It was nearly 10 years ago that I saw the very first Triumpf tenor saxophone. The tenor had many of the hallmarks of a Julius Keilwerth-made horn, expect that it: 1. Didn’t have the JK logo on the back, nor 2. According to the seller, did it have a serial number engraved below the thumb rest— or anywhere else on the sax. However, it did have many features we see in JK horns of the Graslitz era.
1. Triumpf tenor eBay June 2012
Common features shared with Graslitz-era JK horns include:
- Right pinkie key shape
- Bell to body brace
- Left pinkie cluster
- Right sided bell keys
- Octave mechanism
- Finish (unusual in that it appears to have a gold lacquer, rather than a gold wash inner bell)
- MOP attachment on the key touches
As the years went by, I collected more samples of Triumpf tenor saxophones. The most recent is currently on eBay, which got me thinking: Were all of these made by the same company? Was that company JK? Do they all have the same features? What do they have in common? Etc. Etc.
I figured it was time to write an article about these mysterious Triumpf tenors in an effort to figure out exactly where they came once and for all… Or not.
2. Triumpf tenor belonging to a friend of Bassic Sax
Shortly after I originally wrote about the first Triumpf tenor shown above, I received an email from a fellow in Europe. He too owned a Triumpf tenor. These are the photos he sent.
Immediately upon comparison with the original Triumph soon above, a few things jumped out at me as being different.
- The bell engraving was quite different on this horn compared to the first one I saw.
- This horn only had the regular number of MOP key touches, while the first was a full pearl model.
- This horn has a C/D trill key, while the the original did not.
- Mostly importantly, while the horn appeared to have drawn and rolled tone holes, the bell key tone holes were straight, and maybe soldered.* (The photos are not so good, so the drawn vs. soldered issue is not 100% determinable.) The original Triumpf tenor had drawn and rolled tone holes for its bell keys.
* It should be noted that this is the only Triumpf tenor I have seen with this mix & match style of tone holes. Why? That’s a very good question.
3. Triumpf tenor eBay April 2015
The next Triumpf tenor sax I happened across was again on the German eBay site, but it was a bit of a different animal. Although it too shares most of its features with Graslitz-era JK saxophones, on the bell we see something very different.
The bell engraving looks like “Die Frauengestalt” engraving by Fritz Reichel, from Markneukirchen. This is something that to this day, I have not seen on JK-made horns. We do however, see Fritz Reichel’s engraving on some F.X. Hüller and Franz Köhler horns (sold under the CEA name most commonly).
This particular Triumpf tenor had a feature that JK had on their earlier Graslitz-made horns: wire key guards. However, F.X. Hüller had basically the same key guard–and the angle of the key arms that attached the key to the mechanism is also the same. Interesting.
Going along with the F.X. Hüller connection, this Triumpf’s microtuner looks more like those we see on F.X. Hüller, than those on Keilwerth. This too is interesting.
Could there be a F.X. Hüller connection to these Triumpf tenor saxes?
It was at this point when my Spidey senses started to tingle, and I began to wonder if what we were looking at weren’t horns that had the majority of their parts made by Keilwerth, with some bits and pieces from other companies like F.X. Hüller.
If so, then was it possible that these Triumph horns were assembled, and perhaps even finished, by one or more Heimarbeiter? (A practice that was very common with German musical instrument companies back in the day.) Could one or more of these Heimarbeiter—who worked from their homes to make instruments for well known instrument houses—be the source of these Triumpf tenors?
4. Triumpf tenor eBay November 2016
The next tenor I happened across bearing the Triumpf name, happened to be identical to the one I saw just a year earlier. These horns are so identical in fact, that I started wondering whether or not they could be the same horn. Unfortunately sans serial # or other identifying info, one can’t be 100% certain.
However, it appears to me that the head on “Die Frauengestalt” is tipped back just a little bit further on this horn than it is on the one from April 2015. That however, could just be an illusion due to the obvious polishing that the horn received during its overhaul.
