Author: Chiron
Date: 2008-08-30 14:47
I have a pair of these instruments, numbered 96 and 97, which I inherited in the late 1970s from an older cousin who had been by all accounts a brilliant amateur player (and had corresponded with, among others, Geoffrey Rendall and Lindsay Langwill, who sent him early drafts of some of his writings which I still have), but who sadly suffered a brain tumour in about 1950 which, though successfully operated on, left him brain damaged and unable any longer to play. Hence, apart from a brief period after acquiring them when I tried to learn the instrument, frustrated and eventually terminated by the demands of a busy professional life, they have languished unplayed for over 55 years. Now in retirement (and also dotage) I am starting again to try to learn to play them. Incidentally, unlike IanH's, they do have the rollers to the r.h. G#D# and FC keys.
My conjecture is that my cousin first acquired them in or about 1930, but this could well be years out. Does anybody have any Louis dating information? If I am right, it means that they were played (and from my cousin's music library, very regularly played) for about 20 years.
When I first acquired them I had them looked at by Geoffrey Acton at Howarths, and he did some work to them, although I have do not recall exactly what. I do remember that he gave me a bill for £50, but he certainly did not carry out a full overhaul since most of the joint corks were, and have since remained, quite loose. Apart from that they do seem to my inexpert eye and playing to be in beautiful condition. With them are their two original Louis mouthpieces, one cylindrical and one conical; their intonation is amazing (and far better than my late 1960s R13), and their tone smooth and creamy.
It is regrettable that there seems so little information available about the Louis company. It certainly seems that it was the same company which made both the clarinets and the oboes, and that NorbertTheParrot's suggestion that the oboe company was functioning before WWI is wrong; see the very interesting interview of 1982 between Nora Post and Nigel Clark, director of Howarths, available on internet via "Louis Oboes". Chris P, can you provide any further information? I would love to hear from you.
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The Clarinet BBoard
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