Books › A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments recently exhibited at the Royal Military Exhibition, London, 1890 …, 1891 › scan 76
Scan 76
A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments recently exhibited at the Royal Military Exhibition, London, 1890 …, 1891
6 lines. Read by computer on 1 October 2026. Printed page 56. See the scan on archive.org.
1improved and perfected by Hotteterre the elder. The improvements designed by him consisted in the extension of the scale by means of keys, and the addition of a second chanter. The musette thus perfected rapidly made its way, and becoming popular and fashionable in the reign of Louis XIV., was introduced into the orchestra by Lully. A quartet of these instruments was, even in the time of Praetorius, not uncommonly met with; but we are told that the "harmony" thus produced was seldom pleasing to the ear. At the end of the 17th century the musette became to wind instruments what the Vielle was to stringed; and the many beautiful specimens that remain show us what wealth of ornamentation and skilled workmanship was lavished upon them.
3An elaborate tutor for the musette was written by Borjon, a distinguished lawyer of the time, and published at Lyons in 1672; and that the instrument retained its popularity is proved by the publication of a similar work by the younger Hotteterre, known also as Hotteterre le Romain. This latter, Méthode pour la Musette, was published at Paris in 1738 in quarto. The best makers of musettes were, according to M. Lavoix (Histoire de l'Instrumentation, Paris, 1878), the elder Hotteterre, Perrin, and Lissieux of Lyons. Towards the latter part of the last century the musette gradually became disused, and with the dawn of the 19th century disappeared entirely; and specimens of the instrument are now of value as musical and artistic curiosities only, and as such are eagerly sought after by collectors.
5The Scotch Highland pipes are, perhaps, the best known of all the various forms of the bagpipe. The modern form is constructed with three drones, two of which are tuned an octave below the lower a' of the chanter; and the longer drone a second octave below. Some works give the tuning as G, d, g, and also D, A, d. The long drone does not appear prior to the 16th century, but of its introduction it is difficult to speak with certainty. The chanter of the Highland pipe is conical in bore, and is pierced with seven finger-holes, and a thumb-hole at the back. The compass consists of but nine notes, from g' to a'' inclusive; and the temperament of the scale thus produced is very peculiar, there appearing to be no definite rule by which the result is obtained. The chanter has a double reed, rather like that of the bassoon; the drone reed is single, and more nearly resembles that of
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.