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The steerhorn (
The steerhorn (German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
: ''stierhorn'', also known in English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
as a cowhorn or bullhorn) is an extremely long medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
bugle horn. The instrument could be as much as 3 feet long. It was used from "antiquity" into the middle ages. The instrument has been used both orchestrally and in war.
Description
The steerhorn is an extremely longmedieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
bugle horn, also known as a cowhorn or bullhorn. The steerhorn has a straight tube with an exact conical bore and no bell flare.
Use
The steerhorn has been used both orchestrally and in war. The instrument is used in Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen
(''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compo ...
'', as the score requires one steerhorn in ''Die Walküre'' and four in ''Götterdämmerung''. For ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'', a modern substitution was created, using a set of three brass tubes. Today, many orchestras substitute the trombone
The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...
or bass trombone
The bass trombone (, ) is the bass instrument in the trombone family of brass instruments. Modern instruments are pitched in the same B♭ as the tenor trombone but with a larger bore, bell and mouthpiece to facilitate low register playing, and u ...
. For Georg Solti's 19581965 ''Ring'' recordings a set of the instruments was specially made, as American soldiers had carried off Bayreuth's steerhorns after the end of World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
See also
*Swedish cowhorn
The Swedish cowhorn () is a primitive musical instrument constructed from the natural horn (anatomy), horn of livestock. The instrument has no separate mouthpiece and is blown similarly to a trumpet but with much greater force. There are two types ...
* Blowing horn
Blowing may refer to:
* Air
*Breath
Breathing (spiration or ventilation) is the neuroscience of rhythm, rhythmical process of moving air into (inhalation) and out of (exhalation) the lungs to facilitate gas exchange with the Milieu intérieur ...
References
{{Brass-instrument-stub Natural horns and trumpets