Introduction
Pierre-Louis Gautrot
Comments on the Fingering Chart
Fingering Chart
Endnotes--Bibliography
The original article about the sarrusophone which appeared in The Double Reed[1] sparked these two updates. This article contains several elements which I felt needed amplification. Included were questions as to who Sarrus was, and where Gautrot fit into the picture. The good, though basic fingering chart also needed further study.
Part One of the update[2] provides definitive information regarding Pierre-Auguste Sarrus (1813-1876) who was a career French army infantryman and officer. Among various honors which were bestowed on him was the Chevalier de la légion d'honneur. He spent almost 24 of his 31 years of military service as a musician, culminating his service as a commissioned officer while serving as Chief de musique of the 13th Infantry Regiment.
It was soon after Sarrus was commissioned when Gautrot applied for and received a patent for an instrument which he named the sarrusophone (1856). Leruste[3] cites a statement made by Gautrot which dearly states the instrument maker to be the inventor! This disagrees with Pierre4 who sides with Sarrus as the inventor. [Gautrot named his invention the sarrusophone to honor Sarrus. Also, at the last evaluation of Sarrus by his superiors in the army, the lieutenant had no assets or income from outside sources which leads me to believe Sarrus was honored but not compensated.]
At least one contemporary instrument maker inventory considered Gautrot as the inventor, for a patent infringement suit was brought against him by Adolph Sax (1814-1894) citing similarities in the fingerings between his saxophone and the sarrusophone. [Incidentally, Sax lost his suit!]
The information contained in this update was obtained from many sources, and was put together in a sort of patchwork quilt showing the influence of Gautrot - covering his predecessor and his successor. The breakthrough obtained for Sarrus was not realized for Gautrot! Nevertheless, the scenario seems to be valid.
Early in the 19th century, great changes in the method of manufacturing musical instruments took place in France. Several concepts of the Industrial Revolution (which had its roots in England) were incorporated into the manufacturing process. One major change took brass instrument manufacture out of the atelier into the factory, thus allowing for mass production and lower prices. Gautrot was one of the principals using this new-found technique.
Guichard - as predecessor. Auguste G. Guichard founded a musical instrument manufacturing company bearing his name in 1827. He also established a factory at Château-Thierry (Aisne), thus moving from a "cottage" to a "factory" industry devoted to the manufacture of brass musical instruments. Pierre-Louis Gautrot joined the firm in 1835. In 1845, the name of the company was changed from Guichard to Gautrot[5] indicating at least a change in management. [At the time of change of name, the two artisans were brothers-in-law.]
Gautrot - as maker-inventor. The company names of Gautrot were altered several times during his 39 years as an entrepeneur-maker-inventor allowing for various degrees of influence. Evidently he could work alone or in "tandem."
One early invention (1847) by Gautrot involved what was called an "omnitonic" horn which added 12 crooks and quickchange valves to the natural horn. This idea was consolidated into a 3-valve "omnitonic" (1854), and further developed into what may be called a predecessor of the modern double horn (1858).
In 1855, the company added woodwind and string instruments to its line of products. The sarrusophone dates from 1856 when it was patented as a double-reed instrument, though it existed earlier. A mouthpiece with a single beating reed for this instrument was patented by Sax[5] in 1866!
Gautrot absorbed or became allied with several other musical instrument makers as time passed. He added Tulou flutes in 1857. [Jean-Louis Tulou (1786-1865) was not only a flute-maker, but served as a professor of flute at the Conservatoire in Paris (1829-1856) and was in all probability the last well-known flutist to be against the Boehm flute.]
The company name became Gautrot aine et cie. in 1870. [Though I cannot pinpoint when "et cie. " was not part of the company name, several references do exist.] Also, Gautrot Marquet (ca. 1863) and Gautrot, durand et cie. (ca. 1878) were two affiliations noted in passing.
During the existence of Gautrot aîne et a cie
(1870-1883), one purchase was made which
amazed me. Frédéric Triébert Fils (1813-1878)
died and left his company, including a factory in
Paris, to Mme. C. Dehais who immediately sold it to Felix Paris
who later sold it to Gautrot
(1881). This is the Triébert company where François
Lorée worked/supervised before starting his own (extant)
company.
In 1883, Gautrot added the name of Couesnon to his company name, making it Couesnon, Gautrot et cie. Amédée Couesnon was Gautrot's son-in law at the time. Couesnon had an extremely long life, being born in 1850, and dying in 1951.
Couesnon - as successor. The name of Gautrot was deleted from the company name in 1888, thereby ending the influence of Gautrot. The changes in Couesnon et cie. until its demise well into the, twentieth century (1967?) are beyond the scope of this study.
