Octavin

Octavin
Woodwind instrument
Classification Aerophone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification422.212
(Single reed instrument with irregular bore)
InventorJulius Jehring
Developed19th century

The octavin (also spelled oktavin) is a 19th century woodwind instrument with a conical bore and a single reed.

Design

The octavin resembles a saxophone: its range is similar to that of a soprano saxophone. However, the octavin differs in three respects: first, its conical bore has a smaller taper than that of a saxophone; second, its body is made of wood, rather than metal; third, its usual shape is more similar to that of a bassoon, having two parallel straight sections joined at the bottom, with the mouthpiece attached to the top of one section and a metal bell to the top of the other. A few straight octavins exist, having a wooden bell; in this configuration it resembles a tarogato but has a smaller taper. The instrument was produced in B♭, C and F. One writer (Altenberg) mentions a bass octavin but no such instrument is known to have been produced. The (written) range of the octavin is from G♯3 to G6.

Production

The octavin was invented in 1881 by Julius Jehring, a bassoon maker. It was later patented in 1893 by Oskar Adler and Hermann Jordan of Markneukirchen, Germany.

Legacy

The octavin was a commercial failure and is now extremely rare, being considered a curiosity by collectors. However, the octavin is memorialized by the organ stop bearing its name. Repertoire for the instrument is scarce: one of the only pieces for the octavin is a sonatina composed by Jeff Britting (b. 1957).

References

  1. 1 2 The New Grove dictionary of musical instruments. Stanley Sadie. London: Macmillan Press. 1984. ISBN 0-943818-05-2. OCLC 10754317.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. ↑ (Corp), Dorling Kindersley (2022). Music : the definitive visual history. London. ISBN 978-0-241-55902-4. OCLC 1314382566.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Hartenberger, Aurelia (2021-10-28). "Octavin-Bb: 'Adler & Co.'". Hartenberger World Musical Instrument Collection. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  4. ↑ "Search Results". collections.ed.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  5. ↑ "Octavin". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  6. ↑ "422.212". Horniman Museum and Gardens. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  7. ↑ Scholes, Percy A. (1964). The concise Oxford dictionary of music. John Owen Ward (2d ed.). London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-311307-4. OCLC 509554. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)