Expert: Kenton Scott - 4/8/2008

Question
QUESTION: I have just purchased a "ventage" Stowasser trumpet. On the bell is says "Stowasser Shone Graslitz. Between Stowasser and Shone is an eagle with head to the left. Under the eagle it has W. St. S which I understand means Wenzel and sons. All valves and buttons are decorated with mother of pearl. No other numbers appear on the trumpet except for the numbers on the rotary valves.
Can you tell me something about this trumpet?

Dr. Jim Brewer      Thanks!

ANSWER: I don't know that I can add much more to what you already know.  Stowasser is an old-old name in instrument making.  Wenzel and his probably brother, Ignaz both have shops dating into the early 1800s.  Ignaz is remembered as the inventor of the helicon shaped tuba.  

Wenzel started as a brass maker in 1824 and continued until his death in 1860. His sons Josef, Julius, and Richard continued the business as W. Stowassers Sohne. They branched out from Graslitz to Verona, Buenos Aires, Barcelona, Catania, Hamburg, Napoli, New York, Riga, Sao Paolo, Sofia, and Warsaw.  The company was nationalized in 1945.

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QUESTION: Do you have a guess as to when this trumpet was made? It seems to be unusual just because of the mother of pearl. I now understand that the eagle was part of the mark of W. Stowasser Shone, not Nazi.

Thanks again for your help, it was very useful.

Jim Brewer

ANSWER: Stowasser's trumpets seem to all look similar.  I suspect your horn looks similar to:  http://www.horn-u-copia.net/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1138732776#2

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QUESTION: You have been a great deal of help with my Stowasser trumpet. Now please on another instrument. I have a Rivet Lyon cornet. It came in a wooden box with all the tubes and mouthpieces. It is said to be listed in the Langwill Index as made between 1839-1871. Can you tell me more?

Thanks, Jim Brewer

Answer
Jim,

Does it look something like this?

http://www.horn-u-copia.net/instruments/Rivit/Rivit-Cornet-618.jpg

If so, I would think that the horn was made late in his career.

Rivet was also involve in the successful litigation against Adolphe Sax, and apparently fronted the marketing of instruments for Gautrot, called Neo-altos, and bombardons with Stoelzel valves.