The octavin (also spelled oktavin)
is a 19th century
woodwind instrument with a conical bore and a single reed.
Design
The octavin resembles a
saxophone: its range is similar to that of a soprano saxophone. However, the octavin differs in three respects: first, its
conical bore has a smaller taper than that of a saxophone; second, its body is made of wood, rather than metal; third, its usual shape is more similar to that of a
bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...
, having two parallel straight sections joined at the bottom, with the mouthpiece attached to the top of one section and a metal bell to the top of the other. A few straight octavins exist, having a wooden bell; in this configuration it resembles a
tarogato but has a smaller taper.
The instrument was produced in B♭, C and F.
One writer (Altenberg) mentions a bass octavin but no such instrument is known to have been produced. The (written) range of the octavin is from G♯
3 to G
6.
Production
The octavin was invented in 1881 by Julius Jehring, a bassoon maker.
It was later patented in 1893 by Oskar Adler and Hermann Jordan of
Markneukirchen, Germany.
Legacy
The octavin was a commercial failure and is now extremely rare, being considered a curiosity by collectors.
However, the octavin is memorialized by the organ stop bearing its name.
Repertoire for the instrument is scarce: one of the only pieces for the octavin is a
sonatina
A sonatina is a small sonata. As a musical term, sonatina has no single strict definition; it is rather a title applied by the composer to a piece that is in basic sonata form, but is shorter and lighter in character, or technically more elementar ...
composed by
Jeff Britting (b. 1957).
References
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{{Single reeds
Single-reed instruments
German musical instruments