Gemshorns

Gemshorn is the German name for the horn of the chamois goat, from which these instruments were traditionally made. However today they are more often made from the horns of domestic cattle, and are available in consorts consisting of sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor and bass instruments. The consort pictured here was made by Rainer Schwarze, Leipzig, Germany.

The wide end of the gemshorn is blocked by a wooden plug which is fitted with a windway similar to that of a recorder. As with the recorder, the pitch of the instrument is controlled by the player covering various combinations of tone holes. The instrument has a sweet tone, but can't be overblown and has a limited range of about one octave.

To find out more:

• Wikipedia article on the gemshorn.
• Musica Antiqua, Iowa State University.
• Rainer Schwarze's gemshorn page (in German)