What do you get when you cross a serpent with a Sousaphone?

[Dave Detwiler]

Good morning, all,

In trying to track down references to giant tubas built by Pierre-Louis Gautrot (are you aware of any?), I stumbled upon this cartoon in the September 7, 1867 edition of Le Monde Illustre. The caption reads, "The Prussian music being very certainly inspired by the group of Laocoon."

The reference is to a famous statue, seen on the right, depicting the myth of the Trojan priest Laocoon and his sons being attacked by giant serpents.

I'm guessing this is poking fun at the large helicon basses used in Prussian military bands at that time. But, to me, it kind of looks like a cross between the ancient bass horn known as a serpent and an upright bell, or original, Sousaphone (although, granted, the Sousaphone was still a couple of decades away from being invented!).

Enjoy!
Dave

1867-09-07 Le Monde Illustre, p. 157 (cartoon).JPG (83.32 KiB) Viewed 427 times

[bloke]

sort-of true (over-simplified) factoid:
Gautrot later became Couesnon.

[Dave Detwiler]

sort-of true (over-simplified) factoid:
Gautrot later became Couesnon.

Indeed - here's what the Grove Dictionary says about Couesnon:

French firm, mainly devoted to making brass instruments. In 1827 the pioneering factory of Auguste Guichard (fl 1827–45) was founded in Paris; it was merged with that of his brother-in-law, Pierre Louis Gautrot (d 1882), under the latter’s name in 1845. From 1846 Gautrot was the chief organizer of a campaign against Adolphe Sax family. In 1857 the firm acquired the flute-making business of J.-L. Tulou and built a second factory at Château-Thierry. Their name was changed to Gautrot aîné & Cie. in 1869 and to Gautrot aîné-Durand & Cie. in 1877. In 1881 they absorbed Triébert, the woodwind makers. In 1882 direction of the firm was taken over by Gautrot’s son-in-law, Amédée Auguste Couesnon (fl 1882–1950), and the company was named Couesnon, Gautrot & Cie.; in 1888 this was shortened to Couesnon & Cie., and in 1931 to Couesnon S.A.

[bloke]

In the attic (judged to me to be wall-hanger grade, at this time) is a super-ancient Gautrot flugelhorn, which is otherwise identical to a (also super-ancient...and not nearly of the acoustical caliber of the "magical" recent-era ones) Couesnon flugelhorn (in the same scraps-stack).

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<SIDEBAR>
I bought a "pile" of old French flugelhorns (years ago), because ONE of them was a MODERN-era Couesnon (yet with no pistons nor slides) YET with a good-condition bell.

I had - just previously - picked up a GOOD-condition (Selmer USA imported) Couesnon STENCIL flugelhorn, which was engraved "SIGNET".
The stencil engraving would have hurt the value of that instrument, so I bought that (inexpensive) "pile" of JUNK flugelhorns ONLY to acquire that ONE Couesnon (engraved "Couesnon") bell.

explanation to non-flugelhorn-savvy readers:
1960's Couesnon flugelhorns (even though their workmanship was marginal) are considered - to this day - to be the "holy grail" of flugelhorns, with most of the upper-end other-makes being Couesnon copies. Some of the more "superstitious" trumpet players even believe that their not-particularly-great pistons are part of the "magic".
</SIDEBAR>

[UncleBeer]

Indeed - here's what the Grove Dictionary says about Couesnon:

...From 1846 Gautrot was the chief organizer of a campaign against Adolphe Sax family. .

From my reading, I got the impression that Sax was the aggressor, waging 'lawfare' on various other brass manufacturers, claiming proprietary rights to the design of pretty much ALL valve brass instruments. This eventually led to firms like Besson to flee France.

[bloke]

Henri Selmer ended up owning the Sax company, correct?
...so those are the only saxophones that are NOT "knock-offs" of saxophones...(??)

[UncleBeer]

Just cuz Sax was able to harass folks with the law doesn't mean he was in the right. In the course of all the suits/countersuits, his company went bankrupt three times, despite a booming business.

[iiipopes]

What do you get when you cross a serpent with a sousaphone?
An instrument that is easier to double-tongue!

[bloke]

[GC]

You get a snake in the brass.