Back to Gallery

Tubas

Cerveny, V.F. & Sohne - Helicon - 5 Valves

Prague
Eastern Europe

Brass and German Silver
ca. 1876


V.F. Cerveny & Sohne, Koniggratz

Large Helicon by V.F. Cernvey & sons, Jaroslav and Stanislav. This instrument is brass with German Silver bell bead. It has five valves (rotary). The 5th a change valve from Bb to C. The helicon, thought to have been invented in Russia circa 1845, was designed to be a marching horn, carried on the shoulder and used in the cavalry. This bass instrument was the forerunner of the Sousaphone, which is the self-same instrument with a directional bell grafted on. In 1850, Ignaz Stowasser of Vienna produced large numbers of these instruments for cavalry and infantry bands.: Provenance: Al Thorpe Collection.

 

Owner:
Catalog#: HWMC