Crumhorn??
Bob Tiptrie
>>>Does anybody know where I could find a Crumhorn? I love the sound of
>>>them. The band 'Gryphon' used it very well. Nobody seems to know what it
>>>is let alone where I could find one. Any help would be appreciated.
>> A crumhorn is a Renaissance reed instrument. Difficult to play.
> It's an ancestor of the oboe... Double reed, curls up on the bottom...
> There is a place in Cambridge that sells medieval instruments. I don't
> have a Boston directory any more, and they haven't sent me a catalogue
> for a while, so you'll have to call information to locate them (unless I
> can find my catalogue).
> Or you could get in touch with the local Society of Creative Anachronism
> people, see if they have a music guild, and ask them where they get
> their instruments.
Susato makes plastic Krummhorns, as I recall. (I have heard that their
plastic recorders are at the very least equal to the wood up to the $100-
$200 range, though I cannot verify this, but it implies that their
Krummhorns might also be okay.) One *might* try Cody Grundy at Hobgoblin
Music, I vaguely recall seeing them in their catalogue a decade ago, at:
415-991-4040
or
POB 5311
South San Francisco, CA 94080
or
1655 Mission Road, 2nd Floor
Colma, CA
(We purchased a Caswell Gaelic harp from these folks, and lots of smaller
stuff since, so call us happy customers.)
I am told the Krummhorn has the same fingering as the recorder, so it
should not be too bad to learn. It is a capped reed, unlike the oboe, so
there are likely to be significant differences from the latter.
--
Robert Tiptrie
[Pithy quote here]
Gadfly
Bob Tiptrie <tip...@cygnus.wa.com> wrote:
>I am told the Krummhorn has the same fingering as the recorder, so it
>should not be too bad to learn.
Well, yeah, but when it's bad, it's *very* very bad. On the plus side,
there is but one register, so there's a range of only about a 12th to deal
with. But on the minus side, although it is fingered like a recorder,
it's essentially a kazoo with holes, so you can finger it however you
please. Any given fingering can produce a pitch difference of about a
major third depending solely on breath pressure. You'll get the most
stable and consistent pitches at the upper end of that pressure, but
that takes good wind chops, so it's not for the faint at heart--or lung.
Also, given the vagueries of wind and reed conditions inside the cap,
you have to be content in the knowledge that no matter how thoroughly
you have practiced, every time you pick the instrument up almost any
pitch--indeed any noise--may come out of it.
That said, a krumhorn consort that has found its sense of ensemble
will sound like an organ, and the effect will take everybody else's
breath away too. You'll find that you have to practice together a lot--
I mean like practically live communally--and it is of immense help to
have memorized your parts. The showpiece that will bring down the house
is the Henry VIII Tandernaken (which you can find in Musica Brittanica)
for soprano, tenor, and bass. The descant player needs to have worked
out a reliable low C#, however. Been there; done that. And how I'd
love to do it again.
*** ***
Ken Perlow ***** ***** Bell Labs / Lucent Technologies
****** ****** 07 Apr 96 [18 Germinal An CCIV]
***** ***** gad...@bell-labs.com
** ** ** **
...L'AUDACE! *** *** TOUJOURS DE L'AUDACE! ENCORE DE L'AUDACE!
Morten Nilsen
>>>"Daniel E. Tyson" <dt...@andrew.cmu.edu> originally wrote:
>>>>Does anybody know where I could find a Crumhorn? I love the sound of
>>>>them. The band 'Gryphon' used it very well. Nobody seems to know what it
>>>>is let alone where I could find one. Any help would be appreciated.
Early Music Shop of England sells crumhorns in kit form. I believe
they will also finish the kits, at additional cost.
Kelischek Workshop sells a number of different crumhorns, including
their own.
Good, ready to play crumhorns are made by Moeck, and you should be
able to find them through any mail order house that deals in
historical instruments.
>>> A crumhorn is a Renaissance reed instrument. Difficult to play.
>I am told the Krummhorn has the same fingering as the recorder, so it
>should not be too bad to learn. It is a capped reed, unlike the oboe, so
>there are likely to be significant differences from the latter.
The fingerings are similar to those of the recorder, not identical.
The difficulties a beginner will encounter relate to breath control -
crumhorns need more breath than recorders, and on many instruments
each note will require some adjustment of breath pressure.
Embouchure will also be a problem for beginners. After a few minutes
of playing the beginner will find most of his\her breath passing
around the outside of the windcap. Continued practise will develop
the necessary embouchure.
