According to Edith Reiter's 2014 book, this instrument was completed on 14 January 1923; it is a variant of model 36i (a precursor to the conservatory system).
As of March 2020, this heckelphone is part of the historical instrument collection of the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL (USA), as collection no. 120993, item no. 99. It was officially transferred to the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music in 2004, along with the remaining instruments from the University Bands Collection (which also includes a clarinet built by Heckel in Biebrich). The instrument was purchased by A. Austin Harding, the first Director of Bands at the University of Illinois, for the university's symphonic wind ensemble. Harding was likely led to the heckelphone by his interest in unusual instruments and his desire to incorporate complete families of instruments into the wind band, where the use of heckelphone is documented as early as 1925. This suggests that the University of Illinois purchased heckelphone #3809 upon its completion in 1923 and has held it in its collection since then.
Heckelphone #3809 is in very good condition and played regularly. The provisions for its use are tightly controlled by museum practice, following the guidelines of the American Alliance of Museums.
These images are used with permission by the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music at the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign, IL (USA).
Any use for commercial purposes is prohibited; for further enquiries,
please see https://archon.library.illinois.edu/?p=digitallibrary/digitalcontent&id=9176.