German Musical Instrument Award 2013
A tenor horn and an Eb clarinet will be honored.
With the German Musical Instrument Award, the founder, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, emphasizes the importance of craftsmanship for the musical instrument industry and the German economy. The prize has been awarded for 22 years during the International Music Fair, the world's largest trade fair for musical instruments and accessories. This year it will take place in Frankfurt from April 10 to 13.
The two categories in which instruments are awarded prizes change every year. This year, the winning instruments come from the woodwind and brass categories. The 2013 winners in the tenor horn category are Gebr. Alexander Rhein, Musikinstrumentenfabrik GmbH, Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate) for the "Tenor Horn Alexander 146 GL" and in the Eb clarinet category Schwenk & Seggelke, Bamberg (Bavaria) for the "Eb Clarinet Model 2000".
Historically, the tenor horn closes a gap between the low brass instruments such as the tuba and the low trumpets. The valve horn is mainly used in military music, folk music and brass music. In the clarinet family, the Eb clarinet is the one with the highest pitch. This is visually noticeable due to the shortness of the instrument. Eb clarinets are considered extremely difficult to play due to their special intonation. They are traditionally used in symphony orchestras. Just how lively the musical instrument industry is can also be seen in the excellent manufacturers.
The company Gebr. Alexander has been in existence for more than 200 years. During this time, pioneering developments have been made in the field of brass instruments and the company has worked with important musicians and composers, including Richard Wagner. The second prize-winner, the Schwenk & Seggelke master workshop, was only recently founded. The company has been in existence since 1995 and offers both instruments as historical replicas of the 18th and 19th centuries and modern clarinets that can be made to customer specifications.
