Transcript Music Makers of the Dark Ages

Musical Instruments
of the Dark Ages
Introduction

Musical instruments of the medieval times can seem
bizarre and alien in both formation and sound. Though
outlandish, they still embraced a uniqueness and
splendor of their own. These olden instruments paved
the way to what we know as music today. It has taken
centuries of experimentation and birth to reach our
advanced point in music. Even as music has changed in
sights and sounds dramatically from what it used to be,
we can still marvel at the roots in an unfamiliar past.
The Zink

The zink is a late 14th century cousin of the
cornet and trumpet. Unlike its later
counterparts, it has six finger holes and a
thumb hole instead of a valve system. The
recorder and the zink share many resembling
fingerings. The zink was an exceptional
instrument of its time. It has the ability to
play chromatically in multiple octaves.
Control over the instrument gives it an
enormous range of possibilities. Very little
breath is actually used when playing this
instrument. It is able to play as loud and as
exuberant as a trumpet or as soft and gentle
as a recorder. It is said that no other
instrument has ever come so close to the
sound of a human voice as the zink has. “It
seems like the brilliance of a shaft of sunlight
appearing in the shadow or in darkness, when one
hears it among the voices in cathedrals or in
chapels. (Mersenne, 1636)”
The zink is made by hollowing out a
piece of wood or ivory, straight or
curved, and then buffed to form an
octagonal shaped exterior throughout
the instrument. It is then covered with
leather to help protect the horn from the
immense air pressure that it will be
exposed to while being played. The
mouthpiece is a very small acorn cup
that is meant to be played on the side of
the mouth because the lips are thinner
and buzzing becomes easier.
Mouthpiece of a zink. (Top)
Various sizes and shapes of
zinks. (Left)
Various sizes and shapes of zinks.
The zink is known as the most versatile
wind instrument of the renaissance. It
could be employed into multiple types
of music. It could drive the vivacious,
bouncy feel of a dance or mellow out to
the legato and flowing feel of a ballad.
The zink was an instrument for the true
virtuoso. A great musician could take
over the musical world of the
renaissance wielding this instrument.
During its prime, in the early Baroque
period, it was locked in competition with
the violin over instrumental dominance.
However, the zink was unsuccessful in
claiming its reign and would eventually
be wiped out by the trumpet.
The Crumhorn

The crumhorn is a double reed instrument
found in the woodwind family. It was first
invented around the early 15th century and is
the earliest instrument in the reed cap family.
Unlike usual double reed woodwinds, such
as the oboe or bassoon, the players lips don’t
actually touch the reeds. Instead, one must
blow through an open slot found at one end
of a protective covering encasing the reeds so
as the reeds vibrate to produce a sound. The
fingering system found on the crumhorn is
comparable to the fingerings of the lower
register of the clarinet. Because of the reed
cap structure, control over higher pitches can
be very tricky. The normal range for the
crumhorn is only an octave and one note. It
has been suggested that some players might
have played without the reed cap just to
achieve higher notes.
The crumhorn is a cylindrically shaped
instrument. This means the airway is
the same size throughout the entire
horn without getting larger as would
be found in conically shaped
instruments. The construction of the
instrument always consists of using
wood for the body and reed cap and
metal for aesthetics. Even the “mouth
piece” that is to be blown on leading to
the reed cap is formed of wood. The
only exception to this all wood design
falls on larger crumhorns that require a
metal extension pipe to make playing
more comfortable for the musician.
The curve at the end of the instrument
is purely for decoration. It serves no
musical purpose.
Various sizes of crumhorns.
Crumhorn double reed
and reed cap. (Left)
Longer crumhorns have
extension pipes or an
elongated airway piece to
accommodate for their
larger size. (Right)
The crumhorn was very crucial to
the renaissance period. One could
find these instruments at pretty
much any medieval gathering that
had music at the event. Its uses
ranged from festivities at church
and everywhere in between.
Generally it has a sharp sound that
allows it to stand out in an
ensemble. In a more mild
situation, it has the ability to
produce a rich hum. Its utility and
sound seems to reflect a
combination of the modern day
oboe and bassoon.
The Harpsichord

