Gebr. Alexander
Encyclopedia
Gebr. Alexander, of Mainz
, Germany
, is a manufacturer of instruments, founded in 1782 by Franz Ambros Alexander and still in business today. The company claims to be the oldest musical instrument manufacturing company in Germany.
Franz Ambros Alexander was the descendant of a French Huguenot
family and grew up in Miltenberg
, which had been a village of the electoral Mainz during these times. He moved to the main town, joined the local guild
and founded a work shop for brass instrument
s in 1782.
Today the company is renowned primarily for its horns
. Model 103 is regarded as the standard instrument of German orchestras. The product portfolio also comprises trumpet
s, Flügelhörner
, Wagner tuba
s, Baritone horn
s, Euphonium
s and Tuba
s.
On the occasion of the 225th anniversary of Gebr. Alexander, Schott Music
presented an anniversary hymn, composed by Enjott Schneider
. Prof. Michael Höltzel was in the charge of the musician lead during the premiere.
Alexander - or "Alex" - horns are a popular choice with professional players. Probably the best-known Alex horn is that played by Dennis Brain
in his near-legendary recordings of the Mozart horn concertos with the Philharmonia Orchestra. This instrument was badly damaged in the crash which killed Brain, but was restored by Paxman
of London and is now on display, along with an Alex played by Brain's uncle Alfred Brain, in the Royal Academy of Music
museum.
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, is a manufacturer of instruments, founded in 1782 by Franz Ambros Alexander and still in business today. The company claims to be the oldest musical instrument manufacturing company in Germany.
History
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
family and grew up in Miltenberg
Miltenberg
Miltenberg is the seat of the like-named district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany.- Location :...
, which had been a village of the electoral Mainz during these times. He moved to the main town, joined the local guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
and founded a work shop for brass instrument
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
s in 1782.
Today the company is renowned primarily for its horns
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
. Model 103 is regarded as the standard instrument of German orchestras. The product portfolio also comprises trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s, Flügelhörner
Flugelhorn
The flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
, Wagner tuba
Wagner tuba
The Wagner tuba is a comparatively rare brass instrument that combines elements of both the French horn and the tuba. Also referred to as the "Bayreuth Tuba", it was originally created for Richard Wagner's operatic cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen. Since then, other composers have written for it, most...
s, Baritone horn
Baritone horn
The baritone horn is a member of the brass instrument family. The baritone horn has a predominantly cylindrical bore as do the trumpet and trombone. A baritone horn uses a large mouthpiece much like those of a trombone or euphonium, although it is a bit smaller. Some baritone mouthpieces will sink...
s, Euphonium
Euphonium
The euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced"...
s and Tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
s.
225th anniversary
Schott Music
Schott Music is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe and is currently the second oldest music publishing house. The company headquarters of Schott Music was founded by Bernhard Schott in Mainz, Germany in 1770.Established in...
presented an anniversary hymn, composed by Enjott Schneider
Enjott Schneider
Enjott Schneider is a German composer, musicologist, and music educator. As a composer he is best known for his film work, having won the Bavarian Film Award for Best Film Score in 1990, the Filmband in Gold in 1991, and the Deutscher Fernsehpreis in 2007, the latter for his work on March of...
. Prof. Michael Höltzel was in the charge of the musician lead during the premiere.
Alexander - or "Alex" - horns are a popular choice with professional players. Probably the best-known Alex horn is that played by Dennis Brain
Dennis Brain
Dennis Brain was a British virtuoso horn player and was largely credited for popularizing the horn as a solo classical instrument with the post-war British public...
in his near-legendary recordings of the Mozart horn concertos with the Philharmonia Orchestra. This instrument was badly damaged in the crash which killed Brain, but was restored by Paxman
Paxman Musical Instruments
Paxman Musical Instruments is a British manufacturer of horns. Paxman is the instrument of choice of a number of leading British players, including Michael Thompson...
of London and is now on display, along with an Alex played by Brain's uncle Alfred Brain, in the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
museum.