This Triumpf tenor was being sold by German saxophone dealer bluespeter1 through his eBay page. His website always showcases many vintage European, especially German-made, saxophones.
This is how he described the tenor:
TRIUMPF Tenorsaxophon,
bei diesem Saxophon handelt es sich um ein F.X. Hüller,
F.X.Hüller Saxophone sind für ihre gute Intonation bekannt,
das Instrument wurde liebevoll graviert, siehe dazu auch die Abbildungen, die hübsche Dame auf dem Trichter wurde damals als” Frauengestalt” bezeichnet, der Graveur war Herr Reichel aus Markneukirchen.
Vermutlich handelt es sich um einen ” Privatbau”, da keine Herstellernummer verzeichnet ist.
Die Versilberung ist zu 100%erhalten, der Korpus besitzt eine mattierte Oberfläche, Mechanik , Gravur und Ringe sind hochglänzend abgesetzt. Mit gebördelten Tonlöchern.
Wohl eines der schönsten Saxophone, natürlich spielt es auch entsprechend.
Am S Bogen befindet sich eine Stimmschraube,und wie damals üblich besitzt das Saxophon einen Gis Triller.
Polster, Federn und Kork wurden vor kurzem erneuert.
Mit Koffer
Die Preise auf meiner Home weichen ab : Bluespeter1.de
According to Helen translate:
Triumpf tenor saxophone
This saxophone was made by F.X. Hüller.
F.X. Hüller saxophones are known for the intonation.
This instrument was lovingly engraved, note the included photos. The beautiful woman on the bell was referred to as “female figure” back then. The engraving was done by Mr. Reichel from Markneukirchen.
Since there is no serial number, we are likely looking at a private build.
The silver plate is 100% intact. The body is matt silver, mechanics, engraving, and rings are burnished silver. With rolled tone holes.
No doubt one of the prettiest saxophones, it also plays accordingly.
The neck has a micro tuner, and as customary for the times, the horn has a G# trill key.
Pads, springs, and corks were recently replaced.
With case.
For the price, visit my website: Bluespeter1.de
Interesting. So German saxophone dealer Bluespeter thinks the horn was made by F.X. Hüller.
A small side trip to saxophone making circa 30s-40s in the German-speaking regions
If this is your first time to the rodeo, let me help you just a bit. There was A LOT of cross pollination between saxophone manufacturers from the German-speaking regions in Europe.
Given today’s business climate, it is likely hard to understand why this might be the case. However, despite the competition between companies like Oscar Adler, F.X. Hüller, Julius Keilwerth, Max Keilwerth, et al., many of these companies had working relationships, and those relationships continued after WWII.
Unfortunately, due to the war, many of the original company records have been lost, and what exactly went on remains a mystery. What is known however, is that some personnel worked for multiple companies over time, and that their designs became instrumental in German saxophone design.
For example, if we look at Max Keilwerth, he began his career by working out of his home-based workshop—heimarbeit—by setting-up saxophones for Oscar Adler. In 1923 Max started working for F.X. Hüller. His job? To build up their saxophone division. It didn’t take very long, and he soon set up his own company, which he used to supply both Oscar Adler and F.X. Hüller with saxophones.
If you compare/contrast Max and his brother Julius’ horns, your notice a lot of similarities. Arguably the most notable are the right pinkie key shape, as well as the logo appearance/placement on back of the body tube by the serial #.
| Right pinkie keys | Logo | |
| Max Keilwerth |  |
 |
| Julius Keilwerth |  |
 |
Max Keilwerth is just one example of how certain people/companies were pivotal in saxophone design and manufacturing in the German-speaking regions of Europe. There are many others. Some I have already written about on my website, and others I still have either start or finish the research on.
