Clarinet in E-flat

Henry H. Prentiss

1830-1860 · Wood · Musical Instruments

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)

Artist

Henry H. Prentiss

Date

1830-1860

Medium

Wood

Culture

American

Department

Musical Instruments

Credit line

Purchase, Clara Mertens Bequest, in memory of André Mertens, 1990