Alto fagotto, English, about 1836-1847, by Wood & Ivy.

'Unsigned, but otherwise similar in all respects to the preceding {Alto Fagotto, Museum no. 299-1882)].' - Anthont Baines, Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments (London, 1998), p. 99. The 'preceding' was described by Baines as, "Of dark-stained wood, in four joints arranged as those of a bassoon, though the bell is short and has an internal flange at the mouth. The seven brass keys are mounted on brass saddles save for those on the long joint. The keys are: on the wing joint, which are mounted on blocks in the wood of the joint. The keys are: on the wing joint, one for the thumb and one for the little finger (C sharp); on the butt, F, A flat, and on the back F sharp; on the long joint, which has an ivory-bushed C hole, keys for D and (outside this) for E flat. The brass crook is bent in a right angle and adds 14 cm of tune-length when inserted."

Given to the Museum by Mrs E. Payne.

This object was given to South Kensington Museum in 1884 by Mrs E. Payne, Park Villa, Loughborough Road, Brighton.

Anthony Baines (Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), p. 99) attributes this unsigned instrument to Wood & Ivy. It is similar to the instrument (Museum no. 289-1882) in all other respects.

The Alto fagotto is a high-pitched bassoon, with a bassoon-like crook and a clarinet-like mouthpiece, which George Wood developed in about 1830 from the Caldeonica, an invention of William Meilke, a Scottish bandmaster, in 1825 . This instrument is very similar to another example in this Museum's collection (Museum no. 299-1882), stamped Wood & Ivy, who traded at 50 New Compton Street, London, from 1836 until 1847. Although it is unsigned, this instrument was probably made by the same firm.

47-1884