Check out the Crumhorn Home Page at
http://www.iinet.net.au/~nickl/crumhorn.html
Morten
jaq...@en.com
(Gadfly) wrote:
> In article <960405.183649.9...@cygnus.wa.com>,
> Bob Tiptrie <tip...@cygnus.wa.com> wrote:
> >I am told the Krummhorn has the same fingering as the recorder, so it
> >should not be too bad to learn.
>
> Well, yeah, but when it's bad, it's *very* very bad. On the plus side,
> there is but one register, so there's a range of only about a 12th to deal
> with.
M9 on an original-type instrument (without keys), P11 on one of the
instruments with the two upper extension keys
But on the minus side, although it is fingered like a recorder,
> it's essentially a kazoo with holes, so you can finger it however you
> please.
A kazoo is a straight mute for a larynx, not a reed instrument.
Any given fingering can produce a pitch difference of about a
> major third depending solely on breath pressure. You'll get the most
> stable and consistent pitches at the upper end of that pressure, but
> that takes good wind chops, so it's not for the faint at heart--or lung.
> Also, given the vagueries of wind and reed conditions inside the cap,
> you have to be content in the knowledge that no matter how thoroughly
> you have practiced, every time you pick the instrument up almost any
> pitch--indeed any noise--may come out of it.
I don't know whose krummhorns you've been blowing, but by the sounds of
it, you should get them fixed if you can, and chuck them if you can't,
because they are clearly not servicable musical instruments. I have a
Moeck soprano which was worked on by Phillip Levin [warning: unsolicited
advertisement] almost 10 years ago. It is full in sound and stable in
pitch. I have had not the slightest problem in playing it (aside from
adapting to a higher breath-pressure after I got it back from him). The
pitch alters only when _I_ want to alter it (I do a killer high-Romantic
interpretation of "Theme from _Love Story_" on it.)
Frankly, I'm a little tired of krummhorns being played for laughs, though
I think that some krumms and some krumm-players certainly qualify as jokes
> That said, a krumhorn consort that has found its sense of ensemble
> will sound like an organ, and the effect will take everybody else's
> breath away too.
Amen!
--
Jeffrey Quick
http://www.en.com/users/jaquick
John Howell
>Bob Tiptrie <tip...@cygnus.wa.com> wrote:
>>I am told the Krummhorn has the same fingering as the recorder, so it
>>should not be too bad to learn.
>
>Well, yeah, but when it's bad, it's *very* very bad.
But when it's good, rare as that might be, you get chords that RINGGGGggggggg!
On the plus side,
>there is but one register, so there's a range of only about a 12th to deal
>with.
Authentically only a 9th, actually. Depends on how many cheat keys the
maker added.
But on the minus side, although it is fingered like a recorder,
>it's essentially a kazoo with holes, so you can finger it however you
>please. Any given fingering can produce a pitch difference of about a
>major third depending solely on breath pressure.
I've only played on Korbers and Steinkopfs. What you say is definitely
true of the Korbers, but definitely NOT true of the Steinkopfs. They are
easier to play because they only respond at the correct pressure and at
that pressure they are in tune.
You'll get the most
>stable and consistent pitches at the upper end of that pressure, but
>that takes good wind chops, so it's not for the faint at heart--or lung.
Again, it depends on the maker and on the reed. But any reed instrument
requires developing strong embouchure muscles, so crumhorn is no different
in this.
>Also, given the vagueries of wind and reed conditions inside the cap,
>you have to be content in the knowledge that no matter how thoroughly
>you have practiced, every time you pick the instrument up almost any
>pitch--indeed any noise--may come out of it.
I've certainly not found this to be true if your reed is reliable.
>
>That said, a krumhorn consort that has found its sense of ensemble
>will sound like an organ, and the effect will take everybody else's
>breath away too.
Also, the attack (like the shawm) is so pronounced that the rhythmic
vitality on dance music cannot be bettered. It's as if you were your own
rhythm section.
You'll find that you have to practice together a lot--
>I mean like practically live communally--and it is of immense help to
>have memorized your parts. The showpiece that will bring down the house
>is the Henry VIII Tandernaken (which you can find in Musica Brittanica)
>for soprano, tenor, and bass. The descant player needs to have worked
>out a reliable low C#, however. Been there; done that. And how I'd
>love to do it again.
