Auguste Henri Rott (<1868)

This is a Saxhorn in C by the Czech maker August Jindrich Rott (see his section in "The Makers" for more on the confusing names). The unusual placement of the rotary valves caught my eye and convinced me to get this one. Even though the valves are in bad shape and the slides are stuck, it is capable of playing beautiful melodies.

It is difficult to say what it is exactly, as manufacturers from that era seem to use different names for similar instruments; some might call it an Alto Horn in C or a Bassflügelhorn, others call it a Contralto Horn and some say it is a Tenor Horn or even Barytone.