{"id":39249,"date":"2013-10-15T08:10:33","date_gmt":"2013-10-15T16:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/blog\/?p=39249"},"modified":"2024-06-09T10:36:26","modified_gmt":"2024-06-09T17:36:26","slug":"antique-paul-stark-catalogue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/blog\/2013\/antique-paul-stark-catalogue\/","title":{"rendered":"An Antique Paul Stark Catalogue"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Paul<\/a><\/p>\n

Over the past few months I’ve posted pages from various vintage catalogues that were sent to me by a fellow in Europe. Today’s offering is a bit different for two reasons:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. This catalogue is not from the 1900s. It is however, from the 19th century. These catalogue pages, from the Paul Stark company of Markneukirchen, Germany, are from 1893.<\/li>\n
  2. Until now the catalogue pages that I’ve featured in my weblog have featured only saxophones. Yes, today’s pages will show us a brand of antique saxophone, but more importantly, they will show us some long-forgotten saxophone relatives.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I hope you enjoy today’s historical trip down musical instrument lane. This one is dedicated to my friend and colleague, Pete Hales. Pete has been doing this type of research longer than I have, and was actually the one who inspired me to do the research that I currently do.<\/p>\n

    I should mention that I’m trying something different in this article. In order to keep the page length under control, I’ve opted to created separate pages for each instrument, or group of instruments. At the end of each written page it says: On to page X \u00bb<\/strong>. Starting on page 2, there is also a link that will take you back to the previous page. (\u00abBack to page X.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Paul Stark catalogue introductory pages<\/h2>\n

    \"Paul<\/a><\/p>\n

    The above image was created using two image files that I combined together in Photoshop as best I could. They matched up together almost perfectly. Presumably the image shows the Paul Stark company’s showroom in Markneukirchen, as it was in 1893.<\/p>\n

    \"Paul <\/a>
    “Illustrated Main Catalogue” <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
    \"Paul <\/a>
    C.G. Stark Jr., Founder of the company <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
    \"Paul <\/a>
    A note from C.G. Stark’s son, Paul, who owned the company in 1893, about the new illustrated catalogue. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

    It’s a mini bassoon. No, it’s a deformed alto clarinet. No, it’s an octavin.<\/h2>\n

    The first instrument that is included from this Paul Stark catalogue, is the octavin. It is a very odd-looking bird, which resembles the bottom of a bassoon, with a bell and a clarinet-type mouthpiece attached. This strange instrument has a conical bore, and overblows the octave, like a flute, oboe, bassoon, and of course the saxophone. (And no, I’m not going to translate this whole page ATM. I’ll do it later, when I write about this instrument for my website<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

    \"Paul<\/a><\/p>\n

    An octavin popped up on eBay just over a year ago. Unfortunately, the seller didn’t provide a manufacturer’s name with his horn. But the info. he did provide, does jive with known sources, so I’ll just quote what he wrote.<\/p>\n

    This instrument is ready to play and comes with its original mouthpiece and case.<\/p>\n

    It does not have a serial number. It is a single reed instrument, with a conical bore. Its invention is attributed to Jullius Jehring. (1824 -1906) a bassoon maker in Markneukirchen, Germany. Oskar Adler, a maker in Markneukirchen and Hermann Jordan of the same town were granted the German patents (on 27 September and 11 of October 1893).<\/p>\n

    The instrument, 40 cm high, is made of rosewood (palisander), resembling the butt of a bassoon. The wider bore is fitted with a small metal bell, turned outwards at a right angle. To the narrower bore an ebonite joint is added, terminating in a clarinet type beak mouthpiece. 14 keys and three rings are fingered, much as a simple system oboe.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    \"octavin,<\/a><\/p>\n

    Source: welchmusic on eBay.com<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"octavin,<\/a><\/p>\n

    Source: welchmusic on eBay.com<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"octavin, <\/a>
    Left Side <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
    \"octavin, <\/a>
    Right Side Angle View <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
    \"octavin, <\/a>
    Original Case <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

    Source: welchmusic on eBay.com<\/span><\/p>\n

    If you’d like to read more about this rather odd, rare instrument, check out the octavin page on the Oddwinds wiki<\/del>.<\/p>\n

    On to page 2 \u00bb<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \u00ab Back to page 1<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

    The next page of this Paul Stark catalogue features 3 instruments made of brass. At least one of these instruments has taken on nearly mythological status…<\/p>\n

    \"Paul<\/a><\/p>\n

    The Clavicor<\/h2>\n

    Starting with the first instrument listed, the clavicor, it was shown to be orderable in 5 pitches: F, Eb, C, Eb, Db, and Bb. (Although I am curious what the difference between catalogue numbers 451 and 453 is, as both are listed in Eb, and no other info. is provided.)<\/p>\n

