Help - can anyone identify this instrument?

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A relative of mine died recently, and I inherited an instrument because I'm one of the only members of my family (currently alive) that has any musical ability. I've searched all over the internet and never found out exactly what it is. It most closely resembles a clarinet; however it is only an octave, and the keys are set up in a different format than even the oldest clarinet pictures I've seen. It can't be a recorder, because it doesn't resemble one in any shape or form - no hole on the mouthpiece, a removable bell at the end of the barrel. It has a cork interior, and is silver sheet. There is no identification on it, only the word "Czechoslovakia". It was kept in a room with other items, many of which are a century or more in age. I was hoping the Czechoslovakia might at least narrow down its age a bit, if nothing else. (On a side note, it is very tarnished but otherwise in very good condition,)

It looks like a silver clarinet. But I'm not sure.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/2 ... AA280_.jpg

That's close - but still not quite like it. It's a very confusing little instrument. I have a bigger picture of it, but it's stored on the computer. . .

There were a lot of different prototypes to the wind instruments we have today before they were standardized- I've seen books full of pictures of them (Dover? DK publishers?) I don't think it would be too hard to figure out if you have a picture book in front of you. It looks a little more like a recorder than a clarinet, but the picture is tiny. Is it complete or does it look like a mouthpiece is missing to you?

This is what sprung to my mind, too.



Well it does indeed! Czechoslovakia was formed in 1918, and was dissolved into the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic in 1993.

Something that sprang to mind was the link between Klezmer and the Jewish population of Czechoslovakia - maybe this was used in Klezmer bands rather than a clarinet.

Robin