Name of Instrument: bass clarinet in Bb

Maker / Brand: Adolphe (Antoine Joseph) Sax (1814-1894)

Stearns Catalog #: 0637

Country of Origin: Brussels, Belgium

Region of Origin: Europe

Instrument Category: Aerophone

Date of Fabrication: ca. 1840

Location: AER A4

Description: This instrument comes to the Stearns Collection from a highly questionable source--Leopoldo Franciolini. Many Franciolini instruments are forgeries or interesting hybrids of original instruments and scrap wood; however, this is one of the rare cases in which the attribution of the maker and the instrument itself appear to be legitimate. This is a Bass Clarinet (Simple system) in B Flat made of two stained maple sections with brass ferrules. It has a brass goose neck and bell (replacement; stamped: "[within oval] CH. ROTH / A / STRASBOURG / BREVETE / S.G.D. GI)". It has twenty brass keys of shallow cup type mounted on pillars. There are two speaker keys; the tone holes have brass bushings. The piece is signed on the first and section sections, "* / SAX / A BRUXELLES / *".

Research: Prof. James M. Borders