One more side trip: the saxophones of F.X. Hüller
Since German saxophone dealer Bluespeter believed that the Triumpf tenor he had for sale in November 2016, originated from F.X. Hüller, I thought it would be worth a more in-depth check to see what that company’s saxophones looked like. Although Pete & I have a number of them already in our Bassic Sax Pix gallery, I have many more that I haven’t yet had a chance to upload.
After pouring over all my directories that contained F.X. Hüller horns, I came to the following conclusions:
- F.X. Hüller’s saxophone designs varied greatly over the company’s history.
- They also had a great number of models with different features.
- The company produced a wide variety of stencil horns, many of which were very ornate.
- Some of the most beautiful saxophones produced in the German-speaking regions of Europe were made by F.X. Hüller.
The following table gives you a snapshot of the salient features of F.X. Hüller saxophones, so that you can compare them to the Triumpf tenors. While true, these horns share some things with Triumpf horns, IMO, the JK horns are a much better match overall. But your opinion may differ.
| World tenor 24597 | World Deluxe tenor 21527 | Standard tenor 24083 | |
| Left palm keys |  |
 |
 |
| Left pinkie cluster | |
 |
|
| Bell key guards |  |
 |
 |
| Octave mechanism |  |
 |
|
| Bell to body support brace |  |
|
 |
| Right pinkie keys |  |
 |
|
| Socket stamping |  |
 |
 |
Want more F.X. Hüller info?
Years ago I wrote a brief blurb about the company for my website, but never updated it, since a fantastic resource on the brand was developed. I was very excited to see fxhuller.com when it debuted nearly a decade ago. If you want to learn about F.X. Hüller saxophones, Jos’ website is simply the best out there!
5. Triumpf tenor eBay April 2019
This interesting Triumpf tenor popped up on the German eBay 4 years after I saw the last one. Like the previous examples, given its age, it too is in remarkable shape.
The seller wrote this about this Triumpf tenor
Sehr schönes seltenes deutsches Tenorsax aus den 30er Jahren, pre WW2.
Es gibt wenig Informationen zu diesem mysteriösen Sax,
ich habe folgendes im Internet gefunden:
demnach handelt es sich um eine Mischung aus Julius Keilwerth und FX-Hüller Komponenten.
Der Korpus scheint von Hüller zu sein, die Mechanik und S-Bogen von Keilwerth.
Es sind folgende Markierungen am S-Bogen und der Aufnahme 6H oder H9.
Keine weiteren Nummern.Zustand: Original Altersentsprechend für das Alter Top.
Nickelsilber noch zu 99% erhalten
Kein Abrieb oder Verschleis am Daumenhaken, Hakenöse, S-Bogenhülse, nirgends Abnutzung zu erkennen.
Original alte Polster mit Resonatoren und Metallring aussenrum,
decken noch erstaunlich gut,
Instrument halbwegs spielbar, sollte justiert werden oder neue Polster.
Unten am Knie leichter Aufsetzer.
Diese Teil hat einen super satten fetten Klang, beide Oktaven klingen sehr harmonisch, die Ansprache ist leicht.
Helen translate says:
Very nice and uncommon German tenor sax from the 1930s, pre WWII.
There is very little information available about this mysterious sax. I found the following on the Internet:
This is about a combination of Julius Keilwerth and FX Hüller components.
The body appears to be from Hüller, and the mechanics and neck from Keilwerth.
The following marks appear on the neck and socket: 6H or H9.
No other numbers are present.Condition: According to its age, the original condition is very good.
Nickel silver is still 99% intact.
No wear or abrasions on thumb hook, strap ring, neck tenon, no signs of wear anywhere.
Original old pads with resonators and metal rings on the outside provide a surprisingly good seal. [FYI, not so sure about the original resos comment.
Instrument is halfway playable. Needs to be adjusted, or new pads.
Slight bump on the bottem of the bow.
