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Reinhard A. Kaempf (b. Germany 1848-1904) established a New York City workshop in 1878, eventually partnering with with his son as R. A. Kaempf & Son about 1885. This instrument is a typical example of top-action, string-operated rotary valve alto horns of the period. Such instruments, derived from saxhorns, were also offered by other U.S. manufacturers, including the Boston Musical Instrument Manufactory (1869-1887), J. Howard Foote (1893), the Martin Brothers (1879), and Moses Slater (1874).

Bell engraved with leaf-tendrils and five-petal flowers in zigzag-line-style, surrounding the signature: Made by / R. A. Kaempf / New York

Body:  Brass with triple-looped tubing: leadpipe; valve segment; conical bow; conical tube segment; single-coiled, slightly conical main tuning slide (substituting for first, second, and third bows); conical fourth bow; conical bell bow and bellpipe in one integral part; French rim.

Valves:  Three top-action string-operated rotary valves. Spiral-spring return mechanisms; reciprocal driver pivot in the shape of a figure 8, with cork buffers stopped by two pins on a disc on the left side of the valve casing. Internal slide tubing. Windway: first, second, third valve.

Accessories:  German-silver mouthpiece, contemporary to the instrument.

Sounding length:  2088 mm; internal diameter, leadpipe: 11.5 mm; bore diameter (inner valve slides) 11.8 mm; bell diameter: 199 mm.

Go to Checklist of Top-Action, String-Operated Rotary Valve Instruments

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