Woodwind Instruments and Their History

New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1963. Revised edition. First American edition. 384 pages: illustrations; 22 cm; index. Near fine with personal owner signature to foinr paste down, in an edge-tattered jacket partly split at front egde-fold; now in archivaly mylar sleeve. . Hardcover.

"Part one deals with the existing woodwind instruments (including many related species found in bands of various kinds but not in orchestras). Part two (History) is concerned with early forms of the woodwind instruments and with their precursors, many of these being described in considerable technical detail, though no finality is claimed for the rules and conclusions given; practical musical study in ancient, exotic and primitive wind instruments is still a young branch of musicology in which fresh discoveries are being made every year."—Preface. Contents: Part 1. The woodwind today. General introduction. The flute. The piccolo. Reeds and reed-making. The oboe. The clarinet. The bassoon. Part 2. History. The primitive flute world. Early reed instruments and double-piping. Medieval winds music. The sixteenth century and the consorts. The eighteenth century classical woodwind. Mechanization. Appendix 1. Alphabetical list of Old London makers and suppliers. Appendix 2. Parlour pipes. Appendix 3. Notes on maintenance. Glossary of terms. Part one: The woodwind today. General introduction; The woodwind section; Fingering charts and diagram; Basic woodwind acoustics. Generation of the sound; Harmonics; Stopped pipes and the clarinet; Reed instruments with conical bore; Overblowing. Tonguing and breathing. General rules; Double-tonguing; Flutter-tonguing; Antiquarian double-tonguing; Vibrato. Woodwind transposition; Pitch. Flat pitch; Sharp pitch; 'Old pitch'. The flute. Introduction; General construction; Wood versus metal; Piccolo; Bass flutes; Flute bands and band flutes; Flute mechanisms. Boehm flute; Other cylindrical systems; Conical flutes; Recorders. Reeds and reed-making. Reed cane; Double reeds. Oboe reed from gouged cane; Cor anglais reed, etc.; Bassoon reed from gouged cane. Single reeds. Clarinet reed; Single reeds for oboe and bassoon. Plastic reeds; Bagpipe reeds. The oboe. Introduction; Oboe designs and styles; Deep oboes. Cor anglais; Oboe d'amore; Bass oboe and heckelphones. Oboe mechanisms. Simple-system oboe; Thumb-plate system; Conservatoire system; Other oboe systems. The shawm today; Musette. The clarinet. Introduction; B [flat], A and C clarinets; Mouthpiece, bore and tone; High and deep clarinets. The small clarinets; Basset horn; Bass clarinet; Alto clarinet; Contrabass clarinet. Clarinet mechanisms. Boehm systems; 'Non-Boehm' systems. Saxophones; Saxophone mechanism; Tarogato. The bassoon. Introduction; Assembling and sounding the bassoon; The buffet and the heckel; Bassoon mechanisms. French bassoon; German bassoon. Contrabassoon; Sarrusophones, etc. Part two: History. The primitive flute world. Introduction; Flute typology shown in whistles; Flute music without finger-holes. 'The man' and 'the woman'; Flute bands and panpipes; The harmonic flute as a solo instrument. Finger-holes; Some special exotic forms. Nose flutes; Central-embouchure flutes; Ringed flageolets, etc. Early reed instruments and double-piping. Introduction; Reeds, single and double; Double pipes. Parallel pipes; Divergent pipes; Unequal pipes. Double flageolet. Medieval wind music. Introduction; Short encyclopedia of medieval wind instruments; Loud and soft instruments (1300 onwards). Loud music: Oriental, in Europe; Soft music: ditto. The sixteenth century and the consorts. Introduction; The instruments in general. Consort sizes; Technique and divisions. Recorders; Flutes; Crumhorns and other capped reed instruments; Cornetts. Mute cornett; Revival of the cornett. Curtals; Reed instruments with doubled-back cylindrical bores; The shawm band. The eighteenth century classical woodwind. Introduction; John Hotteterre; The oboe. Tenor oboe; Deutsche Schalmey. The bassoon. Small and large bassoons. The flute. Six-keyed flute; Small flutes and fifes. Chalumeau and clarinet. Two-keyed clarinets; The classical clarinet. The d'amore instruments; The woodwind 'horns'; The serpent; Performance. Mechanization. Introduction; Flute systems. The eight-keyed flute; Boehm. Oboe systems. The Triebert oboe. Clarinet systems; Bassoon systems. The heckel. Appendix 1. Alphabetical list of Old London makers and suppliers; Appendix 2. Parlour pipes; Appendix 3. Notes on maintenance. Glossary of terms.