This horn has a super fat sound. Both octaves are very harmonic. Speaks very easily. [Not sure how this jives with the line about it being halfway playable…]
There are 2 things that are different about this horn from the other 2 Triumpf tenors with sheet metal key guards I have illustrated above:
- The finish. This horn is nickel silver plate, vs the brushed silver with burnished silver and and a gold lacquer/plated bell we saw before.
- This Triumpf is stamped with a number and a letter on the socket and neck tenon like we see on F.X. Hüller saxophones. None of the other Triumpf tenors I have seen before or since are stamped like this. What does the 6H mean? Don’t know. I have not been able to figure out what the number/letter combos mean on any of the F.X. Huller horns either.
6. Triumpf tenor eBay November 2021
Last month this incredibly beautiful Triumpf popped up for sale on the German eBay site. This is how the seller described it:
Angeboten wird ein Vintage-Tenorsaxophon, das von J. Keilwerth, Graslitz in den späten 1930iger bzw. frühen 1940iger Jahren gefertigt wurde. Keilwerth-Saxophone sind bekannt für ihre hochwertige Verarbeitung und den hervorragenden Klang. Dieses Instrument trägt lediglich die Aufschrift „TRIUMPF“ und ist nicht Keilwerth markiert. Auch gibt es keine eingestanzte Serien-Nummer, aus der sich das genaue Alter ableiten lässt. Das hier angebotene Instrument ist baugleich mit dem „The New King“ aus der o.g. Zeitepoche. Nachstehend die wichtigsten Daten:
– Das Instrument wurde erst vor kurzem generalüberholt, hat neue Premium-Polster mit Metallresonatoren, neue Korken/Filze und teilweise auch neue Federn bekommen. Das Horn ist somit technisch und optisch in einem sehr guten und professionellen Zustand. Alle Polster decken gut, die Mechanik ist leise und der Sound ist kräftig und ausdrucksstark.
Das Saxophon hat gebördelte Tonlöcher und diverse Zusatzklappen, die man an modernen Saxophonen heute nicht mehr vorfindet. Es hat eine spezielle „Gis und Dis-Trillerklappe“ und einen funktionierenden Microtuner am S-Bogen, um eine Feinstimmung vornehmen zu können. Sämtliche Drücker und Klappen sind mit edlem Perlmutt versehen und auch die Röllchen an den Klappen sind in tadellosem Zustand. Der Korpus ist matt, die Klappen, Ringe, Becher und Gravur sind glänzend versilbert. Die Versilberung ist zu 100 % erhalten. Die wunderschöne Gravur am Becher zieht sich bis in den Rundbogen hinein und verschmilzt mit der Rundbogen-Verstärkung. Es ist quasi ein Luxusmodell in der vollkommensten und allerfeinsten Ausführung aus der damaligen Zeit.
Das Instrument wurde gereinigt, poliert und desinfiziert, sodass kein Vintage-Geruch vorhanden ist. Der Original-Koffer ist im Inneren als auch äußerlich noch recht gut erhalten.
Helen translate offers the following for our non-German readers:
Up for offer is a vintage tenor saxophone that was made by J. Keilwerth in Graslitz in the late 1930s to early 1940s. Keilwerth saxophones are known for their high quality workmanship and excellent sound. This instrument is stamped only with the name “Triumpf”, and does not carry any Keilwerth markings. It is also not stamped with a serial number, therefore an exact date of manufacturing cannot be determined. The instrument offered for sale here is structurally the same as “The New King” from the same era. The most important data is:
The instrument recently received an overhaul, and received premium pads with metal resos; new corks & felts; and some new springs.
This horn is therefore technically and visually in very good professional condition. All pads seal well; the mechanisms are quiet; and the sound is powerful and expressive.
The saxophone has rolled tone holes and extra keys no longer found on modern saxophones. It has special G# and C/D trill keys, and a working microtuner on the neck to enable fine tuning. Numerous keys and key touches are finished with mother of pearl, and even the rollers are in perfect condition. The body is matte plate, the keys, bell, and engraving are polished silver plate. The silver plate is 100% in tact. The beautiful engraving extends onto the bow, and melds with the bow guard. This horn was built as a luxury edition, and represents the finest, most perfect model of the time.