"Die Katzenpfote" (the cat's paw) is also cool--3 parts (SAT), German, a
little earlier.
>
> *** ***
>Ken Perlow ***** ***** Bell Labs / Lucent Technologies
John
John & Susie Howell (John....@vt.edu)
Virginia Tech Department of Music
Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A. 24061-0240
(540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034
David Klausner
with any fingering. While this is true of an awful lot of the
instruments around, it is much less true of an instrument fitted with a
cane reed made with straight sides (ie, not like a bassoon reed, more
like a bagpipe reed). These are much more stable and on a good
instrument give a very reliable single pitch.
Prof. David Klausner/Centre for Medieval Studies/University of Toronto
klau...@epas.utoronto.ca phone: 416-978-6752 fax: 416-971-1398
David Klausner
ones are: Eric Moulder in England, John Hanchet in Essen, Germany, and
Lyn Elder in California. It is possible to make a decent instrument from
the EMS kits, but the odds are against you. I don't have the addresses
for the three makers with me at the moment, but post a request for them
and I'll dig them out.
David G. Barton
> Bob Tiptrie asked about krummhorn makers. The only completely reliable
> ones are: Eric Moulder in England, John Hanchet in Essen, Germany, and
> Lyn Elder in California. It is possible to make a decent instrument from
> the EMS kits, but the odds are against you. I don't have the addresses
> for the three makers with me at the moment, but post a request for them
> and I'll dig them out.
I would differ with Dave on the EMS kits, but it does take some skill and
patience to come out with an acceptable product. At the Texas Toot we
have a "Krummhorn in a day" class where we get everything done but the
finish (including the tuning.) But we start with a fully equipped
workshop and an expert instument worker to guide you. We have a set of
EMS krummhorns (SATTB) that we have been playing for years. Made in a
garage in Irving, Texas, with the assistance of a case of beer.
IF you are seriously interested in acquiring a consort of krummhorns, I
have a set of Hanchet instruments (ATTB) that I am interested in selling
for a reasonable price. The alto is in G, and all of the instruments are
keyless. They are for serious krummhorn players. All have wooden reeds
--- two original and two made by Keith Loraine. The reason I am selling
them is that I need a laptop multimedia computer more than I need two
sets of krummhorns (not to mention a set of cornemusen.)
Reply by private email if you're interested.
David Barton
dav...@tenet.edu
Gadfly
<jaq...@en.com> quotes me:
>> Well, yeah, but when it's bad, it's *very* very bad. On the plus side,
>> there is but one register, so there's a range of only about a 12th to deal
>> with.
>M9 on an original-type instrument (without keys), P11 on one of the
>instruments with the two upper extension keys
I was generally able to stretch another semitone with creative fingerings.
>> But on the minus side, although it is fingered like a recorder,
>> it's essentially a kazoo with holes, so you can finger it however you
>> please.
>A kazoo is a straight mute for a larynx, not a reed instrument.
Yes, of course, but the result can be too close for comfort. Perhaps I
should have said "a moose call with holes".
>> Any given fingering can produce a pitch difference of about a
>> major third depending solely on breath pressure. You'll get the most
>> stable and consistent pitches at the upper end of that pressure, but
>> that takes good wind chops, so it's not for the faint at heart--or lung.
>> Also, given the vagueries of wind and reed conditions inside the cap,
>> you have to be content in the knowledge that no matter how thoroughly
>> you have practiced, every time you pick the instrument up almost any
>> pitch--indeed any noise--may come out of it.
>I don't know whose krummhorns you've been blowing, but by the sounds of
>it, you should get them fixed if you can, and chuck them if you can't,
>because they are clearly not servicable musical instruments.
My, my. They were Moecks. And we were professionals. OK, semi-pros.
You must not remember what it was like when you first picked a krumhorn
up--the pitch is very sensitive to breath pressure. I was an oboist,
way back when, so I didn't have a problem with this. But many recorder
players have a real hard time.
> I have a
>Moeck soprano which was worked on by Phillip Levin [warning: unsolicited
>advertisement] almost 10 years ago. It is full in sound and stable in
>pitch. I have had not the slightest problem in playing it (aside from
>adapting to a higher breath-pressure after I got it back from him). The
>pitch alters only when _I_ want to alter it (I do a killer high-Romantic
>interpretation of "Theme from _Love Story_" on it.)
My favorite was the intro to "Rhapsody in Blue", although the run has
to get, well, doubled over a bit. But so does everybody else.
