The kortholt is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. It was popular in the Renaissance period.
The name comes from Low Saxon and means short (kort) piece of wood (holt). This name is mentioned in the work Syntagma musicum by Michael Praetorius, who is a main source for information about this instrument. The name refers to the characteristic low sound that belies the short length of the instrument.
The kortholt is a capped reed instrument.[1] Its construction is similar to that of the chanter of a bagpipe. A double reed is mounted inside a chamber. Blowing into the chamber produces a musical note. The pitch of the note can be varied by opening or closing finger and side holes along the length of the instrument.[2]
The kortholt is actually double bored, similar to the modern bassoon.[2] The cylindrical bore is doubled up inside the instrument, producing a sound much lower than normally would be possible from an instrument of that length.[1]
The sound is a similar to the crumhorn, but is softer.[2] The kortholt came in various sizes, the most common being soprano, alto, tenor and bass. They could be played together in a consort.
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