Benedikt Eppelsheim (July 10, 1967 – April 4, 2023) was a German instrument maker of extreme high- and low-voiced
woodwind instrument
Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments.
Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and ...
s. He lived in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, Germany
Early life and training
Eppelsheim's father was a musicologist specializing in woodwind instruments. After graduating high school and doing community service, he learned brass instrument making from Ganter (Munich) and Wenzel Meinl (Geretsried). After two years at Münchner Blech GmbH, he wanted to turn his back on music and study architecture (his other childhood dream), but his limited talent in it and still burning interest in wind instruments pushed him back to the workbench.
At Münchner Blech GmbH he was able to work on bass and contrabass saxophones, as well as sarrusophones. In Franz Traut's workshop (Munich) he spent years experimenting with S-bows and repairing saxophones. During this time he built two experimental instruments that, although not interesting in themselves, were indispensable steps on the way to his own marketable developments.
Benedikt Eppelsheim Wind Instruments
In 1998 he opened his own shop as a repair business in 1998. From here he developed new instruments of which he was both the inventor and exclusive manufacturer.
In 1999 he unveiled the
tubax
The tubax is a modified contrabass saxophone developed in 1999 by the German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim. Although it has the same fingering as the saxophone, Eppelsheim's design reduces the amount of expansion of its conical bore in re ...
, a reproportioned contrabass saxophone. He also debuted the ''
soprillo
The soprillo, also known as the piccolo saxophone or rarely sopranissimo saxophone,
is the highest pitched and smallest saxophone.
The soprillo was developed as an extension to the saxophone family in the late 1990s
by German instrument maker ...
'', a piccolo saxophone placed an octave above the B♭
soprano saxophone
The soprano saxophone is a small, high-pitched member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented in the 1840s by Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax. Built in B♭ an octave above the tenor saxophone (or rarely, slightly small ...
. His redesigned contrabass clarinet was launched in 2006.
In collaboration with
Guntram Wolf
Guntram Wolf (25 March 1935, Kronach – 4 February 2013, Kronach) was a maker of modern and historical woodwind instruments in Kronach, Germany.
His productions
He specialized in the modern Bassoon#Heckel (German) system, Heckel (German) system b ...
, he developed the
contraforte
The ''contraforte'' () is a proprietary instrument with a range similar to the contrabassoon produced by Benedikt Eppelsheim and Guntram Wolf. It is intended to have improved dynamics and intonation over the distinctive but sometimes reticent s ...
, an improved and redesigned
contrabassoon
The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower. Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with a few notable differences.
Differences from the bassoon
The Reed (mouthpie ...
. Through this time he also made
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Wood
* Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
and contrabass saxophones, sarrusophones, and a variety of uniquely designed instruments on special order.
Death and continuity
Benedikt Eppelsheim's death was announced by his shop on April 5, 2023. The announcement included that he had not been involved in day-to-day operations for a time due to illness, that the shop would continue to operate under the direction of his successor, Johannes Belbo.
See also
*
Contrabass clarinet
The contrabass clarinet (also pedal clarinet, after the pedals of pipe organs) and contra-alto clarinet are the two largest members of the clarinet family that are in common usage. Modern contrabass clarinets are transposing instruments pitche ...
*
Contraforte
The ''contraforte'' () is a proprietary instrument with a range similar to the contrabassoon produced by Benedikt Eppelsheim and Guntram Wolf. It is intended to have improved dynamics and intonation over the distinctive but sometimes reticent s ...
*
Soprillo
The soprillo, also known as the piccolo saxophone or rarely sopranissimo saxophone,
is the highest pitched and smallest saxophone.
The soprillo was developed as an extension to the saxophone family in the late 1990s
by German instrument maker ...
*
Subcontrabass saxophone
The subcontrabass saxophone is the largest of the family of saxophones that Adolphe Sax described in his 1846 patent. He called it the ''saxophone bourdon'', named after the very low-pitched 32′ bourdon pedal stop on large pipe organs. Alth ...
*
Tubax
The tubax is a modified contrabass saxophone developed in 1999 by the German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim. Although it has the same fingering as the saxophone, Eppelsheim's design reduces the amount of expansion of its conical bore in re ...
References
External links
*
German musical instrument makers
Clarinet makers
Businesspeople from Munich
Living people
1967 births
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