Basset Horn Drawing

basset-hornHave you seen a basset horn before? I’m not sure if I have. As you could guess from this vintage basset horn drawing, it is a member of the tenor member of the clarinet family. The bend near the mouthpiece was designed to make it easier for the player to reach the keys and holes. It has the same fingering as a clarinet but is pitched a fifth below the clarinet in C.

The authors provided two different views of the instrument to make it easier to see all of keys.

This vintage black and white basset horn drawing is from the 1911 Encyclopedia. That edition is generally considered to be in the public domain in most of the world. It’s publication date of 1910 puts it firmly in the public domain in the United States.

This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.