Daniel Deitch Historical Woodwinds: Chalumeaux

Chalumeaux

The Chalumeau (chalumeaux plural) can be considered to be the predecessor of the clarinet. They are pitched similarly to the recorders in that they are in F and C and they share the same fingerings. They were actually more popular than the baroque clarinet throughout the 18th century as there are more pieces written for them than the clarinet. There are some outstanding pieces of music written for them by Telemann, Vivaldi, Fasch, Graupner and Hasse, among others. There are only 8 known originals extant by various builders, while there is a wealth of music known for them. Due to the similarity of the fingerings to recorder, it is an instrument that is quickly mastered after learning to control the reed, which entails allowing the reed to vibrate. Unlike the recorder, they have a large dynamic and tonal range. The tessitura is limited to a twelfth in most compositions written expressly for chalumeaux however some of the sizes can be overblown further, extending the range.

All with brass keys, a=415
Alto available at a=440

I would like to extend my gratitude to Prof. Dr. D. Ross for his measurements and designs of all the Chalumeaux.

To place an order

	Boxwood or Flamed maple
Soprano (with 2 keys)	$800
Alto (with 2 keys)	$950
Tenor (with 2 keys)	$1,200
Bass (with 3 keys)	$1,400