Kelhorn
A kelhorn is a low-pitched, double reed, capped woodwind instrument,[1] related to the Crumhorn.[2] An even lower pitched version of this Renaissance period woodwind has been designed in modern times by George Kelischek.[3][4][5]
Description[edit]
The instrument had a double pierced reed.[6] A cap enclosed the reed, and the musician blew into the cap's mouthpiece to play. This prevented the lips from contacting the reed and made it impossible to control its dynamics. Although it used the same fingering as a recorder, it required much more breath. Kelhorns had the double holes characteristic of all Renaissance recorders on the 6th and 7th finger holes.
The kelhorn, like its predecessors, has a range of only 9 notes C' - D", or F' to G". Not until the arrival of the Recorder in the 14th Century did a woodwind have a two octave range.
With instruments, the Law of Scale dictates that, in order to play notes in the octave below, you must double the length of the instrument As with the other Renaissance woodwinds at the time (Crumhorns, Cornamuse, Shawms and Recorders), that led to the manufacture of very large heavy, unwieldy Bass instruments, topping 7 feet in height.
Kelhorn makers circumvented this problem by snaking the bore down the length of the instrument, instead of having it go straight through.[7] This made the finger holes closer together allowing even small hands to play the bass ranges, and provided an easily transportable, light weight, valve-less instrument, able to reach the range of the Sub-Contra Bass Recorder, two octaves below middle C.
The Kelhorn became the bass instrument of choice until the Curtall started to replace it midway through the Renaissance. By 1750, the Curtall had developed into the Baroque Bassoon and the Kelhorn disappeared form orchestral works.
The Kelhorn, along with its relatives, has seen a revival in the 20th Century with growing interest in Early European music[8] and with the growing popularity of Renaissance Festivals. A bass kelhorn with an even lower range has been developed in modern times by George Kelischek,[9] who coiled created a coiled bore within the instrument to increase its length.[10]
References[edit]
- ↑ Recorder and Music Magazine. Volume 2. Schott & Company. 1966. p. 56. Search this book on
- ↑ Experimental Musical Instruments. Experimental Musical Instruments. 1993. p. 13. Search this book on
- ↑ "The 21st Century’s Great Renaissance Inventor". The Imaginative Conservative, Stephen Masty
- ↑ Continuo. Volume 22. 1998. p. 16. Search this book on
- ↑ Richard W. Griscom; David Lasocki (17 June 2013). The Recorder: A Research and Information Guide. Routledge. pp. 174–. ISBN 978-1-135-83932-1. Search this book on
- ↑ Musik und Bildung. B. Schott's Söhne. 1969. p. 504. Search this book on
- ↑ "President's message". Broadside, The Atlanta Early Music Alliance, Vol. XV, No. 4. June 2015
- ↑ "Musicke Antiqua" Bold Life, Norm Powers, November 30, 2011
- ↑ Music Library Association. Committee on Musical Instrument Collections; Music Library Association; William Lichtenwanger (1 June 1974). A survey of musical instrument collections in the United States and Canada. Music Library Association. p. 504. ISBN 978-0-914954-00-2. Search this book on
- ↑ The Recorder Magazine. 11-12. Schott & Company. 1991. p. 92. Search this book on
External links[edit]
- Lazars Eearly Music
- Kelischek Workshop for Historical Instruments
- Early Music Shop
- Royal Academe of Music, Historical Performance Dept.
- Recorder and Music Magazine. Schott & Company. 1963. Search this book on
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