This instrument was cleaned, polished, and disinfected so that no vintage odors are present. The original case is still in very good condition both inside and out.
Note the microtuner. It looks different than those we’ve seen on #’s 3 & 4 above. Those looked like those on F.X. Hüller necks. This one looks like what we see on JK necks.
Triumpf tenors vis-à-vis Julius Keilwerth tenors from the same era
The above seller’s writeup is probably the best description I have seen in a really long time of any vintage horn—let alone the best description of one of these mysterious vintage Triumpf tenors. Although for the most part the seller didn’t write anything new per se, their invocation of the name The New King got me thinking.
Let’s take a quick look at a few JKs from the era in a variety of models and compare them to the Triumpf tenor saxophones that we’ve seen. Remember the Toneking and The New are the same horn. The only difference is that the Toneking comes with a high F# key.
According to the most complete serial # chart for Keilwerth saxophones that is available on the Net, for horns made between 1938 – 1943, we would be looking for saxes with serial #’s: 11001 – 19101.
I found the following tenors in my files that lined up with this narrow set of serial numbers and model specifications. Below each you will see how it compares to the Triumpf tenors with SHEET METAL key guards.
Manhattan Tenor #18795 – stencil of The New King
| Feature | Compared to Triumpf tenor with sheet metal key guards |
| Left palm keys |  |
| Left pinkie cluster | |
| Bell key guards | close but no cigar |
| Octave mechanism | |
| Bell to body support brace | |
| Right pinkie keys | |
Toneking tenor #16XXX
| Feature | Compared to Triumpf tenor with sheet metal key guards |
| Left palm keys | |
| Left pinkie cluster | |
| Bell key guards | close but no cigar |
| Bell to body support brace | |
| Right Pinkie Cluster | |
| Micro tuner | – compared to #6 |
Toneking tenor Soloist # 14160
| Feature | Compared to Triumpf tenor with sheet metal key guards |
| Microtuner |  – compared to #6 |
| Left palm keys | |
| Left pinkie cluster | |
| Bell key guards | close but no cigar |
| Octave mechanism | |
| Bell to body support mechanism | |
| Right pinkie keys | |
| Extra MOP key touches | – compared to #6, 5, & 1 |
In my mind there is no doubt about it, the Triumpf tenors with sheet metal key guards most definitely line up most closely with JK from this era, with bits and pieces on some horns from F.X. Hüller. Case closed. Right?
Well just when you think that things are neatly wrapped up in a bow, something comes along to make you question your theory for the 101st time.
In October 2014 I saw this Star tenor on the German eBay site. Although not stencilled with the Triumpf name, by the looks of it, the Star tenor does seem to share a common pedigree.
7. Star tenor eBay October 2014
Like the Triumpf tenors discussed and illustrated in this article, this Star had no serial #, nor did it have any manufacturer’s identification stamped anywhere on the horn.
If you compare/contrast it to the previous 6 Triumpf tenors on this page, you will notice that it is identical toTenor #6, with the exception of the bell engraving. This bell engraving is what we saw on horns 3 & 4, and is what we have come to associate with Fritz Reichel.
In an effort to tie everything up
There has been A LOT of data presented in this article. In an effort to make this more manageable, I put together the following searchable table.
