Tarogato
From AudioLexic
The tárogató (Romanian: taragot) refers to two different woodwind instruments, both of them Hungarian. Up to about the 18th century, the tárogató was a type of shawm, with a double reed, conical bore, and no keys. This instrument is documented as far back as the 15th century. A symbol of Hungarian nationalism, its use was suppressed in the 18th century.
Because of its potential to be extremely loud and raucous, the tárogató was used as a signalling instrument in battle (like the bugle and the bagpipe), and simply to strike fear into the hearts of the Hungarians' enemies.
In the 1890s a modern version was invented by Venzel József Schunda, a Budapest instrument maker. It uses a single reed, like a clarinet or saxophone, and has a conical bore, similar to the saxophone. The instrument is made of wood, usually black grenadilla wood like a clarinet. The most common size, the soprano tárogató in B♭, is about 29 inches (74 cm) in length and has a mournful sound similar to a cross between an English horn and a soprano saxophone. Other sizes exist; one maker, János Stowasser, advertised a family of seven sizes of which the largest was a contrabass tárogató in E♭.
[edit] Tárogató makers
- Stephen Fox [1]
- Gregus Pál [2]
- Bruno Salenson [3]
[edit] External links
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