An aerophor (sometimes spelled aerophore, aerophon, or aerophone) is a device designed to provide an auxiliary breath supply to aid players of

wind instruments A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube) in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at or near the end of the resonator. The pitch ...

in performing extended notes or passages. It was invented in 1912 by Bernard Samuels, a Dutch flautist in the Court Theatre of the Grand Duke of

Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin () was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1701, when Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Frederick William and Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Adolphus Frederick II divided ...

.A Dictionary of Modern Music and Musicians.
United Kingdom, J. M. Dent & sons, Limited, 1924, pg 7.

Design

The device consists of a small, foot-operated

bellows A bellows or pair of bellows is a device constructed to furnish a strong blast of air. The simplest type consists of a flexible bag comprising a pair of rigid boards with handles joined by flexible leather sides enclosing an approximately airtig ...

that pumps air into the player's mouth via a rubber tube, which is fitted with a

one-way valve A check valve, non-return valve, reflux valve, retention valve, foot valve, or one-way valve is a valve that normally allows fluid (liquid or gas) to flow through it in only one direction. Check valves are two-port valves, meaning they have tw ...

to prevent the air from the player's lungs from passing into the bellows. The aerophor

mouthpiece Mouthpiece may refer to: * The part of an object which comes near or in contact with one's mouth or nose during use ** Mouthpiece (smoking pipe) or cigarette holder ** Mouthpiece (telephone handset) ** Mouthpiece (woodwind), a component of a wood ...

(a small metal reed) is mounted adjacent to the instrument mouthpiece such that the player may receive air through the corner of their mouth without disrupting the

embouchure Embouchure () or lipping is the use of the lips, facial muscles, tongue, and teeth in playing a wind instrument. This includes shaping the lips to the mouthpiece (woodwind), mouthpiece of a woodwind or brass instrument. The word is of French lan ...

. In some models, the bellows contains a water reservoir and electric light bulb to ensure that the supplied air matches the temperature and humidity of the player's breath.

Reception and utilisation

Some composers took advantage of the new invention, writing music that specifically requested the use of an aerophor in performance. Notable examples include

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...

's ''

An Alpine Symphony ''An Alpine Symphony'' (''Eine Alpensinfonie''), Op. 64, is a tone poem for large orchestra written by German composer Richard Strauss which premiered in 1915. It is one of Strauss's largest non-operatic works; the score calls for about 12 ...

'' and '' Festival Prelude''. However, the use case of the device was limited, and the use of

circular breathing Circular breathing is a breathing technique used by players of some wind instruments to produce a continuous tone without interruption. It is accomplished by inhaling through the nose while simultaneously pushing air out through the mouth usi ...

technique could allow a musician to accomplish the same goal of playing indefinitely without the need for a special apparatus. Boston Symphony tuba player Paul Mattersteig made use of the device for some time, including that orchestra's December 1914 performance of Wagner's Faust Overture, and Boston's first-chair horn Bruno Jaenicke and principal oboist Georges Longy "experimented with the device with much success.""Don't Need Lungs Now; 'Aerophor' Blows for You." Cleveland (OH) Plain Dealer, 28 March 1915. Despite a generally positive reception by professional wind players at the time, the aerophor never achieved widespread use, and today is regarded as nothing more than a curiosity. Aerophor with Woodwinds

References

Musical instrument parts and accessories {{music-instrument-stub