Antique flute, Germany

Hello all, I picked this up today it looks old, but only marking found were Germany and 125 or I 25 and HE on back of the one of the Keys? If I posted pics wrong My apologies. I’m new to posting.

tia

 

@all_fakes

 

You did good on the photos.
I don't know a lot about flute manufacturers; There was an H. Eisenbrandt, but he was no longer in Germany after about 1811, so that seems unlikely. One thing you could check is whether the pads are in good shape. You'd check for air leaks; and would need a friend to cover both ends while you press down on all the keys, cover the mouthpiece entirely while blowing into it. If it is air-tight, there is a good chance it would be playable without any or much repair.
Other methods for checking are at https://www.wikihow.com/Identify-Leaking-Pads-on-Your-Woodwind-Instrument
and of course, if you can play flute, just play it to see if a chromatic scale sounds OK, without any missing or fuzzy notes.

 

Could the “HE” on the key on photo 3 be his itinials? H. Eisenbrandt?

 

Yes; however, after 1811 Eisenbrandt flutes were not made in Germany but in the USA. And I'm not sure that any Eisenbrandt flutes were made in Germany before that date either; internet information seems to indicate that the Eisenbrandt Company was founded in the USA rather than in Germany.
A flute expert or player might be able to date this flute based on the arrangement of the keys, but that would be beyond my own expertise.

 

Ty so much for your help..really appreciate all of you!! Very helpful

 

I'd measure the diameter of the main tube in millimeters - perhaps it's 12,5.
is the HE on a key that moves more than one clapet ?
another thought is that it it's intended as a H for a normal B.

 

Man unterscheidet Flöten mit C- und H-Fuß, wobei bei letzterem der Tonumfang nach unten erweitert und gleichzeitig die Ansprache in der hohen Lage teilweise erleichtert wird. Die nachfolgende Abbildung zeigt den Längenunterschied dieser beiden Varianten und die zusätzliche Klappe beim längeren H-Fuss.



the H version is the top one and has a longer gamut.
http://www.flutepage.de/deutsch/goodies/technik.php

 

Here's a Google translation of the paragraph above from German to English.

"A distinction is made between flutes with a C-foot and a B-foot, with the latter expanding the range downwards and at the same time making it easier to address in the high register. The following figure shows the difference in length between these two variants and the additional flap on the longer H-foot."

 

A couple of sites that seem to indicate this are:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Christian_Eisenbrandt

This one says that Eisenbrandt was born in 1790 and moved to the US in 1808 and opened his business in 1811, when he was about 21 years old. So It's unlikely he owned a business in Germany before the age of 18.

https://www.brasshistory.net/Eisenbrandt History.pdf

Because this says Germany on it, and it is in English, I doubt that this dates to that early of a period of time... based on the history of Germany. It is most likely to be no earlier than the late 19th century or early 20th. Possibly later than that.

 

is there any proof that this is from Eisenbrandt ?
the script of "Germany" seems to be 1880s to 1930s.
"Germany" could simply be a general geographical denomination; without the "Made in" it doesn't follow the Merchandise Marks Act of 1887.

 

No, it's an idea based on initials, and the fact the person was born in Germany. We were talking it out.

 

Heinrich Christian would rather have been shortened to H.C. or simpler HC in German.