- Rauschpfeife
The rauschpfeife is a
musical instrument of thewoodwind family, originally popular in Europe in the mid-16th Century. In common with thecrumhorn andcornamuse , it is a wooden double-reed instrument with the reed enclosed in a windcap. The player blows into a slot in the top of the windcap to produce the sound.Rauschpfeifes differ from crumhorns mainly in the shape of the body, which, like the
shawm , is conical. This design has the consequence that the instrument is exceedingly loud, which made it an appropriate tool for striking fear in the enemy during battle.The word 'rauschpfeife', in addition to referring to a specific wind instrument, was sometimes used to denote woodwind instruments in general: for example an order placed for instruments by the Nuremberg town council in 1538 indicated a need for 'rauschpfeiffen', but when the order was filled, it included recorders, cornetts, shawms and other instruments, but none specifically named 'rauschpfeife' [* Barra Boydell. "Rauschpfeife", "Grove Music Online", ed. L. Macy (accessed
February 8 2006 ), [http://www.grovemusic.com/ grovemusic.com] (subscription access).] .As with many instruments of this period and genre, the rauschpfeife has undergone something of a revival in recent decades; examples are currently being made and played by
early music enthusiasts worldwide.References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.