Musical instrument: Shalmey

Musical instrument: Shalmey

Shalmey is one of the most famous wooden wind instruments of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It is assumed that it originated in the Middle East and by the XIII century spread throughout Europe. He is considered the immediate predecessor of the oboe, and is even called the "oboe of the Renaissance", but there is not much in common between these instruments. The sound is also radically different - it is brighter, louder and shrill with shalmey. This instrument was part of almost all orchestras and ensembles of the era. There were even separate ensembles of Shalmea, where different types of instruments were combined - from high to bass, and they were called consorts. Their game invariably accompanied dances, celebrations and ceremonies.

The hull of Shalmey was made necessarily from a single piece of wood. Most often, the wizard used alder or plane tree. On the tool body there were 7 or 9 playing holes. A distinctive feature of the Shalmea is a large length. For example, bass shalmey reached a length of 3 meters. For resemblance to an artillery gun, he was called a bombardment. It is interesting that already this kind of shalmea is the ancestor of the bassoon.

According to one of the versions of the origin of this instrument, its creator was the Prophet Muhammad himself. Today, this tool is one of the favorite areas in Muslim areas of different countries.