Good morning. Recently we finished restoring a Philip Werlein clarinet for my son. This was more than a bit of a whim. The project was very much based on how rare the horns are and how difficult it was to finish. We are antique fans, love old stuff, and this was quite a challenge. I originally purchased two horns and then stumbled across a handful of parts too. It's a really cool piece of history.
Sadly, the history, aside from so much history about the Werlein family and the stores, continues to evade. I rebuild, restore and resell a lot of clarinets and this horn defies identification, in terms of manufacturer, by simple comparison to other horns of the era. It's serial K-1233. We believe that puts it mid-fifties. What I've never been able to find is anything that definitively points to who Werlein had making the horns, and when. I once spoke with a retired tech of 85. He told me that some of Werlein's earlier horns were manufactured by LeBlanc in WI, and that the elder Werleins had horns custom built to their own design criteria.
This might explain why this horn seems to have elements of several makes. What with Werlein being such an old, American "institution", it seems likely they would have sourced the horns in the U.S., but I spoke to one person who said that some of Werlein's brass definitely came from Europe. I have never been able to find a connection to any company, and the older gent also commented on brass from overseas, so no certainty that the last of the clarinets Werlein commissioned were still US made--if they ever were. Anyone out there with any info? We'd love to know more. Thanks.
Sadly, the history, aside from so much history about the Werlein family and the stores, continues to evade. I rebuild, restore and resell a lot of clarinets and this horn defies identification, in terms of manufacturer, by simple comparison to other horns of the era. It's serial K-1233. We believe that puts it mid-fifties. What I've never been able to find is anything that definitively points to who Werlein had making the horns, and when. I once spoke with a retired tech of 85. He told me that some of Werlein's earlier horns were manufactured by LeBlanc in WI, and that the elder Werleins had horns custom built to their own design criteria.
This might explain why this horn seems to have elements of several makes. What with Werlein being such an old, American "institution", it seems likely they would have sourced the horns in the U.S., but I spoke to one person who said that some of Werlein's brass definitely came from Europe. I have never been able to find a connection to any company, and the older gent also commented on brass from overseas, so no certainty that the last of the clarinets Werlein commissioned were still US made--if they ever were. Anyone out there with any info? We'd love to know more. Thanks.