>Frankly, I'm a little tired of krummhorns being played for laughs, though
>I think that some krumms and some krumm-players certainly qualify as jokes
As I said, when they're bad, they're very very bad. And you're right--I'd
like to play again, but it's difficult to find people who have the motivation
to do so seriously.
*** ***
Ken Perlow ***** ***** Bell Labs / Lucent Technologies
****** ****** 09 Apr 96 [20 Germinal An CCIV]
RJNA
is a Krumhorn Konclave (rackets allowed also) around 10:00 p.m. on
Saturday. Those of us who have crumhorns just completed that day even
play. It's inspiring to hear 75 or so crumhorns joining together for an
hour or so, or until our lips give out. How many did you count last
November, Dave?
Rebecca
rj...@aol.com
nti...@art.unt.edu
Rebecca Arkenberg
rj...@aol.com
nti...@art.unt.edu
Nicholas Lander
>Bob Tiptrie asked about krummhorn makers. The only completely reliable
>ones are: Eric Moulder in England, John Hanchet in Essen, Germany, and
>Lyn Elder in California. It is possible to make a decent instrument from
>the EMS kits, but the odds are against you. I don't have the addresses
>for the three makers with me at the moment, but post a request for them
>and I'll dig them out.
IMHO, none of this is true!
Contact details for these and many other crumhorn and reed makers may be
found on the Crumhorn Home Page at http://www.iinet.net.au/~nickl/crumhorn.html
Nicholas Lander
Hans Mons
>Bob Tiptrie asked about krummhorn makers. The only completely reliable
>ones are: Eric Moulder in England, John Hanchet in Essen, Germany, and
>Lyn Elder in California
You can find the addresses on GD Greens www page at
http://www.crl.com/~gdgreen/renwind.html
Hans Mons
Gadfly
John Howell <EARL...@helios.edvz.univie.ac.at> quotes me:
>>But on the minus side, although it is fingered like a recorder,
>>it's essentially a kazoo with holes, so you can finger it however you
>>major third depending solely on breath pressure.
>I've only played on Korbers and Steinkopfs. What you say is definitely
>true of the Korbers, but definitely NOT true of the Steinkopfs. They are
>easier to play because they only respond at the correct pressure and at
>that pressure they are in tune.
We played on Moeck Steinkopfs, albeit with plastic reeds (another poster
has noted that straight-sided cane reeds are much more stable). The
soprano and alto were pretty secure; the tenor and bass were all over
the place. I have only tootled on a few Korbers--enough to verify their
extreme unreliability.
>>You'll get the most
>>stable and consistent pitches at the upper end of that pressure, but
>>that takes good wind chops, so it's not for the faint at heart--or lung.
>Again, it depends on the maker and on the reed. But any reed instrument
>requires developing strong embouchure muscles, so crumhorn is no different
>in this.
Just so recorder players seeking to expand their facility understand this.
Alas, the krumhorn in this way has the same insidious problem the recorder
does--you *can* get a sound out of it without proper breath support, just
not a good one.
>>Also, given the vagueries of wind and reed conditions inside the cap,
>>you have to be content in the knowledge that no matter how thoroughly
>>you have practiced, every time you pick the instrument up almost any
>>pitch--indeed any noise--may come out of it.
>I've certainly not found this to be true if your reed is reliable.
Post hoc ergo propter hoc? Anyway, I'm still trying to grasp the meaning
of putting the words "reed" and "reliable" in the same sentence, not to
mention so close together. (Remember, you're talking to an ex-oboist.
You know, the guy who's frantically whittling away in the green room.)
>>That said, a krumhorn consort that has found its sense of ensemble
>>will sound like an organ, and the effect will take everybody else's
>>breath away too.
>Also, the attack (like the shawm) is so pronounced that the rhythmic
>vitality on dance music cannot be bettered. It's as if you were your own
>rhythm section.
Definitely not for the meek, and imprecise entrances are real obvious.
But when everybody hits the mark, though--wow!
>>You'll find that you have to practice together a lot--
>>I mean like practically live communally--and it is of immense help to
>>have memorized your parts. The showpiece that will bring down the house
>>is the Henry VIII Tandernaken (which you can find in Musica Brittanica)
>>for soprano, tenor, and bass. The descant player needs to have worked
>>out a reliable low C#, however. Been there; done that. And how I'd
>>love to do it again.
