This is a double horn in F and f-descant, with an interesting attachment used to move the piston valve. It is silver plated, has a very small bell, and is engraved "C.F. Schmidt / Weimer / früher / Berlin". It is also engraved with the name of the former owner, Guillaume Gagnier, who was principal horn of the Montreal Symphony from 1935 to 1950. It was purchased from a music store near Montreal which had acquired it from the estate of a relative of Mr. Gagnier. The horn is in excellent physical condition; mechanically, however it needs the valves replated and a new leadpipe. The original leadpipe was missing a couple of inches when the horn was purchased, and another section of the pipe was damaged. It has been temporarily replaced with a section of a pipe from a single F horn used for parts. With a good pipe, and rebuilt valves, I think this would be a remarkably good high horn, with an equally good low register.

Canadian horn player and double bassist, Guillaume Gagnier was born in Montreal on December 9, 1890. His first lessons in music theory were with his father, Joseph Gagnier. He studied horn with Charles Tanguy and a Mr Debleye. In the 1920s, he had double bass lessons with Léon Wathieu of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 1913 Gagnier became principal horn of the Canadian Grenadier Guards Band and from 1935 to 1950 was principal horn of the Les Concerts Symphoniques Montreal (CSM, later the Montreal Symphony Orchestra). He was a member of the Gagnier Woodwind Quintet from 1942 to 1945 and also performed with the McGill String Quartet. He worked with various theater orchestras of Montreal as double bass and performed on numerous radio and television concerts of the Canadian Broadcasting Company. Mr. Gagnier died August 22 1962.