Lesson plan

Cornamuse

The cornamuse is a double reed instrument dating from the Renaissance period. It is similar to the crumhorn in having a windcap over the reed and cylindrical bore. The only evidence for the cornamuse comes from a description and a few comments by Michael Praetorius in Syntagma musicum II, published in 1619. Since the paragraph by Praetorius is the only clear description of the cornamuse and no period specimen or picture has been found, all reconstructions of the instrument rely on a certain amount of conjecture. The text in German reads "Die CornaMuse sind gleich aus/und nicht mit doppelten/sondern mit einer einfachen Röhre/gleich den Bassanelli[…] aber unten zugedackt / und uff der seiten herumb etliche löcherlein / dadurch der Resonanz herausser gehet. Am klang seynd sie gar den Krumbhörnern gleich / nur dass sie stiller / lieblicher und gar sanft klingen […]" (The cornamuse are similar to/and do not have a double, but rather a single tube (bore)/like the bassanelli.) This statement differentiates it from double bore instruments of the period like the sordun, kortholt and curtal. Another clue to its appearance is given in Praetorius' description of the schryari: ("They...are nearly the same as the cornamuse in size and appearance".) The name is not to be confused with cornemuse, which is the French word for bagpipes.

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Article summary

The cornamuse is a double reed instrument dating from the Renaissance period. It is similar to the crumhorn in having a windcap over the reed and cylindrical bore. The only evidence for the cornamuse comes from a description and a few comments by Michael Praetorius in Syntagma musicum II, published in 1619. Since the paragraph by Praetorius is the only clear description of the cornamuse and no period specimen or picture has been found, all reconstructions of the instrument rely on a certain amount of conjecture. The text in German reads "Die CornaMuse sind gleich aus/und nicht mit doppelten/sondern mit einer einfachen Röhre/gleich den Bassanelli[…] aber unten zugedackt / und uff der seiten herumb etliche löcherlein / dadurch der Resonanz herausser gehet. Am klang seynd sie gar den Krumbhörnern gleich / nur dass sie stiller / lieblicher und gar sanft klingen […]" (The cornamuse are similar to/and do not have a double, but rather a single tube (bore)/like the bassanelli.) This statement differentiates it from double bore instruments of the period like the sordun, kortholt and curtal. Another clue to its appearance is given in Praetorius' description of the schryari: ("They...are nearly the same as the cornamuse in size and appearance".) The name is not to be confused with cornemuse, which is the French word for bagpipes.

Key claims

  1. publication date: 1619 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the publication date is "1619". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  4. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1204823129

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.