Renesaissance wind instruments with a double reed, part 1

Abstract

The present article is aimed at collecting and arranging information about the Renaissance wind instruments with a double reed, which never before or after that period in the history of music presented as many tone colours. The author pays attention to the great importance of the sound of a wind ensemble as without these instruments – as Lorenz Walker claimed – neither a prince nor any wealthy city would have been able to fully show their significance. The first part of the article in this issue of the magazine presents the shawm, rackett, dulcian and bassanello – the instruments in which the reed was fully outside or partially enclosed by a pirouette – a small wooden part on which a musician could rest their lips and prevent fatigue. The author discusses the history and construction of these instruments, their use, scales, varieties and ways of playing. An addition to the text are the illustrations presenting construction details and circumstances in which these instruments were used. New concepts and ideas of instrument makers from the turn of the 16th century, such as the extended range of the bassanello, the piruet, or the “twist” of the bore of the over 2-metre-long bass shawm and thus creating a shorter instrument yet still remaining in the same register – the dulcian, are still admired by modern restorers of historical instruments. The article is meant both for people playing early music and modern performers interested in the topics connected with historical performance using old wind instruments.