An initial inspection of the sarrusophone fingering chart presented by Jolivet and Richart[7] pointed me toward two other charts known to exist, namely one by Mimart[8] and another by Leruste.[9] [My copy of the Mimart chart was duplicated in valuable materials sent to me by Musician First Class William M. Fetcher [USN(Ret)] who performed on the sarrusophone at the I.D.R.S. conference in Baltimore in 1982.] With three charts known to exist and on hand, I started a search for at least one additional printed chart - to no avail. However, important additions and annotations were made by Marcus.[10]
Photographs and/or illustrations of sarrusophones aside from those in The Double Reed, would also seem to exist. Curtis Guckert[11] produced a photograph of a melange of wind instruments which appeared in Timm[12] remains just a picture because his collection was partially dissipated by the time of his sudden death early in 1988. Later (1989), I had the privilege of inspecting the sarrusophone collection in the archives located in the Harding Band Building on the campus of the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign.
Basic Information
The sarrusophone composite fingering chart shown here is based upon several concepts: (1) though not shown, enharmonics are implied, (2) where more than one fingering for a single pitch is given, the one to the left is preferred, (3) the asterisk [*] indicates key 10 is to be used, and (4) the natural harmonic series is implied by the layout of the chart.
Implied enharmonics. In order to save space in the chart, only one pitch-name is given even though, with the exception of G-sharp - A-flat, every pitch can have three names.
Preferred fingerings. Where more than one fingering for a given pitch is shown, the fingering to the left is preferred under normal circumstances. One must try each fingering, because certain ones may not work on a given instrument. (e.g. numbers 19 and 40 will not work on some instruments.) Secondary fingerings may apply to trill, arpeggio, or speed situations.
Starred fingerings. Fingerings including an asterisk [*] call for the use of key 10, IF it is present. This key is only present on bass (left hand thumb operation) and contra-bass (right hand thumb operation) instruments and serves as a register key. Marcus[13] indicates the vent controlled by key 10 needs to be moved down the bore (away from the reed) one and three-eighth inches (34.9 mm) for it to be effective. Where no key 10 is present, experimenting with keys 7 and 8 is indicated.
Natural harmonic series. The natural harmonic series consists of a fundamental frequency (first harmonic) coupled with frequencies that are integral multiples of the first harmonic, called harmonics. [The scientific community has long since abandoned the concept of partials, except when referring to non-integral frequencies which appear in vibrating bars, tubes, and plates.] (e.g. When the fundamental has a frequency of 50 HZ, the second harmonic is 100 HZ, the third harmonic is 200 HZ, etc.) (eg., in musical terms, if the first harmonic is a G, the second is an octave higher and named a g, and the third is a fifth above the second or a twelfth above the first and named a d'... etc.)
The top staff in the chart embodies fundamental (first harmonic) frequencies. The second (middle) staff holds second harmonic frequencies. The third (bottom) staff shows higher harmonics [mostly 3rd harmonics] one octave lower than they sound (ottava).
This technique shows an overlap between pitches at the high end of a lower harmonic with lower pitches of a higher harmonic. (e.g. Numbers 21, 22 and 23 overlap 24 and 25. Also, numbers 43, 44, and 45 overlap 46, 47, and 48.)
1. Michel Jolivet and Robert Richart. "The Sarrusophone." The Double Reed, Vol. 8 No. 2 (Fall, 1985). pp. 42-45.
2. Dr. George A. Conrey. "The Sarrusophone - An Update, Part 1." The Double Reed, Vol. 10 No. 3 (Winter, 1987). p. 35f.
3. R. Leruste. [Roger-Edouard Leruste (b. 1864). Bassoon Laureate at Paris - 21 Prix (1866) and 1er Prix (1887). Member of various concerts and orchestras, garde republicane band, and I'Opera Comique (1898- )] "Le Sarrusophone." Encyclopédie de la Musique et dictionnaire du Conservatoire, Part 2, Vol. 3. p. 1665.
4. Constant Pierre. Les Facteurs d'instruments de musique. Paris: Ed. Sagot, 1893. p. 61f.
5. Since there were two Gautrots - brothers and instrument-makers, the one here must be Pierre Louis. See Joppig article below.
6. Gunther Joppig. "Sarrusophone, Rothphone (Saxorusophone) and Reed Contrabass." Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society (AMIS), Vol. 12, 1986. p. 88.
7. Jolivet and Richart. Op. cit., p. 44f.
8. Paul Mimart. Method for Alto and Bass Clarinet (and Sarrusophones). Boston: Cundy-Bettoney Co., Inc. - via Carl Fischer. Insert. [Except for a new cover, this is the 1922 edition.]
9. Leruste. Op. cit., p. 1666.
10. Milton Marcus. Various correspondences, December 1988. [Marcus is an active bassoonist, contrabassoonist and sarrusophonist in California. He has 4 E-flat contrabass sarrusophones, including one built by Gautrot.]
11. Curtis Guckert (1907-1988) was a multifaceted personality. He was a jazz clarinetist, instrument collector, photographer, and field representative for Selmer - among other things. The photography work is entirely his!
12. Everett L. Timm. The Woodwinds. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1964. (A Second Edition [1971] was projected, but never issued to the general public.)
13. Marcus. Movement of vent indicated
in materials provided by him in several places. Evidently "it
works. "
