The source that gave me this same information was more of the opinion that Max Enders, as a maker, was pretty well established prior to taking over from Mueller, and probably didn't build a lot of complete instruments with his name on them after 1900. The only other Max Enders instrument I've heard of is an Eb alto listed in a collection in Germany. Based on the obvious hand work in this horn, the individual making of the valves, and the incredible crispness and detail in the bell engraving, it is unlikely that it was a production model. More likely a prototype for a show or exposition. What's really interesting is the horn design formula used is unlike any modern instrument. The horn is made from extremely thin metal, so it weighs much less than my King, Schmidt copy single Bb. The bore is around .450", but the bell throat is so large, a mute goes in more than an inch farther than on my Elkhart 8D. The tone quality of this horn is incredible. The key levers are the s hort round ones usually only seen on the 19th century F horns, and I believe on the very first Kruspe compensators. It's amazing how much historical detail can be lost in a mere 100 years. I suppose I'm hopeful of finding evidence that this is from the 19th century. I've restored enough 19th century brass to make a brass quintet. I have an 1888 valve trombone from Boston Musical instrument, as well as one of their rotary cornets ca. 1860, and an upright alto ca. 1875. I also have a Dupont solo alto, but the alto voice sounds so good using the Enders. On the low end, I have a Leland BBb tuba dated to 1885, and a four valve EEb contrabass Saxhorn, valved to BBb, by EG Wright has the soldered on emblem of their production of ca. 1855. I'm still looking for a rotary Eb cornet. Audiences love hearing these old horns, and the different sound they produce. -----Original Message----- From: William Melton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: horn@music.memphis.edu Sent: Tue, 16 Aug 2005 10:02:34 +0200 Subject: [Hornlist] Max Enders
> My Max Enders compensator was probably made concurrent with the > earliest > Kruspe horns based on the fact that Max Enders was pretty > much retired > before the 20th century. Bill, the horn must postdate the earliest Kruspe compensating doubles by at least a few years, as our best sources put Max Enders hanging out his shingle earliest in 1900 or 1902. Enders, originally from the Roehn region in southern Thuringia, moved to Mainz in the last years of the 19th century to apprentice with Carl August Mueller. Mueller, who had himself apprenticed at the Schott factory in the early 1820s, produced all types of brass instruments under his own name beginning in 1824 (more than forty years before cross-town competition Gebr. Alexander began making brass instruments). One of Mueller's successes was adding a third valve to Stoelzel's two valve system, and he eventually earned the title Hessian Grandducal Court Instrument Maker. The long-lived Mueller died about 1903, but Enders must have taken over the shop at least a year earlier as Josef Monke of Cologne recalled being Ender's apprentice from 1902 to 1904. Enders was in business until at least 1935, when an advertisement for his trombones appeared in the magazine Die Musikwoche. His specialties, instruments that he wrote about in articles in the Zeitschrift fuer Instrumentenbau, were piccolo trumpets for the Baroque repertoire and Wagner tubas -- he had a nasty and protracted public quarrel with Alexander about their practice of dumping Alexander Wagner tubas in order to corner the lucrative military band market in the years preceding the first world war. Enders left a son, Georg. Bill, if I ever have the time to locate current Enders family members -- and finding relatives of long-gone musical personalities is a process that is successful more often than you might think -- I'll ask them the pertinent questions about Ur-Opa Max and get back to you. In addition to the compensating double horn (it would be good to see some detailed photos of the Enders horn when Bill gets around to taking them), collections around the world preserve examples of cornets, trumpets, and trombones by Max Enders, the other, unsung master brass artisan of 20th century Mainz. Bill Melton Hauset (B) / Sinfonie Orchester Aachen (D) _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/billbamberg%40aol.com _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
