English
DonateMembershipTickets

Clarinet in E-flat

1830–60
Not on view
Henry Prentiss (born Roxburry 25 June 1801; died Boston 1859) manufactured musical instruments, umbrellas and sheet music, which he sold from his shop on Court Street in Boston, Massachusetts in the 19th-century. Waterhouse, NLI, 310.

Overall size: 490.
Bore: c-hole 11.0; f-hole 11.4.
Conical part: 118.

Technical description: Dark stained boxwood with ivory ferrules and brass keywork. Five pieces: mouthpiece, barrel, upper section, lower section, bell. Long tenon English-style mouthpiece grooved for cord. Typical English-style flask shaped barrel. The keys are mounted in square wooden rings, which is rather archaic for an instrument made around the middle of the 19th century. Speaker liner projects about 4mm into the bore. Levers for L4, tone-hole and key for R4 mounted in a bell-shaped swelling. Zig-zag F♯3/C♯5 lever guided in a rudiment of a round turned wooden ring.

L0:   T; speaker.
L1:   T; throat A♮.
L2:   T.
L3:   T.
L4:   E3/B♮4; F♯3/C♯5.
R1:   T.
R2:   T.
R3:   T.
R4:   T; G♯3/E♭5.
Keyhead type: flat square.
Keymount type: turned wooden rings and swelling.
Inscribed on all pieces except for unstamped mouthpiece "PRENTISS / BOSTON".
Playing accessories: One reed and a cord (not original). Dark stained boxwood reed cap.
(Heike Fricke, 2014)

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Clarinet in E-flat
  • Maker: Henry H. Prentiss (American, Roxbury, Massachusetts 1801–1860 Boston)
  • Date: 1830–60
  • Geography: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Wood
  • Dimensions: L. w/o cap: 49.2 cm (19-3/8 in.)
  • Classification: Aerophone-Reed Vibrated-single reed cylindrical
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Clara Mertens Bequest, in memory of André Mertens, 1990
  • Object Number: 1990.222.1
  • Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments
More Artwork
Side drum, Henry H. Prentiss  American, Wood with paint, rope, leather, skin, American
Henry H. Prentiss
ca. 1840
Pipe Organ, Thomas Appleton  American, Mahogany veneer, rosewood veneer, pine, gilt, ivory, ebony, maple, walnut, chestnut, metal, American
Thomas Appleton
1830
Clarinet in B-flat, Charles Joseph Sax  Belgian, Ivory, brass, gold-plated silver, Belgian
Charles Joseph Sax
1830
Vase, James Callowhill  American, Porcelain, American
James Callowhill
ca. 1889–1900
Clarinet in D, Boxwood, brass, German
German
1750–70

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 contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.