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Product Code: COHT23This is an amazing circa 1915 tunable cuckoo imitation mounted on a bellows. There are two tunable cuckoo whistles mounted on a small bellows that fits nicely into the player’s hands. The player tunes each of the whistles to the desired pitch and then a light squeeze on the appropriate end produces the high or low pitch. Both whistle slides are marked in half step increments. Each whistle has a range of about a perfect fifth. The range of the low whistle is B-flat to f-sharp. The range of the high whistle is e-flat to b-flat. The imitation is in beautiful condition and produces a nice woody tone. The bellows is made of soft leather and is in excellent condition. The original owner, Emil Kresse signed his name on the top and on the bottom. This whistle has great flexibility in that it can be played rhythmically, in a virtually infinite combination of pitches, and without ever getting tired. Made from fir, the imitation measures 5" wide x 4" high x 15 1/2" long. This is a very early and rare example of a standard drummer's trap. Drummers of the vaudeville era kept a large collection of animal imitations and sound effects in their trap cases. This cuckoo imitation is from a collection of traps and sound effects formerly owned by Emil Kresse, principal percussionist and timpanist of the Philadelphia Orchestra (1901 – 1945) who passed them on to Fred D. Hinger, also a former principal percussionist and timpanist with the Philadelphia Orchestra (1948 – 1967) and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (1967 – 1983). This is a unique opportunity to own a rare imitation with a fine provenance that will become a centerpiece of any vintage traps collection.
| General Characteristics | |
| Model | Bellows |
| Era | 1900-1928 |
| Condition | Excellent |
| Extra Holes or Modifications | None |
| Date | 1920s |
| Size | 15 1/2" L x 5" W x 4" H |
