- What is the history of the Oboe?
- What is the history of the Flute?
- What is the history of the Clarinet?
- What is the history of the Alto-Saxophone?
- What is the history of the Trumpet?
- What is the history of the French Horn?
- What is the history of the Trombone?
- What is the history of the Tuba/Baritone?
- What is the history of Percussion/Snare Drum?
What is the history of the Oboe?
No one individual is credited with inventing the oboe. The story of the
oboe begins with a period of history called the Renaissance Period
(1450-1600). During this time an instrument called the Shawm was used. The
Shawm was like a very loud oboe with no keys. The French then took the
Shawm, added some keys and renamed it the oboe. Finally people began to
recognize the importance of the sound of the oboe. Now the Oboe could play
higher and more in tune with other instruments. The Oboe got even better
when a man named Apollon Barret came up with an entire system of keys in
1880, which he called the conservatory system. This system allowed the
player to have great control when playing the oboe. Apollon's conservatory
system is still used all over the world today on oboes. If you would like to
hear a great oboist perform listen to any recording featuring Elaine Duvas.
What is the history of the Flute?
Flutes are among the oldest group of instruments in the world. The first
flutes had no keys and thus had many notes that were out of tune. The
flute finally got keys during the 1700's when the French and other European
countries began to add a D# key and experiment with adding other keys.
The largest development of the flute belongs to a designer named Theobald
Boehm. Boehm invented a system of keys in 1832, which completely reinvented
the flute. In fact if you go to buy a flute today the company will probably
advertise their flute as using the "Boehm System" for it's keys. Adding
keys to a flute eliminated a lot of out of tune notes and greatly improved
the quality of the sound. The flute is now one of the most popular
instruments in the world thanks to the work of Theobald Boehm. If you would
like to hear a great recording of a flutist listen to James Galway.
What is the history of the Clarinet?
The clarinet is a descendent of an instrument called the chalumeau,
which was a shepherd's reed pipe. The chalumeau looked much like a recorder
one would play in school. Then Johann Denner (1655-1707) came along and
began to add keys to the chalumeau thus creating the clarinet. The process
and work of Denner is still a mystery today. But examples of his instruments
clearly show the progress he was making in improving the clarinet. Perhaps
the most important figure in the history of the clarinet was Louis Buffet who
took Boehm System of keys that was used on flutes, and put that system on
the clarinet. Some of the best clarinets in the world are still made by a
company called Buffet. And they still advertise that their clarinets use
the "Boehm System" for its keys. If you would like to hear a great
clarinetist perform then find a recording of Richard Stolzman.
What is the history of the Alto-Saxophone?
The Saxophone is a really recent addition to the woodwind family.
Believe it or not a man named Adolphe Sax invented the Saxophone. Mr. Sax
invented the Sax in 1841 and got a patent on it in 1846. His idea for this
instrument came by taking the single reed of the clarinet, adding the long
tube-like body of the oboe and the metal body of a brass instrument. Mr. Sax
wanted his instrument to be used in orchestras and bands. So he created a
small straight sax (Soprano Sax) and the curved sax that you know best
(Alto-Saxophone).
These instruments became so popular that they got bigger and thus the
Tenor and Baritone Saxophones were invented. The Saxophone really got
popular during the jazz era. This was probably because the instrument was
cheap and the sound it created was so aggressive. If you would like to hear
a recording of a great saxophone player, then pick up a recording of Charlie
Parker.
What is the history of the Trumpet?
The trumpets early history can be traced as a signaling device such as
a conch shell or animal horn. As the science of metal progressed these
signaling devices became to be made out of medal rather than the body part of
some unlucky animal. Once these instruments were made of metal they got
longer so more notes could be played. One of these long trumpets was found
in the tomb of King Tutankhamen (dead king in Egypt). For a long time the
trumpet had no valves and thus could only play a handful of notes. The most
significant change in the trumpet was when it finally got valves in 1813.
Finally the trumpet could play all the notes that the woodwinds could play.
It quickly became accepted into all forms of music. If you wish to hear one
of the greatest trumpet players ever, then listen to a recording by Wynton
Marsalis.
What is the history of the French Horn?
The first horns were used as hunting horns in central Europe. These
early horns were used to conduct the hunts of the rich in an orderly
fashion. Different calls would describe what the prey was, when the hunt
started and when the hunt was over. Horns then began to get curved to help
make it easier to hold them. This allowed the player to bring their hand
into the bell and alter the pitch. This technique is still used by horn
players today. In 1813 the horn got valves, which allowed it to play far
more notes than before. The demands of the horn changed and
orchestras and bands around the world began to include the horn into
their ensembles. If you notice, up until this point I have used the term
horn not French horn. The term French horn came from the
British during the 1500's when they would invite horn players from
France to join their bands because the French could play the horn so
well. So they were referred to as 'those wonderful French Horn
Players' and the term 'French Horn' was born. In fact the United States is
the only country in the world that still calls a horn the French Horn. If
you would like to hear a great horn player then listen to the performances of
Barry Tuckwell.
What is the history of the Trombone?
In order to understand the history of the trombone one must understand
the history of the trumpet. For a long time trumpets had no valves and
looked like a trombone. During the 1450's the trumpet adapted to make
different sounds by adding a slide so the trumpet could produce more
notes. Thus this history of the Trombone was born. In fact the word
trombone is Italian for Large Trumpet. As time progressed so did the
quality of the slide on the trombone. But for the most part the trombone
has had little changes made in its design. If you would like to hear a
great trombonist perform then listen to a recording featuring Christian
Lindberg.
What is the history of the Tuba/Baritone?
There was always a need to produce exotic instruments to be used in
bands and orchestras. Inventors were always looking to produce larger
instruments that could play lower and thus add a different sound to any
performing group. The original idea for a tuba/baritone was a straight
instrument that was eight feet long. It looked like a serpent and so it got
the nickname ’serpent'. The serpent had two main problems. It had no
valves so the player had to cover holes along the side of the serpent to make
different notes. And two it was as long as a sofa! So the need to create a
more compact instrument increased. A large variety of different instruments
were tried. Finally in 1835 Wilhelm Wieprecht invented a tuba with valves
and it became the model for the tuba/baritones you see today. The
tuba/baritone has had many changes during its history since then. At one
time it had six valves and the materials and size of the instrument are still
being changed today. The tuba and baritone are very similar in nature. They
are brothers in the same family of instruments. If you wish to hear a great
tuba player listen to a recording featuring Noreen Harris, Harvey Phillips or
Abe Torchinsky.
What is the history of Percussion/Snare Drum?
The percussion family is the oldest family of instruments in the world.
The term percussion refers to an instrument that is struck to produce a
sound. So obviously that can include a lot of things. So to make this
easier on us let's look only at the snare drum. Drums exist in every part of
the world today. There are literally hundreds of different types of drums.
The snare drum got its name because of what is attached to the bottom of the
drum. If you look under a snare drum you will see a number of long wires
stretched across the bottom of the drum. These are called the snares.
Originally these were not made of metal but were actually made from the
insides of animals (If you want to know more about that you are on your
own). If you wish to hear a great drum player then listen to a recording of
Buddy Rich.
