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Cor omnitonique

Attributed to Charles Joseph Sax Belgian
1833
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 680
The loops of tubing incorporated into the body of this innovative natural horn allow the player to change the instrument’s pitch by using the long plunger to set the instrument in the desired key. On traditional natural horns, this was accomplished by using a set of detachable crooks. However, the additional weight and unwieldy shape of most omnitonic horns meant that none of them gained widespread acceptance. Players continued to use conventional natural horns or adopted the valved horns that were becoming more common during the mid nineteenth century. The fact that makers worked to devise new designs for natural horns long after the valve appeared in 1814 attests to the continued popularity of the natural horn among players and composers.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Cor omnitonique
  • Maker: Attributed to Charles Joseph Sax (Belgian, Dinant, Belgium 1790–1865 Paris)
  • Date: 1833
  • Geography: Brussels, Belgium
  • Culture: Belgian
  • Medium: Brass
  • Dimensions: Height: 21 5/8 in. (54.9 cm)
    Width (Perpendicular to bell): 16 5/8 in. (42.2 cm)
    Diameter (Of bell): 11 7/16 in. (29.1 cm)
  • Classification: Aerophone-Lip Vibrated
  • Credit Line: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
  • Object Number: 89.4.2418
  • Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments

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Tenor (Alto) Ophicleide in E-flat, Charles Joseph Sax Belgian, Brass, Belgian
Tenor (Alto) Ophicleide in E-flat
Charles Joseph Sax
ca. 1845
Tenor (Alto) Ophicleide in E-flat, Charles Joseph Sax Belgian, Brass, Belgian
Tenor (Alto) Ophicleide in E-flat
Charles Joseph Sax
ca. 1825–65
Fanfare Trumpet
Charles Joseph Sax
before 1865
Clarinet in B-flat, Charles Joseph Sax Belgian, Ivory, brass, gold-plated silver, Belgian
Clarinet in B-flat
Charles Joseph Sax
1830
Cornet à Pistons in B-flat, Courtois frères, Brass, touch pieces of ivory, French
Cornet à Pistons in B-flat
Courtois frères
1833

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