLZINSTRUMENTENMACHER" / Prussian Eagle / "Wernicke / BERLIN / 2" / two stars"; on lower section with Prussian Eagle / "Wernicke / BERLIN" / one star; below that with Prussian Eagle / "Wernicke / BERLIN / 2" / two stars; and on bell with Prussian Eagle / "Wernicke / BERLIN / 2" / two stars.
Playing accessories: a German silver ligature. (Heike Fricke, 2014)
Artwork Details
- Title: Alto Clarinet in E-flat
- Maker: Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Wernicke (German, fl. 1849–1870)
- Date: 1858–64
- Geography: Berlin, Germany
- Culture: German
- Medium: Boxwood, brass
- Dimensions: Length: 89.1 cm (35 1/16 in.) Diameter of bell: 10.6 cm (4 3/16 in.)
- Classification: Aerophone-Reed Vibrated-single reed cylindrical
- Credit Line: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
- Object Number: 89.4.2279
- Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Charles Joseph Sax
1830
C.W. Moritz
ca. 1855
Giosue Esposito
1881
Thomas Prowse
1832–68
Adolphe (Antoine Joseph) Sax
ca. 1855
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.