Virtual Tour of Muzika! A Celebration of Czech and Slovak Music Basset Horn by Frantisek Doleisch I, Prague, 1793 NMM 3541. Basset horn by Frantisek Doleisch I (1749-1806), Prague, Bohemia, 1793. Invented about 1770, the basset horn is a clarinet whose range is extended down a major third below the lowest note of the regular clarinet. This is made feasible to play by angling the top half of the body back and providing a box (kasten) in which the tubing makes three turns before reaching the metal bell. This example is made of boxwood with horn trim and eight brass keys. Three other basset horns by Doleisch survive at the National Museum in Prague. Board of Trustees, 1984. Mozart (1756-1791), whose great operas, like Don Giovanni, were very popular in Prague, was fond of writing for the basset horn, particularly in his Masonic pieces, as well as the Requiem, left uncompleted at his death in 1791. The Museum's instrument was built two years later. Mozart and Doleisch certainly would have known each other. Doleisch's Signature Stamps Doleisch's now faint signature stamps, as they appear on the barrel (center) and top joint (right) of this instrument's upper body (left), consist of a left-facing lion rampant centered above the maker's name, city, and two stars. The maker's stamp on the kasten is the clearest of all his signature stamps on this instrument and even includes the instrument's date of manufacture.   Click arrow to continue Virtual Tour of Muzika! A Celebration of Czech and Slovak Music Go to Muzika Exhibition Virtual Tour Index Go to Virtual Gallery Tour Index National Music Museum The University of South Dakota 414 East Clark Street Vermillion, SD 57069 ©National Music Museum, 2003 Most recent update: October 22, 2007 You are the 9,350th visitor to this page since April 12, 2004. The University of South Dakota Return to Top of Page