Triumpf & Star tenor saxophones
| Triumph tenor eBay June 2012 | Triumph tenor belonging to friend of Bassic Sax | Triumph tenor eBay April 2015 | Triumph tenor eBay November 2016 | Triumph tenor eBay April 2019 | Triumph tenor eBay November 2021 | Star tenor eBay October 2014 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| serial # | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a but it is stamped 6H on the socket and tenon | n/a | n/a |
| finish | brushed silver finish with gold lacquered bell | brushed silver with burnished keys and accents on bell | brushed silver plate with polished keys and accents on bell | brushed silver plate with polished keys and accents on bell | nickel silver | brushed silver with burnished keys and accents on bell | brushed silver; lots of tarnish; details, if present, not distinguishable |
| key touches | full MOP on all key touches | MOP on the main keys. | MOP on main keys, and G# of left pinkie cluster. | MOP on main keys and G# of left pinkie cluster. | full MOP on all key touches | full MOP on all key touches | full MOP on all key key touch |
| range | low Bb - F | low Bb - F | low Bb - F | low Bb - F | low Bb - F | low Bb - F | low Bb - F |
| front F | Yes, MOP button key | Yes, MOP button key | Yes, MOP button key | Yes, MOP button key | Yes, MOP button key | Yes, MOP button key | Yes, MOP button key |
| bis Bb | Yes, small MOP button key | Yes, small MOP button key | Yes, small MOP button key | Yes, small MOP button key | Yes, small MOP button key | Yes, small MOP button key | Yes, small MOP button key |
| chromatic F# | MOP button, tone hole located at back of horn. | MOP button, tone hole located at back of horn. | MOP button, tone hole located at back of horn. | MOP button, tone hole located at back of horn. | MOP button, tone hole located at back of horn. | MOP button, tone hole located at back of horn. | MOP button, tone hole located at back of horn. |
| thumb octave lever | ? | MOP(?) round button | MOP round button | MOP(?) round button | MOP round button | MOP round button | |
| octave mechanism | same as JK had on their latter Graslitz-made horns | same as JK had on their latter Graslitz-made horns | same as JK had on their latter Graslitz-made horns | same as JK had on their latter Graslitz-made horns | same as JK had on their latter Graslitz-made horns | same as JK had on their latter Graslitz-made horns | same as JK had on their latter Graslitz-made horns |
| left pinkie cluster shape | Same as JK had on their Toneking, The New King, and their respective stencils circa 11000 - 19000 | Same as JK had on their Toneking, The New King, and their respective stencils circa 11000 - 19000 | Same as JK had on their Toneking, The New King, and their respective stencils circa 11000 - 19000 | Same as JK had on their Toneking, The New King, and their respective stencils circa 11000 - 19000 | Same as JK had on their Toneking, The New King, and their respective stencils circa 11000 - 19000 | Same as JK had on their Toneking, The New King, and their respective stencils circa 11000 - 19000 | Same as JK had on their Toneking, The New King, and their respective stencils circa 11000 - 19000 |
| bell to body brace | single piece of metal like we see in JK with sheet metal key guards | single piece of metal like we see in JK with sheet metal key guards | single piece of metal like we see in JK with sheet metal key guards | single piece of metal like we see in JK with sheet metal key guards | single piece of metal like we see in JK with sheet metal key guards | single piece of metal like we see in JK with sheet metal key guards | single piece of metal like we see in JK with sheet metal key guards |
| right pinkie key shape | same as we on JK's Graslitz-made horns | same as we on JK's Graslitz-made horns | same as we on JK's Graslitz-made horns | same as we on JK's Graslitz-made horns | same as we on JK's Graslitz-made horns | same as we on JK's Graslitz-made horns | same as we on JK's Graslitz-made horns |
| low Eb/C key mechanism | single hinge tube with low Eb & C keys attached | single hinge tube with low Eb & C keys attached | single hinge tube with low Eb & C keys attached | single hinge tube with low Eb & C keys attached | single hinge tube with low Eb & C keys attached | single hinge tube with low Eb & C keys attached | single hinge tube with low Eb & C keys attached |
| G# trill key | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| C/D trill key | no | yes | no | no | no | yes | yes |
| tone holes | drawn & rolled | drawn & rolled | drawn & rolled | drawn & rolled | drawn & rolled | drawn & rolled | drawn & rolled |
