Klarinet Archive - Posting 000864.txt from 1999/03

From: Jack Kissinger <kissingerjn@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: [kl] Kohlert Clarinet
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 18:28:45 -0500

Steven Tonkinson wrote:

> I am seeking information on an old clarinet (not Boehm system).
> It has the following markings: V. Kohlert Sons/Graslitz/Czechoslovakia.

There have been quite a few responses generated by your question, some
interesting, but none that really addressed it. That's how it goes here
sometimes. If you search the Sneezy archives on "Kohlert" (without the
quotation marks), you will find that questions about this company have had
that effect on the list for a number of years now. ;^) You will also
probably pick up some useful tidbits such as this message from Ed Lacy back
in 1996:

"Kohlert is a very well known manufacturer among bassoonists. Your
instrument must have been made prior to 1918, because Kohlert was in that
part of the world known as Czechoslavakia from that time on. During the
1920's and 30's, Kohlert was thought of as the second leading bassoon
manufacturer in the world. If a bassoonist couldn't afford a Heckel,
they tried to get a Kohlert. The firm went out of business in the late
1930's or '40's I think, primarily because of some very unsound business
decisions. As it was explained to me, the firm agreed to supply a
certain number of bassoons per year, for a period of 10 years, to an
American importer, at no change in price! Then, due to extremely high
rates of inflation, they were unable to keep up with their production.

The current successor to Kohlert is Moosmann, who are making bassoons in
Germany today. BTW, there was a recent thread on the flute list about a
wooden flute made by Kohlert.

For more thorough and documented information about the company, see "The
New Langwill Index: A Dictionary of Musical Wind-Instrument Makers and
Inventors," by William Waterhouse (London, 1993)."

Ed Lacy

Specifically what are you trying to find out about the clarinet? Judging
from the number of Kohlert clarinets that show up on eBay, often Albert
system instruments, Kohlert was a fairly active clarinet manufacturer around
the turn of the century and perhaps up to its demise.

Best regards,
Jack Kissinger
St. Louis

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