Top of page

Article Flötten, Hautbois, Flachinett, Fagot, und Clarinett (Flutes, Oboe, Flageolet, Bassoon, and Clarinet) by Martin Engelbrecht, engraver and publisher, 1684-1756

In this charming and richly painted scene, a man with long white hair is seated in a tall red-and-gilt-upholstered chair. He wears an embroidered floor-length coat of cinnamon color which is highlighted all over with gilding. He also wears a white shirt, green breeches, red stockings, and black, gold-buckled shoes. He rests his left leg over his right knee, and plays a recorder, probably a treble recorder, also known as an alto recorder. The man sits near an open balcony that overlooks a formal garden in the right background. A table at the right is covered with a blue cloth with yellow fringe and, on top, are several wind instruments and sheet music, as well as an inkwell with quill. The instruments on the table are: an oboe, a recorder, two flageolets, and a dark brown clarinet. A brown and white dog with a yellow collar reclines at the left behind the man's chair. A pier directly behind the man has a cornice supported by a figure of Atlas, and a red curtain is draped behind it. In the far left corner next to the pier is a fagot, or bassoon. This etching is beautifully hand-colored in reds, greens, yellows, blues, and orangey-browns. The man's face and hands are delicately colored with a blush pink and his inner sleeves are painted in a deeper rose color. Details throughout the image are touched with gilding: the bassoon, the key of the oboe, the buckles of the man's shoes, his coat, the dog's collar, and the fringe of the blue tablecloth.

A rough translation of the inscription is as follows: "The wind as nothing seems to be in the world / Makes by means of turned wooden tubes, / If tongue and teeth are correctly applied, / That real wonderful sounds can be heard, / The loveliness of the sweet pipes / Can not be appreciated with senses. // In a shady vale / The flutes and a flageolet / Together with the praiseworthy nightingale / Most gracefully have a singing competition; / And the bassoon with deep roar / Makes the bass buzz as a foundation for it."[1] The date of ca. 1720 for this print is based on the information given in an invoice at the time of its purchase from a book shop in Amsterdam in 1936. The same date is penciled at the bottom edge of the sheet.

This print was included in the exhibition, In Praise of Music, held at the Library of Congress, Foyer, Madison Building, and the Performing Arts Library, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, April 23-October 25, 1992, no. 66, illustrated (in sepia), in which it was given a date of ca. 1720-1730.

About the Artist

Martin Engelbrecht, engraver and publisher, 1684-1756
Martin Engelbrecht, or Enghelbrecht, was a German engraver who was born in Augsburg in 1684; he died in the same city in 1756, according to Bénézit. He was the younger brother of Christian Engelbrecht (1672-1735), also an engraver from Augsburg. Both artists provided plates for numerous books. Martin provided illustrations for La Guerre de succession espagnole (The War of Spanish Succession), Les Architects princiers (Princely Architects) by P. Decker, and 92 Vues de Venise (92 Views of Venice). Christian provided plates for L'Histoire de l'Architecture (History of Architecture) by J. Hernahrd, published 1721, as well as illustrations for Métamorphoses d'Ovide (Metamorphoses of Ovid) after drawings by Sandart. Christian also engraved portraits. Though it is not mentioned in Bénézit, Martin Engelbrecht was probably also a publisher as the abbreviation for "exc." ("excudit") at the lower right usually indicates the publisher. It can also mean the one who made the print as it is translated literally as "struck out" or "made," but in this instance "fecit" ("made") is also used in the inscription. Therefore, Martin Engelbrecht "made" ("fecit") this print, meaning he engraved it, and he published it as well. The "A.V." after "exc." refers to Augsburg, meaning the print was "published in Augsburg." See Miller numbers 368/L and 369/L, by Michael Rössler, which were also published ("excudit") by Martin Engelbrecht.[2]

Notes

  1. The transcription of the verse beneath the image and a translation of it were provided anonymously. The translator emphasizes, though, that this is a very "rough" translation, and it is not meant in any way to be authoritative. It is given here merely to indicate in a most general way the gist of the inscription. [back to article]
  2. More biographical information on Martin and Christian Engelbrecht can be found in two Web sites offering prints by Martin Engelbrecht for sale. 1) Donald A. Heald External Link (search for Engelbrecht). Here it states that Martin and Christian Engelbrecht were the "most prolific engravers and printsellers in Augsburg at the close of the 17th century." Their works were considered very fine and included portraits, landscapes, religious and allegorical subjects, and optical prints. 2) Martin also made colored engravings that were meant to be cut out and applied to furniture. A book of these engravings - flowers, dwarfs, birds, and Chinese motifs – was once offered for sale by Ursus Books of New York, but the link to this source is no longer available. The description of this book provides another glimpse of Martin Englebrecht as an artist. [back to article]

About this Item

Title

  • Flötten, Hautbois, Flachinett, Fagot, und Clarinett (Flutes, Oboe, Flageolet, Bassoon, and Clarinet) by Martin Engelbrecht, engraver and publisher, 1684-1756

Headings

  • -  Articles
  • -  Songs and Music

Genre

  • article

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is providing access to these materials for educational and research purposes and makes no warranty with regard to their use for other purposes. The written permission of the copyright owners and/or other rights holders (such as holders of publicity and/or privacy rights) is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. There may be content that is protected as "works for hire" (copyright may be held by the party that commissioned the original work) and/or under the copyright or neighboring-rights laws of other nations.

Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permission ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. Users should consult the bibliographic information that accompanies each item for specific information. This catalog data provides the details known to the Library of Congress regarding the corresponding items and may assist users in making independent assessments of the legal status of these items as related to their desired uses.

Items included here with the permission of the rights holders are indicated as such in the bibliographic record for each item.

The Strad magazine has generously allowed us to reproduce two articles in this presentation: “Exhibition Report: Born in the USA” (July 2006) and “National Treasure” (November 2006).  Users may need to contact The Strad for any re-use of the articles.

In some cases, the Library was unable to identify a possible rights holder and has elected to place some of those items online as an exercise of fair use for strictly non-commercial educational uses. The Library of Congress would like to learn more about these materials and would like to hear from individuals or institutions that have any additional information or know of their history. Please contact:  Performing Arts Reading Room.

Suggested credit line: Library of Congress, Music Division.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Flötten, Hautbois, Flachinett, Fagot, und Clarinett Flutes, Oboe, Flageolet, Bassoon, and Clarinet by Martin Engelbrecht, engraver and publisher, -1756. Web.. https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200182928/.

APA citation style:

Flötten, Hautbois, Flachinett, Fagot, und Clarinett Flutes, Oboe, Flageolet, Bassoon, and Clarinet by Martin Engelbrecht, engraver and publisher, -1756. [Web.] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200182928/.

MLA citation style:

Flötten, Hautbois, Flachinett, Fagot, und Clarinett Flutes, Oboe, Flageolet, Bassoon, and Clarinet by Martin Engelbrecht, engraver and publisher, -1756. Web.. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200182928/>.