Profiles of Musical Instruments

1) The instrument(s family. 2) How the instrument is the same as or differs from others in the same family. 3) How the instrument is made. 4) How it is played. 5) An interesting fact about its history.

BASS CLARINET: Woodwind family. Differs from other clarinets for its lower register and large tone holes that are covered by plates rather than fingers. It compares to the soprano clarinet in its range. Many early ones were pitched in C( as replacements for bassoons rather than as new wind instruments, but with their increased acceptance in the orchestra, bass clarinets in B flat and A register became more popular. It is made of metal tubing with valves. Lip instrument. As a solo instrument, the bass clarinet dates to the 18th century.

BASSOON: Woodwind family. Wooden conical instrument sounded with a double reed, it links with tenor and bass to the woodwinds. It differs from the other woodwinds in being doubled back on its bore like a hairpin. It is this bore conformation combined with wall thickness that tield its tone qualities. It is usually made of maplewood. Until WWII, this wood was seasoned up to 12 years, then machined in stages. Today, a modern drying process is used and the wood is impregnated under pressure to stabilize its inner structure. The fine tuning is done by hand. Thus, the bassoon is a good deal more expensive than most other woodwinds. I

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harpsichord in construction, size, musical range and gimmicks that can make it sound like an entire orchestra. It consists of scale-like rows of pipes that are sounded by air under pressure from a wind-raising device and conduced to those pipes via valves operated by a keyboard. Small organs for home use are popular because the keyboard is easily learned, while others, such as a huge console, can fill an entire auditorium with sound. Wurlitzer is one of the leading builders of organs. The intricate construction of a console organ with hundreds of pipes and keys and gimmicks includes a chest, fulcrum, pedal keys, pallet box, and pallet spring. Of all the organ composers in history, by far the most famous is Johann Sebastian Bach. His many works for it increased its popularity. One of his most famous is (Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.( Thousands of organs were used in movie theaters from the turn of the century through 1930 to provide musical background for silent movies. Organs were also used for radio soap operas and children(s serials from the 1920s to early 1950s, then employed for TV soap operas and children(s shows through the early 1960s. The dean of silent movie organists was Gaylord Carter, and today(s silent movie organists
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Approximate Word count = 4334
Approximate Pages = 17 (250 words per page)