Chalumeau
Encyclopedia
This article is about the historical musical instrument. For the register on the clarinet that is named for this instrument, see Clarinet#Range.
The chalumeau (ʃa.ly.mo, lang; plural chalumeaux; from Greek
: , kalamos
, meaning "reed
") is a woodwind instrument
of the late baroque
and early classical
era, in appearance rather like a recorder
, but with a mouthpiece
like a clarinet
's.
from the twelfth century to refer to various sorts of pipes
, some of which were made of cane and featured a single "reed" cut into the side of the cane itself. (See Similar instruments, below. The etymology
is discussed in detail at Shawm#Etymology.)
In the late seventeenth century an improved form of the chalumeau was developed. This baroque chalumeau represents the link between the recorder
and the clarinet, and is essentially a cylindrical bore recorder with a mouthpiece like that of a clarinet and two additional "throat" keys controlling notes at the top of the fundamental register. The chalumeau continued to develop for several decades alongside the clarinet, and it has a large repertoire in 18th century orchestra
l and chamber music
.
The clarinet was developed from the chalumeau primarily by displacing the B♭ key up towards the mouthpiece, reducing the size of the hole and inserting a register tube; here it still produces B♭, but functions in addition as a register key, allowing the upper range to be easily sounded. In addition the clarinet's mouthpiece was modified to improve performance in the upper register, and the chalumeau's straight foot joint was replaced by a flared bell. Early clarinets could be constructed with either the upper or the lower range well tuned, but not both. The baroque clarinet therefore was primarily used in its upper range, which had a bright sound and better projection than the mellow sounding chalumeau, aided also by the enlargement of the bell for resonance. Later developments in the keywork allowed better intonation throughout the range of the clarinet, contributing to its increased popularity throughout Europe, and to the demise of the chalumeau by about the mid 1780s.
Both the improvement of the chalumeau and the invention of the clarinet have been attributed to Johann Christoph Denner
of Nuremberg
, although his contributions are uncertain and in particular the clarinet may have been an invention of his son Jacob Denner.
has three chalumeau players: Marco Ernst-Felix Zorzytzky, Andre Strugalla, Boris Pfeiffer.
an cultures; see Albogue
, Alboka
, Diplica
, Hornpipe
, pibgorn
, and Sipsi
. In the 1970s, a similar instrument called the xaphoon
(also called "Maui bamboo sax" or "pocket sax") was developed by Hawaii
an craftsman Brian Wittman
.
Reproduction and modern chalumeau makers:
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: , kalamos
Kalamos
Kalamos is an ancient Greek word meaning reed or reed pen. The basis for this meaning is the story of the Greek mythological figure Kalamos, son of Maiandros .-Greek mythology:...
, meaning "reed
Reed (instrument)
A reed is a thin strip of material which vibrates to produce a sound on a musical instrument. The reeds of most Woodwind instruments are made from Arundo donax or synthetic material; tuned reeds are made of metal or synthetics.-Single reeds:Single reeds are used on the mouthpieces of clarinets...
") is a woodwind instrument
Woodwind instrument
A woodwind instrument is a musical instrument which produces sound when the player blows air against a sharp edge or through a reed, causing the air within its resonator to vibrate...
of the late baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
and early classical
Classical period (music)
The dates of the Classical Period in Western music are generally accepted as being between about 1750 and 1830. However, the term classical music is used colloquially to describe a variety of Western musical styles from the ninth century to the present, and especially from the sixteenth or...
era, in appearance rather like a recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
, but with a mouthpiece
Mouthpiece (woodwind)
The mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument is that part of the instrument which is placed partly in the player's mouth. Single-reed instruments, capped double-reed instruments, and fipple flutes have mouthpieces while exposed double-reed instruments and open flutes do not.-Single-reed instruments:On...
like a clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
's.
History
The word "chalumeau" was in use in FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
from the twelfth century to refer to various sorts of pipes
Pipe (instrument)
Pipe describes a number of musical instruments, historically referring to perforated wind instruments. The word is an onomatopoeia, and comes from the tone which can resemble that of a bird chirping.-Folk pipe:...
, some of which were made of cane and featured a single "reed" cut into the side of the cane itself. (See Similar instruments, below. The etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
is discussed in detail at Shawm#Etymology.)
