Fig. 72.—Oboe. Made by Anciuti of Milan; formerly in the possession of the composer Rossini. Latter half of 18th century. L. 21½ in., Diam. of mouth, 2½ in. No. 1127-69
Victoria and Albert Museum.
The most noteworthy kinds of the hautboy of the time of Handel and Sebastian Bach are,—the oboe da caccia, which is identical with the corno inglese (English horn, cor anglais), a large hautboy still occasionally employed in the orchestra, and the oboe d’amore, or oboe lungo, whch has fallen into oblivion. The pitch of the oboe d’amore was a minor third lower than that of the common hautboy, or oboe piccolo; and its sound, owing to the narrowness of the bore at its further end, was rather weak, but particularly sweet.
The precursor of the hautboy was evidently the bombardino, or chalumeau. The bombardino, also called in Italian bombardo piccolo, was a small bombardo, an instrument of the hautboy kind, about three centuries ago much in use on the Continent.
The Germans called the bombardo “Pommer,” which appears to be a corruption of the Italian name. The bombardo was made of various sizes, and with a greater or smaller number of finger-holes and keys. That which produced the bass tones was sometimes of an enormous length, and was blown through a bent tube, like the bassoon, the invention of which it is said to have suggested.
The smallest instrument, called chalumeau (from calamus, “a reed") is still occasionally to be found among the peasantry in the Tyrol and some other parts of the Continent. The Germans call it Schalmei, and the Italians piffero pastorale. In England it was formerly called shawm or shalm.
The clarinet, likewise an instrument of this class, is said to have been invented by Denner, in Nürnberg, about the year 1700. The clarinet has only a single vibrating reed in the mouth-piece; the hautboy has a double one.
The invention of the bassoon (Italian, fagotto; French basson; German, Fagott) is ascribed to Afranio, a canon of Ferrara, who constructed the first in the year 1539. The instrument was, however, an improved bombardo rather than
a new invention. As early as the year 1550, the celebrated wind-instrument maker Schnitzer, in Nürnberg, manufactured bassoons which were considered as very complete. [Fig. 73] illustrates a species of bassoon bound with brass with brass keys, and complete with mouth-piece and reed.
Various bassoons of small dimensions in use about two centuries ago, and earlier (the dolciano, Quartfagott, Quintfagott, tenor-bassoon, corthol, etc.), are now antiquated.