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FRITZ PETZOLD 5-valve compensator
£1,990.00
This lovely horn, made in 1951, is a hand-made 'Migma'
gold-brass, 5 valve double compensator in F/Bb/A+ by
FRITZ PETZOLD (Markneukirchen, Germany).
The instrument was originally bought brand new in 1951 by Jack
Deas, who was for many years a busy freelance player in
Scotland.
He chose it for its tone quality, reminding him of the 'real
French Horn' as used by both Aubrey and Dennis Brain.
The horn's high register has a particularly secure feeling on
Bb, B and C, and the instrument's general tonal character is
very compact and focussed.
An interesting feature of the 5th valve ( A or A+) is that there is
no need for 'stopping sleeves', since the 'A' tuning slide can
instantly be lengthened precisely to the appropriate position for
in-tune hand-stopping.
The valves were nickel plated and handlapped 10 years ago
by Roy Cox (leading European expert brass instrument
repairer), and the rotors have excellent compression.
The detachable bell flare's threads are slightly fragile,
so its current case is a fixed-bell 'Gator', an excellent
fit, with a shoulder strap. In this instance, the 'fit' is
important; the large size of the horn's body 'hoop'
or circle (35 x 36 cm) is based on the established
design of two of Fritz Petzold's better-known near-
contemporaries who emigrated from their native
Germany to the USA: Richard Wunderlich (1860-
1934) and Carl Geyer (1880-1973).
Overall, the condition of this 74 years-old horn is
remarkable, for its age, having been carefully
maintained by its present owner, very recently retired
from playing. It must also be mentioned that there is
a very slight bend in the leadpipe, having no effect
on the instrument's playing.
The Petzold horn has been played in the former
Scottish National Orchestra (now RSNO) the BBC
Scottish Symphony, the former BBC Scottish Radio
Orchestra (now sadly defunct), Scottish Opera
Orchestra, and the Edinburgh 'Reid Orchestra' along
with many other ensembles.
Although this is a professional-quality instrument, its sub-
£2K price qualifies it for a parallel listing in
the 'Intermediate' category.
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Information about Fritz Petzold, from the renowned German
horn soloist and teacher, Peter Damm:
''The name of the instrument maker Petzold was new
to me; I had not heard it before. This is because I got
to know Markneukirchen and its horn makers at a
much later time.
I met Herbert Fritz Knopf and his son Johannes only
once; his firm is continued today by Christian Knopf. I
received my first Markneukirchen horn, from Master
Walter Mönnig, around 1966.
The brass instrument maker Fritz Petzold was born on the 19th September 1879 in
Markneukirchen/Vogtland. The Petzold family lived in
a house at Oberer Berg Nr. 10.
His grandfather Friedrich August Petzold (1823 -
1904) earned the family’s living by farming and at the
same time, built brass instruments!
This tradition was continued by his grandson Fritz.
Because times after 1945 were very difficult, Fritz
Petzold became a member of 'MIGMA' on the 26th
February 1947, to which he belonged until his death
on the 25th June 1957.
MIGMA, founded in 1943, is short for “MIGMA eG
Musikinstrumenten Handwerker-Genossenschaft”. It
is a union of master artisans who preserve and
continue the traditions of German instrument making.
The oldest marketing and distribution corporation, (it)
still exists in Markneukirchen.
Master Manfred Mönnig (son of Walter Mönnig) told
me, Fritz Petzold built one double horn per
month. He gained a considerable reputation as a
brass instrument maker; the quality of his
instruments was held equal to those of
instruments by the well-known firms, K. Dressel
and Herbert Fritz Knopf.”
The photos can be viewed in greater detail
by opening and saving them.
Halstead Music acts as an agent only,
accepting no responsibility as a principal
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd.