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RE: Fugels - What's in a name?

Actually what is not in a name. An, am and me are, but not what.

Which brings us to the topic of the CORRECT spelling of FUGEL. We have seem
some pedantic opinion that it is Flugel but you need to go back to its
origins to determine that the correct spelling is FUGEL.

The first Fugel Horn was built by Andre de La Salle of the French instrument
manufacturers La Salle & Sons in 1892. (He was the son of the original
Henrie de La Salle.) An instrument was being built under commission for
Count Alphonse Fuhn in 1887 who requested that an altahorn be manufactured
for his daughter.  She was rather small in stature due to ill health  and so
he requested that it be small in size so she could handle it. Unfortunately
she died just after the work was commenced and so the partly built horn was
labeled Fuhn and put into storage.

In 1889 Marquis Francois Gen commissioned Andre de La Salle to built an
altahorn for his son and as he was also in ill health, made a similar
request as per Count Fuhn. Being conscious of the value of a franc, Andre
took the Fuhn horn out of storage and started to complete the instrument.
Similar to the previous intended recipient the son also died before the
completion. The instrument had Gen added to its label and it was once again
put into storage.

In 1982 Baron Dagart Ell contacted Andre de La Salle with the request (nee
order) that an instrument be made for his up and coming heir who by all
accounts was a right little fatherless child. It was to be capable of being
played with the local bands, look like a trumpet but must be totally
distinct and original as was suitable for his heir.

Andre had a bright idea, dragged out the small altahorn, engineered it
similar to a trumpet and pitched it in Bb. When the Baron called to pick up
the instrument he was quite impressed and asked Andre what it was called.
Now Andre was a bright man and noted that the label read Fuhn Gen Ell. He
realised that to call it that may have bad connotations being so close to an
English phrase of blasphemy so he quickly shortened it to FUGEL.

The FUGEL HORN was born.


TiBaR (:- )}
Bairnsdale or the Bush


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