>"Die Katzenpfote" (the cat's paw) is also cool--3 parts (SAT), German, a
>little earlier.
That is a fun one. My favorite (Odhecaton? Canti B? Damn, it's been a while)
is "Latura Tu". A great piece to open a concert with, modulo warnings
mentioned previously, as you have to just pick up the instruments and lace
into it. And of course, every krumhorn consort needs to learn the Schein
Paduan, the only piece I'm aware of that is specifically scored for
krumhorns. The lower parts have to come up a 4th or 5th and the upper parts
down the corresponding 5th or 4th to make it work on conventional SATB
instruments, though.
*** ***
Ken Perlow ***** ***** Bell Labs / Lucent Technologies
****** ****** 10 Apr 96 [21 Germinal An CCIV]
Peter Hoogenboom
In article <v01530500ad8f3b8ebbc4@[128.173.232.135]> you wrote:
: Again, it depends on the maker and on the reed. But any reed instrument
: requires developing strong embouchure muscles, so crumhorn is no different
: in this.
What does embouchure have to do with playing a krummhorn? aren't they
capped?
: >Also, given the vagueries of wind and reed conditions inside the cap,
: >you have to be content in the knowledge that no matter how thoroughly
: >you have practiced, every time you pick the instrument up almost any
: >pitch--indeed any noise--may come out of it.
: I've certainly not found this to be true if your reed is reliable.
Isn't that a virtual oxymoron, rendering Ken's statement essentially true?
Peter
--
Peter Hoogenboom phoo...@wlu.edu
Department of Music, DuPont 208 hoogen...@fs.sciences.wlu.edu
Washington and Lee University phoog...@wesleyan.edu
Lexington, VA 24450 (540) 463-8697
Greg Lewin
>
> Bob Tiptrie asked about krummhorn makers. The only completely reliable
> ones are: Eric Moulder in England, John Hanchet in Essen, Germany, and
> the EMS kits, but the odds are against you. I don't have the addresses
> for the three makers with me at the moment, but post a request for them
> and I'll dig them out.
>
> klau...@epas.utoronto.ca phone: 416-978-6752 fax: 416-971-1398
Yes and no.
Eric and John make fine instruments (though I think you'll find that Eric makes
'crumhorns' :-) ). I'm afraid I don't know Lyn's work. EMS kits have the potential to
become fine instruments too.
However, the common problems found with crumhorns can only partly be blamed on the
maker. They can be summarized thus:
1. Crumhorns require some physical effort (and training) on the part of the player.
2. Crumhorn players must be good musicians. Tuning that is passable on recorders
will sound dire on crumhorns. Ditto ensemble.
3. Crumhorns need much more maintenance than recorders. The best crumhorn in the
world can sound lousy and out of tune if neglected or badly set up.
4. A plastic reed is no substitute for 1, 2 or 3.
Remember, the original crumhorn players were probably professional wind instrument
players, who already had the necessary physical and musical training. The instruments
that they played were probably not individually owned, but belonged to a court / church /
town council which would have had access to professional maintenance.
If you have just lighted on the crumhorn as an interesting looking instrument that it might
be fun to learn, I would advise DON'T. Try the harp or the psaltery. If you really want to
play a reed instrument then buy a bass curtal (dulcian, fagotto etc.). It is no more
difficult to play well and is much more useful.
On the other hand, a good performance by a consort of crumhorns is a fine thing to be a
part of.
Good luck,
Greg Lewin
(Many years a crumhorn maker and teacher).
--
Greg Lewin
gr...@g0nen.demon.co.uk (personal) - that's g<zero>nen
G.L...@ccub.wlv.ac.uk (academic)
Tel: +44 1785 840186 Fax: +44 1785 840476
bgarfink
> John,
>
> In article <v01530500ad8f3b8ebbc4@[128.173.232.135]> you wrote:
> : Again, it depends on the maker and on the reed. But any reed instrument
> : requires developing strong embouchure muscles, so crumhorn is no different
> : in this.
>
> What does embouchure have to do with playing a krummhorn? aren't they
> capped?
Actually, embouchure does matter on a crumhorn, because the dang thing
requires so much air pressure that even if you blow hard enough but don't
hold your mouth the right way, a lot of that air pressure goes toward
puffing out your cheeks rather than going through the reed and making
it vibrate. Recorder works the same way, except that I've seen players
deliberately LET their cheeks puff out--and that's usually the good
ones.
