Cornameuse
The cornameuse is a capped reed instrument, similar to a crumhorn, that dates back to at least the 13th century, although most documentation describing it is from the 16th or later. It’s a softer instrument than a crumhorn, with a range just a little over an octave, which still sounds something like a sweet-toned duck.
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Some very quick recordings I did using Garageband, complete with neighbourhood noises: Nota Number 2 - 13th Century Quen a omagen da Virgen - 13th C Spanish |
The three parts of the cornameuse are shown above. The body has very small holes for the fingers, and holes around the bell at the bottom, but does not have a hole at the bottom the way that other wind instruments do. The reed is a double reed somewhat larger than an oboe reed, bound to a brass tube. Over this goes the cap, which has the mouthpiece. The player does not take the reed into their mouth like a modern double reed, or a shawm.
The reed attached to its staple is placed in a small hole at the top of the body, and the cap goes over it.
The instrument, when assembled, is roughly the size of a soprano recorder.