| bell key tone holes | drawn & rolled | soldered (?) & straight | drawn & rolled | drawn & rolled | drawn & rolled | drawn & rolled | drawn & rolled |
| bell keys | right sided | right sided | right sided | right sided | right sided | right sided | right sided |
| engraving | bell & bow ornately engraved; Triumpf on bell in ribbon; | bell & bow ornately engraved; Triumpf on bell in ribbon; large "V" shape on bell; | bell & bow engraving by Fritz Reichel: "Die Frauengestalt" The female figure. Naked women holding a ball over her head. Triumpf in ribbon across the ball. | bell & bow engraving by Fritz Reichel: "Die Frauengestalt" The female figure. Naked women holding a ball over her head. Triumpf in ribbon across the ball. | bell & bow ornately engraved; Triumpf on bell in ribbon; | bell & bow ornately engraved; Triumpf on bell in ribbon; | bell & bow engraving by Fritz Reichel: "Die Frauengestalt" The female figure. Naked women holding a ball over her head. Star horizontally across the ball. |
| key guards | sheet metal; different in cut-out than those from JK than we saw on their tenors circa 11000 - 19000 | sheet metal; different in cut-out than those from JK than we saw on their tenors circa 11000 - 19000 | Wire key guards with feet shaped like those we see on F.X. Hüller; attached to the bell to body brace on the low end--also like we see on F.X. Hüller | Wire key guards with feet shaped like those we see on F.X. Hüller; attached to the bell to body brace on the low end--also like we see on F.X. Hüller | sheet metal; different in cut-out than those from JK than we saw on their tenors circa 11000 - 19000 | sheet metal; different in cut-out than those from JK than we saw on their tenors circa 11000 - 19000 | sheet metal; different in cut-out than those from JK than we saw on their tenors circa 11000 - 19000 |
| microtuner | No, but there is evidence that a section has been added at the MP. Likely microtuner was removed. | no | yes; in construction like those we see in F.X. Hüller | yes; in construction like those we see in F.X. Hüller | No, but there is evidence that a section has been added at the MP. Likely microtuner was removed. | yes; in construction like those we see in JK horns | yes; in construction like those we see in JK horns |
Conclusion
In the end I believe that these horns were likely ordered by a company, and that they were constructed using a combo of F.X. Huller and Julius Keilwerth parts. Was Max Keilwerth involved? Quite possibly, since we know he was working for F.X. Huller even after he started his own company.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if these horns were a collaboration between the two Keilwerth brothers famous for their saxophones?
Sadly, it is unlikely we will ever know the true story behind these mysterious Triumpf tenor saxophones. I have had no joy in discovering any musical instrument or supply company from the era with the name Triumpf—or for that matter Star.
Despite all the hours of research that went into this article, there are many questions that still linger about these rather unusual horns. Arguably however, the most interesting questions are not simply about their origins, but about their overall provenance.
- Given that so many horns from this era are in such bad condition, why are the Triumpf saxophones that have appeared for sale in such outstanding condition?
- Where have they been?
- Who had owned them?
- Where have they been played?
- Have they been played?
- Why are we only seeing tenor saxophones?
- Were there any soprano, alto, bari, bass, other, Triumpf saxophones built?
- If so, where are they?
By writing this extensive article my hope is that more owners of these horns will turn up, and maybe we’ll hear of altos, et al. as well. Hey, stranger things have happened.
And finally
This article was written over the course of many days, and multiple drafts. There are bound to be errors. If you notice any discrepancies, errors, omissions, etc., please comment below. Thank you.
If you have a Triumpf horn, or a horn that looks the same but with a different stencil name, please comment below as well.
Thanks all!
Impresive research. I have only a orthographic suggestion.
Triumpf is the Czech spelling for the German Triumph. Now there are Triumph saxophones made by Oscar Adler, Buescher and Rampone and Cazzani. It is possible that these tenors where ordered as Triumph stencils, but could not be sold because of a spelling error?
In such a case they could be kept in consignation for a long time.