| | HornsHistory, Facts and interesting information about Medieval music, specifically, Horns Definition and Description of the Horns Definition and description of various Horns: Horns can be described as woodwind instruments of music; originally made of a horn (ox or a ram). The name is now applied to various elaborately wrought instruments of brass or other metal, resembling a horn in shape. Various types of horns date back to antiquity. Roman musical instruments such as the Buccina which were based on horns developed directly into the trumpet and trombone during the Medieval period and lost no characteristic of importance except for the bent form, which was abandoned when the art of bending hollow tubes was lost after the fall of the Roman Empire. There were four horns known by the collective name of cornu among the Romans which were still used during the Middle Ages: - The short animal horn used by shepherds
- The longer, semicircular horn, used for signals
- The longer horns which were bent and carried like the buccina, which had the wide bore of the modern tuba
- The small Medieval hunting horns
Family of Instruments: The Horns belongs to the family of Woodwind instruments. Hunting Horns The Medieval hunting horns were crescent-shaped and worn slung by a leather strap over one shoulder and resting on the opposite hip. When played these horns were held with the wide end curving upwards in front of the huntsman's head. Only one note was played, the various calls and signals being based chiefly on rhythm, and the notes being left to the taste and skill of the huntsman. Medieval Musical Instruments - Horns Medieval Musical instruments, including the Horns, would be used by the musicians of the period including the Waits, Minstrels or Troubadours. There were three categories of musical instruments in the Middle Ages - wind, string and percussion. Terms of description were Bas instruments and Haut instruments. Bas referred to soft instruments (literally, "low," but referring to volume, not pitch) which were suitable for the chamber which included the vielle, rebec and other bowed strings, the lute and other plucked strings. Haut referred to loud instruments (literally "high" but referring to volume, not to pitch) which were suitable for outdoors which included the shawm, Horns, pipe and tabor. Read the above history, facts and information about the Horns. Medieval Music - Horns The Medieval Times website provides interesting facts, history and information about the musicians and styles of music which scatter the history books including Horns. The Medieval Life and Times Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts about the fascinating subject of the lives of the people who lived during the historical period of the Middle Ages. The content of this article on Horns provides free educational details, facts and information for reference and research for schools, colleges and homework for history courses and history coursework. | |