    If you’re like me, and haven’t heard of a clavicor before, this is what the Harvard Dictionary of Music<\/a> writes about this unusual instrument:<\/p>\n

    An alto or tenor brass instrument in a tall, upright shape. It has a very narrow bore and three St\u00f6lzel *valves, one for the left hand and two for the right. Patented in 1837 by a Parisian named Danays, it was designed to replace the *ophicleide and was made in five sizes (alto in F and Eb; tenor in Db, C, and Bb) in Paris by the firm of Guichard. During the mid-19th century, clavicors were used in some French, English, and Italian bands. Later models had all three valves together in the usual right-hand position.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    If you’d like to see what a clavicor looks like, Horn-u-copia has a nice, but small, photo of one<\/a> on their site.<\/p>\n

    The Ophicleide<\/h2>\n

    \"ophicleide,<\/a><\/p>\n

    9 key ophicleide by Charles Joseph Sax  Source: stayhungrystayfoolish1 on eBay.com<\/span><\/p>\n

    Unlike clavicors and octavins, we quite regularly see ophicleides for sale on places like eBay, and on specialty sites. These brass instruments have a conical bore and keys, like our favourite woodwind, but have a brass wind mouthpiece.<\/p>\n

    \"ophicleide,<\/a><\/p>\n

    BBb, 10 key ophicleide by Kelhermann  Source: Wichita Band Instrument Company on eBay.com<\/span><\/p>\n

    The ophicleide was designed to replace to replace the wooden serpent<\/a> that was hard to play… especially well. As a matter of fact, according to contrabass.com<\/a>, ophicleide means “keyed serpent”.<\/p>\n

    Given their overall construction, it is not surprising that there are those who draw a connection between the ophicleide and the saxophone. I’m not sure who originally published the theory that the ophicleide was related to the saxophone, but the theory goes like this: Adolphe Sax’s prototype saxophone was made by taking a ophicleide and adding a bass clarinet mouthpiece to it.<\/p>\n

    Most recently this theory was restate by Stephen Cottrell, in his book The Saxophone.<\/em> He writes that:<\/p>\n

    The coupling of a single-reed sound generator with a large conical-bore instrument such as the ophicleide certainly produces a sound that distinctly suggests the tessitura of the baritone\/bass saxophone. Berlioz, writing in March 1842, confirms the genesis of this ‘ophicl\u00e9ide \u00e0 bec’, observing that the instrument involved ‘replacing the cup mouthpiece with the mouthpiece of a clarinet.<\/p>\n

    Source: The Saxophone<\/em>, by Stephen Cottrell pp. 40-41.<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    In the Paul Stark catalogue from 1893, the ophicleides are shown to be available with either a round (rund) or oval bell (Schallst\u00fcck). Replacement bell sections and pads (Klappenpolster) were also available through the Paul Stark company.<\/p>\n

    In addition to being available in either 9, 10, or 11 key versions, apparently the older “M\u00fcller” system horns were available as well… Whatever that was. If you have any knowledge about what these M\u00fcller system horns were, please leave a comment, or drop me an email<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    The fabled Georgeophone<\/h2>\n

    \"Georgeophone,<\/a><\/p>\n

    A P\u00e9lisson Brothers Georgeophone circa 1861. Source: archive of Michel Smiga’s website<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

    The next instrument from this antique Paul Stark catalogue, is one that has taken on nearly mythological status in the saxophone world. Pete Hales has written an excellent history about the Georgeophone in his article, The Saga of the Curved Baritone<\/a>. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I’m going to suggest that you hop on over to Pete’s weblog, and see what he discovered about this ophicleide-shaped saxophone.<\/p>\n

    Suffice to say here, the Georgeophone was built by the P\u00e9lisson Brothers in the latter part of the 19th century. According to French music blog, Archives Musique, Facteurs, Marchands, Luthiers<\/a> (thanks Google Translate), these unusual baritone and bass saxophones were based on the patent<\/a> that Claude George filed in 1867, and that P\u00e9lisson Brothers held.<\/p>\n

    The patent called for:<\/p>\n

    “A mounting system saxophone keys” which consisted primarily to align the key with one hand on the same rod, which greatly simplified the assembly and disassembly of the instrument. One can read in the brochure that was “only 8 screws instead of 34 in the classical model.”<\/p>\n

    This principle is still used in modern saxophone.<\/p>\n

    Source: La Maison PELISSON Fr\u00e8res et le Saxophone Syst\u00e8me GEORGE<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    These “system George” saxophones, unfortunately, never did catch on very well, despite being given an award at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1878.<\/p>\n

    Until recently, the photo above<\/a> was the only image known to exist of this once mythological member of the saxophone family. In July 2012 though, a fellow from Switzerland uploaded to YouTube the following video of a Georgeophone being played. I’ll let you decide for yourself what it sounds like. Saxophone? Bassoon? Something in-between?<\/p>\n