Beth
Nicholas Lander
>Mr Lander is entitled to his humble opinion, but I've been teaching
>krummhorn in Canada, the US, and Europe for 25 years now and have seen
>just about every kind of instrument in existence. I stand by my
>comments. BTW, I think I may be the only person ever to appear as a
>krummhorn player on a high-profile pop record.
Bullshit (IM not so HO)!
I've seen quite a few crumhorns myself. They are not so difficult to make
or to play. The EMS instruments (both complete and made from kits) are
excellent. And Korber instruments (which you could probably purchase 2nd
hand) are superb.
As for being the first crumhorn player in space -- how about the fabulous
playing of Gryphon's Richard Harvey made in the '70s (recently re-issued on
CD) see http://www.iinet.net.au/~nickl/records.html)?
Prospective crumhorn purchasers would do well to consult more widely. The
following list of makers and retailers should get you started:
Antique Sound (David H. Green), 90 Lakewood Drive, Plymouth MA 02360-1921,
U.S.A., tel. 508-833-3979, fax 508-833-3760.=20
Stefan Beck, Maastrichter Str. 4, 52074 Aachen, Germany, +49 241-86126.=20
Boulder Early Music Shop, 2010 14th Street, Boulder, CO 80302, U.S.A., tel.
(800) 499-1301, fax 303-449-3819, email rlh...@aol.com=20
Courtly Music Unlimited, The Pillars, 84 Main Street, Warrensburgh, NY
12885-1623, U.S.A. =20
The Early Music Shop, 38 Manningham Lane, Bradford, W. Yorkshire, BD1 3EA=
,UK.=20
Lyn Elder, Dominican College, San Rafael, CA 94901, U.S.A., tel.=
415-456-5367.=20
Charles Foster, Glen Cottage, 63 Holburn Street, Aberdeen, Aberdenshire,
Scotland AB1 6BR, tel. 01224-580024=20
John Hanchet, Beckumsfeld 4, D-45259 Essen, Germany, tel. +49 201-463901.=20
Hobgoblin Music: Bristol, 30 College Green, Bristol BS1 5TB, U.K., tel. +44
0117929 0902.=20
Hobgoblin Music: Crawley, 17 Northgate Parade, Crawley, W. Susex RH10 2DT,
UK, tel. +44 01293-515858.=20
George Kelischeck, Workshop for Historical Instruments (Susato Crumhorns,
Kelhorn Corp.), Brasstown, N.C 28902, U.S.A. , tel. (704) 837 5833, email
kel...@phoenix.grove.net=20
Volker Kernbach, H=F6fnerwinkel 11B, 29358 Eicklingen, Germany +49 5149-8643=
=20
King's Musicke, 208 W. Martintown Rd, N. August, SC 29841, U.S.A., tel. +1
803-279-8340.=20
Korber (supplied by Early Music Shop).=20
Keith E. Loraine, Early Double Reed Products, 787 Liberty Rd, Petaluma, CA
94952, U.S.A., tel. (707)763-3981.=20
Lark in the Morning, PO Box 1176, Mendocino, CA 95460, tel. (707) 964-5569,
fax (707) 964-1979, email lark...@mcn.org=20
Levin Historical Instruments, Inc., 1152 Green Pond Road, P.O.Box 407,
Newfoundland, NJ 697-0535, U.S.A., tel. 1-800-283-3714, fax (201) 697-0536,
email phil...@aol.com=20
Moeck Verlag & Musikinstrumentenwerk, Postfach 3131, 29231 Celle, Germany,
tel. +49 5141-88530, fax +49 5141-885342.=20
Eric Moulder, 175 Buxton Rd, Leek, Staffordshire ST13 16NF, U.K., tel. +44
01538-385323, fax +44 1538382204.
Philip & Gayle Neumann/De Organographia, Oregon City OR 97045-3354, U.S.A.,
tel. 503 657 5930, email neu...@uofport.edu=20
Rahma, via Hobgoblin Music (see above) and Stentor Music (see below).=20
Barbara Stanley, 21 Broad Street, Clifton, Shefford, Beds SG17 5RJ, tel. +44
01462-814981 (reeds).=20
Stentor Music Co. Ltd, Albert Road North, Reigate, Surrey RH2 9EZ, U.K.,
tel. +44 01737-240226.=20
von Huene Workshop, Inc (The Early Music Shop of New England), 59-65
Boylston St., Brookline, Mass. 02146, tel. (617) 277-8690, email
vonh...@world.std.com=20
Nicholas Lander
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Visit the Crumhorn Home Page at http://www.iinet.net.au/~nickl/crumhorn.html
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David Klausner
note that Korber's krummhorns bear only a passing resemblance to any
surviving instruments. They can be made to play well with a good cane
reed, but they're hardly the real thing. Moulder, Hanchet, and Elder are
the only makers to have done any real organological research and, sorry
if it offends you, but it _does_ make a difference. The EMS kits are
well designed, but extremely variable and depend very much on the tuning
capabilities of the individual maker.
