The Fretted Blasthorn
Revisted (fom Tamesis, April 1996)
The puzzling lack of any iconographic
evidence for the existence of the fretted blasthorn has stimulated much debate
but a recent discovery in the library of the Univerity of Bratislava has
provided an insight into the true nature of the instrument. It clearly derives
in part from the tromba marina, a stringed instrument with a strident sound
produced by a bridge which balances on one foot (1) whilst the other rattles
against the body of the instrument. Its other ancestor is obviously some kind of
trumpet or horn which provides the unique possibility for a single player to
perform brass and string music simultaneously.
Henricus Glareanus, a Swiss monk,
devoted much time to the study of the tromba marina. In his treatise the
"Dodecachordon" of 1547 he makes the interesting observation that the instrument
produces a more nearly agreeable tone at a distance than it does close at hand
(2). The fretted blasthorn, or tromba supermarina, as it is sometimes called,
rarely deserves such a charitable assesment, owing to the difficulty of tuning
the natural harmonics of the horn or "tromba" to the strings. It was in an
effort to overcome this problem that the frets were added, resulting in the
instrument that is depicted in the recently discovered drawing. The frets of
course enhance the attack of the bowed notes to more nearly match the agressive
sound of the tromba but do nothing for the basic tuning. There had been wild
speculation as to the range of the fretted blasthorn, but modern calculations
have resulted in an estimate of a little over two miles in still air. Still air
is unfortunately a necessity, since any change in temperature affects the
strings and the tromba in opposite directions, thus exacerbating the tuning
difficulties. All things considered, it seems unlikely that the instrument will
enjoy a modern revival unless the Building Regulations are made significantly
more demanding in respect of sound-proofing.
D Arrowsmith 1/4/96
Notes
1) Poor linguistic ability on the part of one enthusiast resulted in a fruitless search for competent one-legged string players in the misguided quest for authenticity.
1) Poor linguistic ability on the part of one enthusiast resulted in a fruitless search for competent one-legged string players in the misguided quest for authenticity.
2) See David Munrow "Instruments of the
Middle Ages and Renaissance" OUP 1976
ISBN 0 19 321321 4