In the late seventeenth century an improved form of the chalumeau was developed. This baroque chalumeau represents the link between the recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
and the clarinet, and is essentially a cylindrical bore recorder with a mouthpiece like that of a clarinet and two additional "throat" keys controlling notes at the top of the fundamental register. The chalumeau continued to develop for several decades alongside the clarinet, and it has a large repertoire in 18th century orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
l and chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
.
The clarinet was developed from the chalumeau primarily by displacing the B♭ key up towards the mouthpiece, reducing the size of the hole and inserting a register tube; here it still produces B♭, but functions in addition as a register key, allowing the upper range to be easily sounded. In addition the clarinet's mouthpiece was modified to improve performance in the upper register, and the chalumeau's straight foot joint was replaced by a flared bell. Early clarinets could be constructed with either the upper or the lower range well tuned, but not both. The baroque clarinet therefore was primarily used in its upper range, which had a bright sound and better projection than the mellow sounding chalumeau, aided also by the enlargement of the bell for resonance. Later developments in the keywork allowed better intonation throughout the range of the clarinet, contributing to its increased popularity throughout Europe, and to the demise of the chalumeau by about the mid 1780s.
Both the improvement of the chalumeau and the invention of the clarinet have been attributed to Johann Christoph Denner
Johann Christoph Denner
Johann Christoph Denner , was a famous woodwind instrument maker of the Baroque era, to whom the invention of the clarinet is attributed....
of Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
, although his contributions are uncertain and in particular the clarinet may have been an invention of his son Jacob Denner.
Modern chalumeau
Although only about eight examples of original chalumeau are known to have survived, modern craftsmen are now producing replicas based on these instruments. Present day makers of replica chalumeau include Peter van der Poel, Andreas Schöni, R. Tutz, and Guntram Wolf. Other makers, including Hahl and Kunath, produce modern adaptations of the chalumeau. Today, the band In ExtremoIn Extremo
In Extremo is a German medieval metal band originating from Berlin. The band's musical style combines metal with medieval traditional songs, blending the sound of the standard rock/metal instruments with historical instruments...
has three chalumeau players: Marco Ernst-Felix Zorzytzky, Andre Strugalla, Boris Pfeiffer.
Similar instruments
Single-tube, cylindrical, single reed folk instruments are found in many Arabic and EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an cultures; see Albogue
Albogue
The albogue is a single-reed clarinet coming from Spain, especially from Madrid , Asturias , Castile and Andalusia .It is similar to a hornpipe, like the Welsh pibgorn and the Basque alboka....
, Alboka
Alboka
The alboka is a double hornpipe or clarinet native to the Basque Country.Although the alboka is a woodwind instrument, its name is derived from the Arabic "al-bûq"...
, Diplica
Diplica
The diplica is an ancient, clarinet-like, single-reed instrument which was played in different forms in many parts of Croatia, but now survives only in the Baranja region....
, Hornpipe
Hornpipe (musical instrument)
The hornpipe can refer to a specific instrument or a class of woodwind instruments consisting of a single reed, a small diameter melody pipe with finger holes and a bell traditionally made from animal horn...
, pibgorn
Pibgorn (instrument)
The pibgorn is a Welsh species of idioglot reed aerophone. The name translates literally as "pipe-horn". It is also historically known as cornicyll. It utilises a single reed , cut from elder or reed , like that found in the drone of a bagpipe, being the ancestor of the modern clarinet reed...
, and Sipsi
Sipsi
The sipsi is a Turkish woodwind instrument. It is a clarinet-like, single-reed instrument used mainly in folk music. The word "sipsi" is probably onomatopoeic, and is related to "zıpçi" meaning "whistle," or comes from the word meaning small. It can be made of bone, wood, or reed, though the reed...
. In the 1970s, a similar instrument called the xaphoon
Xaphoon
The Xaphoon is a single-reed keyless woodwind instrument. Its construction is very similar to the chalumeau, a European keyless single-reed instrument that was the ancestor of the clarinet. The tone color produced by a Xaphoon is somewhere between that of a saxophone and a clarinet, and the...
(also called "Maui bamboo sax" or "pocket sax") was developed by Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an craftsman Brian Wittman
Brian Wittman
Brian Wittman is an American musical instrument maker from Maui, Hawaii. He is the inventor of the xaphoon , which he developed during the 1970s....
.
External links
- Delicacy, sentimentality and intimacy: the chalumeau as 'signifier' - Ingrid Elizabeth Pearson
- Photo of an 18th-century chalumeau
Reproduction and modern chalumeau makers: