Anglo-Saxon wind instruments: classification, characterisation and function

Abstract

The study of the wind instruments of Anglo-Saxon England has been largely neglected, with the result that the wind instruments present in Anglo-Saxon England – what they were like, how they were used, and in what contexts – is not well understood. A wind instrument produces sound through the vibration of air and includes instruments voiced in the manner of modern brass and wind instruments. Research concerning such instruments will enable greater understanding, not only of the instruments and music, but also of life at the time. The current thesis aims to fill this gap and create a foundation on which future research can build. As a result, the main aim of this research is to establish the nature of wind instruments of Anglo-Saxon England including their appearance, formation and function as well as their social contexts, allowing for recreations and experimentation to be completed as part of this thesis. An interdisciplinary approach, especially encompassing knowledge from archaeology, music, history, literature, acoustical engineering and mathematics, enabled the data to be assessed to create a comprehensive study of the wind instruments. Through such methods, it was demonstrated that horns (and potentially trumpets), hornpipes, bagpipes, reed pipes, flutes (both duct and end-blown such as panpipes) and the organ were present in Anglo-Saxon England. The creation of these instruments varied from the simple bone pipes to the complex organ. Analysis of the sources has, for the first time, allowed for a re-creation of a decade of organ pipes and consequent experimentation to form a comprehensive understanding of that instrument. The instruments are divided into two categories: those for entertainment and those with a practical use, whether that was horns for signalling in battle and on the road, or the organ to demonstrate the new religion of Christianity. Overall, this thesis demonstrates the wide-range of wind instruments present in Anglo-Saxon England, including their diverse functions and methods of creation.

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ORCID for Alison Gascoigne: orcid.org/0000-0003-2742-9483

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