Richard elGuru[tm] Howland-Bolton
>With thanks to Mr Lander for his opinions, humble or otherwise, let me
>note that Korber's krummhorns bear only a passing resemblance to any
>surviving instruments.
I have an old Korber alto (I was given it many years ago) and I must agree
with you--I think of it as Mozart's Krummhorn.
btw anyone know where I can get "a good cane reed" for the elegant but ugly
beast? (I'm in NE USA)
rhb
Byron Rakitzis
>Actually, embouchure does matter on a crumhorn, because the dang thing
>requires so much air pressure that even if you blow hard enough but don't
>hold your mouth the right way, a lot of that air pressure goes toward
>puffing out your cheeks rather than going through the reed and making
>it vibrate. Recorder works the same way, except that I've seen players
>deliberately LET their cheeks puff out--and that's usually the good
>ones.
That's not really quite right: air pressure cannot "go toward" puffing
one's cheeks out; once they are puffed out all the way the same
pressure is needed to play the instrument, since your wind column
is in a steady state!
Having played crumhorn, oboe and bassoon, I can say that it requires
far less support and especially strength in the embrochure than either
oboe or bassoon. There is no comparison. To me it's more like a
recorder that you have to work a little harder at playing!
--
Byron Rakitzis Network Appliance
<by...@netapp.com> 319 N. Bernardo
(415) 428-5104 Mountain View, CA 94043
jaq...@en.com
> In article <v01530500ad8f3b8ebbc4@[128.173.232.135]> you wrote:
> : Again, it depends on the maker and on the reed. But any reed instrument
> : requires developing strong embouchure muscles, so crumhorn is no different
> : in this.
>
> What does embouchure have to do with playing a krummhorn? aren't they
> capped?
Actually, there are embouchure issues if the instrument is very strongly
voiced (like the Korbers). After awhile, with so much backpressure into
the mouth, the lips can no longer seal around the blow hole, and the jaws
start to ache. Practice builds endurance.
Roland Hutchinson
>: >Also, given the vagueries of wind and reed conditions inside the cap,
>: >you have to be content in the knowledge that no matter how thoroughly
>: >you have practiced, every time you pick the instrument up almost any
>: >pitch--indeed any noise--may come out of it.
>: I've certainly not found this to be true if your reed is reliable.
>Isn't that a virtual oxymoron, rendering Ken's statement essentially true?
No, it's a tautology, virtual or otherwise, unless I've totally lost
my grip on rhetorical and logical terminology.
But perhaps we should start a contest for the best crumhorn-related
oxymoron.
--
Roland Hutchinson Visiting Specialist/Early Music
rhut...@email.njin.net <==New preferred address! Dept. of Music
hutch...@alpha.montclair.edu Montclair State University
From All-in-1 at MSU: rhutchin@apollo@wins Upper Montclair, NJ 07043
Jeff Harrison
<EARL...@helios.edvz.univie.ac.at> wrote:
Some yahoo wrote:
> >Mr Lander is entitled to his humble opinion, but I've been teaching
> >krummhorn in Canada, the US, and Europe for 25 years now and have seen
> >just about every kind of instrument in existence. I stand by my
> >comments. BTW, I think I may be the only person ever to appear as a
> >krummhorn player on a high-profile pop record.
Wow! That certainly makes him a great authority! Never understood why
people with legit training act like a popular sucess validates
them...<sigh>
Anyway, the real reason for this e-mail is that I've been spending a great
deal of time at your sites lately and wanted to tell you how much I
appreciate them. My first crummhorn is on its way from Kelischek in a few
days; you were a great help in my personal decision to purchase it.
Anyway...
> Bullshit (IM not so HO)!
Give 'em hell, Nick!!!
Jeff Harrison
Corona, California
Anne Gwin
Hutchinson) wrote:
>
> But perhaps we should start a contest for the best crumhorn-related
> oxymoron.
