Lesson Learned - 5/10/12

Today I finished working on a Theo Markardt english horn, a peculiar instrument that required a lot of attention and study. From what I've been able to learn, Mr. Markardt made pro-level oboes and english horns in Erlbach Germany. I believe he's deceased now. The mechanism on the instrument was unlike any I've ever seen. The standard system on an oboe or english horn is known as the Conservatory System, and Mr. Markardt clearly used that system as his template but made numerous modifications. For instance, there were open tone holes and finger rings where the A and D pads would be on a conservatory instrument, some of the trill mechanisms were different, and the instrument had an automatic octave mechanism, which is fairly uncommon for double reed instruments. The fingerings were no different from a normal english horn except for a few trill fingerings, but the ways in which the keys interacted with each other were unique. Because of that I spent a lot of time just looking over the instrument, turning regulation screws, to get an understanding of how everything was supposed to work. Below I've included pictures of two of the mechanisms, along with my understanding of their functions and how to adjust them.


Automatic Octave Mechanism
Most double reed instruments have independent 1st and 2nd octave keys that the player operates manually. On this instrument, there was no way to manually open the 2nd octave key. It was connected to the 1st octave key and when the octave key was pressed, one or the other would open depending on which keys in the left hand were closed. This is exactly how the octave mechanism on a saxophone works. The design was unlike that commonly found on a saxophone, though. I've included the function of each adjustment screw and the order in which I found it best to set them.

F Resonance Key Mechanism
It seems like every brand of oboe or english horn has its own variation on this mechanism, so it usually requires a few minutes of study. This one had its own nuances, so its worth recording.

Because the adjustment of #1 can be affected slightly by #5, it could be necessary to go through this order more than once, making finer adjustments each time. Despite that, this is the best solution I could come up with.


This instrument taught me a lot, and since it's likely I won't see another one for a long time, these illustrations will help me be a lot more prepared with information that I wouldn't otherwise remember.