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Memo to Andy Wooler (was Fugels: what's in a name?)

-----Original Message-----
From: R Thomas <rthomas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 02 April 2000 20:41
Subject: RE: Fugels - What's in a name?



Memo to Andy Wooler.  If you are thinking of adding a new category to your
Brass Band Oscars, may I suggest 'Best Contribution to the Brass Band
Mailing List'?  And if you decide to do so, may I start the ball rolling by
nominating the contribution below?

Alec

>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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