Basset-Horn
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The Basset-Horn is not a horn at all, but a member of the clarinet family. It is larger than the conventional clarinet and plays lower notes. Though composers no longer write for it, the basset-horn was very popular during the late 18th and early 19th centuries and it was one of Mozart's favorite instruments. Early models were curved ; by the 1780s, the tube had been given a distinctive "kneejoint" shape as shown here.
| Family |
| Woodwinds |
| Pitch range |
| At least three octaves. |
| Material |
| Boxwood and ivory. |
| Size |
| Variable : this example is about 3 ft (90 cm) long. |
| Origins |
| The basset-horn was probably invented around 1705 by instrument-makers Mayrhofer in Bavaria, Germany. |
| Classification |
| Aerophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a column of air. |
| And also... |
| To enable the basset-horn to reach its lowest notes, early models of the instrument had a "box" or "book" at the lower end of the tube. Inside, an extra length of tube zig-zagged its way through before emerging into a metal bell. |
