Reed contrabass
Encyclopedia
The reed contrabass in C, otherwise known as the contrabass(e) à anche, is a type of woodwind instrument
. It is reminiscent of an ophicleide
in appearance but, unlike the ophicleide, employs a double reed
(akin to that of an oboe
) for the purpose of sound production. It was developed by the Belgian maker Mahillion in the 1860s based on a slightly earlier design by the Czech maker Červený.
The instrument is typically of metal construction, with a conical and unusually wide bore
. This width allows each note to be produced by opening only one tone hole, whereas, in other woodwind instruments, several tone holes must be opened to produce most notes (for this reason, all keys but that for the lowest note remain normally closed). This property greatly simplifies the fingering of the instrument, in that no alternative fingerings for individual notes or trill keys are needed, nor exist. The lowest note that the reed contrabass may typically achieve is D1 (DD) - the lowest D on a standard grand piano
.
Although obscure, the instrument may still be procured, on request, from the Italian
instrument manufacturer Orsi. The reed contrabass is sometimes confused with the contrabass sarrusophone
, to which it bears some superficial resemblance.
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...
. It is reminiscent of an ophicleide
Ophicleide
The ophicleide is a family of conical bore, brass keyed-bugles. It has a similar shape to the sudrophone.- History :The ophicleide was invented in 1817 and patented in 1821 by French instrument maker Jean Hilaire Asté as an extension to the keyed bugle or Royal Kent bugle family...
in appearance but, unlike the ophicleide, employs a double reed
Double reed
A double reed is a type of reed used to produce sound in various wind instruments. The term double reed comes from the fact that there are two pieces of cane vibrating against each other. A single reed consists of one piece of cane which vibrates against a mouthpiece made of metal, hardened...
(akin to that of an oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
) for the purpose of sound production. It was developed by the Belgian maker Mahillion in the 1860s based on a slightly earlier design by the Czech maker Červený.
The instrument is typically of metal construction, with a conical and unusually wide bore
Bore (wind instruments)
The bore of a wind instrument is its interior chamber that defines a flow path through which air travels and is set into vibration to produce sounds. The shape of the bore has a strong influence on the instruments' timbre.-Bore shapes:...
. This width allows each note to be produced by opening only one tone hole, whereas, in other woodwind instruments, several tone holes must be opened to produce most notes (for this reason, all keys but that for the lowest note remain normally closed). This property greatly simplifies the fingering of the instrument, in that no alternative fingerings for individual notes or trill keys are needed, nor exist. The lowest note that the reed contrabass may typically achieve is D1 (DD) - the lowest D on a standard grand piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
.
Although obscure, the instrument may still be procured, on request, from the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
instrument manufacturer Orsi. The reed contrabass is sometimes confused with the contrabass sarrusophone
Contrabass sarrusophone
The Eb contrabass sarrusophone was the only sarrusophone that was ever mass produced in the United States. It was made by companies such as Gautrot, Couesnon, Romeo Orsi, Rampone , Buffet Crampon , and C.G...
, to which it bears some superficial resemblance.
External links
- A larger article with pictures (contrabass.com)