The harpsichord is one of two 16th century
stringed keyboard instruments. Just as its
successor, the piano, it uses keys to play a
pitch. That and the exterior appearance are
about as far as the similarities go. The sound
of the harpsichord has a vast range of
possibilities. It is dependent on the variation
of the instrument, the region in which the
individual instrument was built, and the time
period in which it was built into. Earlier
models tend to have a more sharp, crisp tone.
These harpsichords were usually constructed
of lighter wood. Later models give a richer
and varied sound quality. These were built
more solidly with heavier wood. Most
harpsichords closely resemble a grand piano
in size. Later in the 16th century, a smaller
version, known as a spinet, was modified for
domestic use.
The harpsichord uses a very complex metal
string system that is plucked to produce a
sound. There is a small piece of material
connected to the keys known as a plectrum.
This is the plucking mechanism. When a
key is pressed, the plectrum’s opposite end,
away from the key, is raised and causes the
string to be plucked. The plucking end of
the plectrum is able to pivot using a
“tongue” piece and avoid the string on its
way back to its resting point. Due to the
single pluck, it suffers from lack of control.
There is no way to alter volume, note
length, or quality of the tone.
Detailed depiction of the plucking process.
Inside look of a harpsichord.
In its glory days, the harpsichord was
played as a solo performer or as an
accompaniment piece in larger groups.
Many singers of the period also utilized
the instrument for duet or small group
purposes. The harpsichord would
remain a vital component in ensembles
until its importance plummeted by the
birth of the piano. Even though the
piano brought ruin to the instrument,
the harpsichord was eventually
resurrected and is still being used in
traditional songs to this day.
The Serpent

The serpent is technically part of the brass
instrument family. It is the late 16th century
ancestor of today’s tubas, euphoniums, and
baritones. Just as its new age successors, it
has a conical bore, which results in a deep,
mellow tone. It has been said that the serpent
sounds like “a donkey with emotional problems"
(David Raskin). Unlike its descendants, it has
holes to change pitches instead of a piston or
rotary valve system. When the serpent was
invented, there were only a few ways to
capably play a brass instrument. The three
ways included; buzzing of the lips solely,
buzzing of the lips and manipulating a slide,
or buzzing of the lips and the covering and
uncovering of holes. Because the serpent
utilizes holes, it is capable of playing
chromatically. Half-opening a finger hole
allows the instrument to move in half step
pitches to reach all notes within its three
octave range.
The serpent’s body is predominantly made
from walnut wood. The body then has a
covering of leather or varnished cloth to give
the structure stability. A brass crook is
extended out of the top of the instrument to
position the mouthpiece at a playable location.
The mouthpiece itself was formed from ivory,
wood, or a plastic resin. There are versions of
the serpent formed completely of brass, but
they are not as popular as the original wooded
design.
Church (Left) and military
(Right) serpent.
The serpent is notable for its versatility.
Even to this day it can be found in use in
many venues. Around the time of its
creation, the church and military serpent
were the two most poplar variations of
the instrument. In sacred music, its deep
tones were used as a reinforcement for
the bass in men’s voices. It had the ability
to seamlessly mix with a choral group.
About two hundred years after its
invention, the serpent was integrated into
military use. It would be played on
horseback while the troops were moving
from place to place or even during battle.
Because of the weight and bulk, this
instrument was also used as a defensive
weapon if the player were to ever be
attacked in combat.
Resources

 A Guide to Medieval and Renaissance Instruments. Iowa State
University, 1996. Web. 18 Nov. 2013
 Paul, Schmidt. The Serpent Website. 1997. Web. 19 Nov. 2013
 Lander, Nicholas. “Crumhorn Home page.” Recorder home Page. n.p.,
1996. Web. 19 Nov. 2013
 “The Harpsichord.” Hyper Physics. n.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013
Resources

 “Instrumentos musicales del Renacimiento.” Listas. Web. 20
Nov. 2013
 “Zink (Musik).” Wikipedia. Web. 20 Nov. 2013
 “Harpsichord”. Wikipedia. Web. 20 Nov. 2013
 “Harpsichord.” CSAIL. Web. 20 Nov. 2013
 “Neapolitan Harpsichord.”Neapolitan-Harpsichord. Web. 21 Nov.
2013