Saxony 'Pit' Cello Early to Mid 19th C. (GE010) SOLD

Saxony 'Pit' Cello Early to Mid 19th C. (GE010) SOLD

This cello was made in the Saxony region of Germany/Czech Republic sometime in the early to mid-19th century. The front is made from two pieces of alpine spruce of an even, medium wide grain, the back of two pieces of beech. The instrument was owned by a professional musician and used in various orchestras around the Liverpool area of the UK. Many of the Victorian era theaters have a small cramped area or ‘pit’ below the main stage where the musicians play; hence this instruments nickname, given to it by its previous owner. The cello is easy to play and has a sweet mature sound. It is a deep chocolate in color, its neck is original and the length of back is 757 mm.

Saxony

String instrument making in the region of Saxony, Germany can be traced back to the 1650’s with a violin maker’s guild being first established in 1659. The instrument making region, which includes the German towns of Markneukirchen, Erlbach & Klingenthal, together with the present day Czech Republic towns of Schonbach (now Luby) & Graslitz (Kraslice), was the principal source of instruments for the trade during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The region pioneered a cottage industry in instrument manufacture, with smaller specialist workshops supplying items (pegs etc) to larger operations. The area still hosts a number of firms using traditional methods of manufacture and a fine musical instrument museum.