"Delicate-sounding crumhorn."
--
"It's not whether you win or lose, it's what your last words are."
Nicholas Lander
At 01:22 PM 4/12/96 -0700, you wrote:
>Never understood why people with legit training act like a popular sucess
>validates them...<sigh>
That sure is odd, as you say. But I am a tad suspicuous of a self-confessed
professor of crumhornology. It is a ridiculously simple instrument to make
and to play. An young lad I know made a passable one from balsa wood with a
reed made from a plastic from as softdrink container! Reed maintenance can
be a bit frustrating, to be sure. But once you have the thing working it
will stay that way for many years, in my experience.
I have to admit that the crumhorn is musically limited. But crumhorns
really do make people laugh, which is surely all the reason one needs to
play them. What other instrument can so reliably make other people happy?
>Anyway, the real reason for this e-mail is that I've been spending a great
>deal of time at your sites lately and wanted to tell you how much I
>appreciate them. My first crummhorn is on its way from Kelischek in a few
>days; you were a great help in my personal decision to purchase it.
I'm flattered. I do hope you have fun with it. Let me know how you get on.
Nicholas Lander
Jim Becker
[snip]
>But perhaps we should start a contest for the best crumhorn-related
>oxymoron.
If you don't mind a bit of nonsense:
Q: In music, what is a minor second?
A: Two crumhorns playing in unison
Jim Becker
BILL REES
held in Palestine TX every year in November. On Saturday evening the
great crumhorn conclave takes over and 50 or more buzzies,including
a few racketts blast forth sight reading various appropriate pieces
from the period under the able direction of David Barton.
Y'all come!
Gertraud Umlauft
>crumhorns need more breath than recorders, and on many instruments
>each note will require some adjustment of breath pressure.
>Embouchure will also be a problem for beginners. After a few minutes
>of playing the beginner will find most of his\her breath passing
>around the outside of the windcap. Continued practise will develop
>the necessary embouchure.
I dont think that a crumhorn or other windcap instruments need more
breath - I can play much longer phrases on my windcap instruments than
on the renaissance recorders with wide cylindrical bore. But you need
a certain amount of airpressure. Here it can be helpful to imagine
that the whole windcap must be filled with wind at once. If you have
filled it you only need to hold the pressure - this means that you
must have a very good breathing technique and a good working
diaphragm. To avoid too much breath you cannot get rid of, you should
practice to blow away breath at the end of a phrase, before you take
the new breath.Something like a unhearable phhh.
The biggest problem with the crumhorn is the big range of notes you
can play with one fingering. Depending on the breathpressure I can
play up to a fifth - my alto crumhorn (kit by EM) can reach the tenor
c with f fingering, d with g fingering... so I can play four note
lower only by decreasing the pressure for each note. Maybe this is not
typical for other crumhorns, but it declares, why crumhorn is really
difficult to play, especially in consort. But a good playing crumhorn
quartett is for me one of the most beautiful and phascinating sounds
in renaissance music.
Greeting from an absolute windcap freak
Gertraud Umlauft
JBLazar
three years ago at a Dominican College SFEMS summer workshop. The
finished instruments were pretty good. However, oiling the bores and
having David Hogan Smith, of San Francisco, make cane reeds (played dry)
and tune the instruments, turned them into superlative instruments. They
(except for the GtB) are quite stable, their tone is outstanding, and the
breath pressure required is moderate. The notes fairly lock in on
pitch--Is this really a krumhorn?
When I recently talked to Lyn, he had stopped making them, but he may be
willing to start again if he gets enough interest.
Bill Lazar
Bill Lazar
Paetzold Square Bass Recorders
1377 Bluebird Ct.
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
(408)737-8228 (phone & Fax)
E-mail: jbl...@aol.com
David Klausner
They do play very well, and are very stable in pitch. There's only one
reservation about them - and it is very small - the design for the set is
based on the Vienna boxwood tenor, extrapolated to the other sizes. This
instrument is unique in that it's carved rather than bent (boxwood
doesn't bend very well), and the bore is drilled in several straight
lines rather than being drilled in one shot before bending. Since it's
the only instrument surviving made that way, it may have been pretty
unusual in the sixteenth century as well - at least not as "normal", say,
as the Brussels set. Not that this is much of a problem, since they do
play very well - more of an historical curiosity. If enough people
inquire maybe Lyn will do some more. The world could do with a few more
good krummhorns.