What are those horns?

[ttf_anonymous]

I'm not sure whether this photo has ever appeared anywhere before, but it sure got my attention! It appeared in the Chicago Symphony blog, August 2017, as part of a memorial notice for former CSO trumpeter Rudolph Nashan, who had just passed away.

https://csoarchives.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/1950-trumpets.jpg

This of course is the section that can be heard on the Reiner recordings of the Strauss Zarathustra and Heldenleben. My, those guys could play. This photo is circa 1950. Frank Crisafulli was principal, Edward Kleinhammer bass, and the 2nd player is David Anderson, who was a CSO member from 1929-1955. The trumpet players are, from left, Renold Schilke, Gerald Huffman, Rudolph Nashan, and a very boyish looking Adolph Herseth.

So, what are those horns??

Bruce

[ttf_chromebone]

My Guess: Kleinhammer is on a German horn of some sort, that wrap is absolutely German looking, plus it has the rear decorative bow guard and the chain activated valve with a leather thumb ring typical of German Horns. Anderson looks like he has a Conn 80H variant with tuning in the bell, there were some 80H's made that way on special order, and Crisafulli is on a Conn 78H, although the cork barrels may betray me, but that could also be the way the light is hitting them. The slide is wide like a 78H, so that would rule out an 8H and it has a reverse tuning slide, which would rule out a Bach 36 or 34. I think early 78H's had cork barrels like that.

From the looks on their faces, Reiner probably just yelled at them, they don't look all that happy.

[ttf_notesetter]

Quote from: chromebone on Sep 15, 2017, 10:58AM Kleinhammer is on a Schmidt, which  the whole CSO section played until around the time of this picture. That wrap is absolutely German looking, plus it has the rear decorative bow guard and the chain activated valve with a leather thumb ring typical of German Horns. Anderson looks like he has a Conn 80H variant with tuning in the bell instead of the standard slide tuning, there were some 80H's made that way on special order. Crisafulli looks to be a Conn 78H. According to Jay Friedman on his site, the section switched from Schmidts to Conns right around this time, and Anderson's and Crisafuli's horns in this photo do not look German.

From the looks on their faces, Reiner probably just yelled at them, they don't look all that happy.

Thanks for the information and your updates. This was 1950, and Reiner didn't come on the scene till 1953. If anyone had yelled at them, it would have been Rafael Kubelik. A real gentleman but I've read that in these years he was a young man and could be a real pisser. One famous event during the Kubelik era came to be known as the "Saturday Night Massacre". After a concert, he fired the flute, clarinet and bassoon principals.

[ttf_notesetter]

Quote from: chromebone on Sep 15, 2017, 10:58AM Kleinhammer is on a Schmidt, which  the whole CSO section played until around the time of this picture. That wrap is absolutely German looking, plus it has the rear decorative bow guard and the chain activated valve with a leather thumb ring typical of German Horns. Anderson looks like he has a Conn 80H variant with tuning in the bell instead of the standard slide tuning, there were some 80H's made that way on special order. Crisafulli looks to be a Conn 78H. According to Jay Friedman on his site, the section switched from Schmidts to Conns right around this time, and Anderson's and Crisafuli's horns in this photo do not look German.

From the looks on their faces, Reiner probably just yelled at them, they don't look all that happy.

Thanks for the information and your updates. This was 1950, and Reiner didn't come on the scene till 1953. If anyone had yelled at them, it would have been Rafael Kubelik. A real gentleman but I've read that in these years he was a young man and could be a real pisser. One famous event during the Kubelik era came to be known as the "Saturday Night Massacre". After a concert, he fired the flute, clarinet and bassoon principals.