Introducing the Chalumeau 

The reason why it so low is the cylindrical bore/single reed configuration. It means in terms of physics the air in the instrument resonates with a primary wave than is two times longer than the instrument. This is two times lower than most other wind instruments like recorders and oboes which are conical (or closed at one end like flutes) and resonate at the length of the instrument. Modern clarinet also have that feature, and they indeed have a very low register compared to the size of the instrument as well. An oboe for example, is more or less the same size as a clarinet but the clarinet goes much lower. Interestingly enough, this cylindrical shape is also why the clarinet overblows to the twelfth and not the octave like other wind instruments. In the case of the chalumeau, that means there is no attainable high register, which makes for a instrument very low for its size, but also unable to go to the high notes that you would expect.

What a beautiful sounding instrument!

the woman explaining this is adorable, so passionate

I actually made a chalumeau for a music appreciation class I took: had to make an instrument, and, as an amateur woodworker, figured I could do it. Jumped almost 10 feet when I blew the first note on it (I knew it was supposed to be low, but it still surprised me). I should get it out again, and maybe make the rest of the consort....

I really like the sound of this instrument, a lot more than I thought I was going to. It sounds to me like a clarinet, but slightly warmer and sweeter. At first I thought 'it sounds like the clarinet's low range' and then they mention at 6:20 that the clarinet's low range was actually based off it.

Utterly fantastic sound and color and I've been playing bassoon for 47 years!

This is a really fantastic introduction to this wonderful instrument - thank you! I do have to set the record straight on Graupner though. I don't understand why he is so often introduced as a "harpsichord player" and not a "composer" or as the capellmeister (for nearly 50 years!) of the court of Hesse-Darmstadt. In fact he was one of the most prolific composers that history has produced. He probably did not compose quite as much as Mr Music himself (Telemann) but a closer inspection of Graupner's music reveals significantly more invention, emotional depth, and, over his lifetime, style development, than his contemporary. His around 1400 cantatas (83 involving at least one chalumeau) would take over 2 weeks to play through if performed 24/7! Moreover, his collaboration with his librettist brother in law, Johann Conrad Lichtenberg, amounts to the most productive librettist-composer relationship in German and possible any language *of all time*! So one wonders how much more he would have to have composed to be properly recognised as a composer! And then the portrait. There is sadly no portrait of Graupner - we will never see his likeness. However, due to the double edged sword that is the image search engine, many people now mistakenly use one of two portraits of other men for Graupner. The first is the portrait of his boss, Landgrave Ernst-Ludwig. The second, the one in your video, is actually of Johann Christoph Bach. That portrait has become associated with Graupner because of another common misconception (not propagated in your video!), that Graupner's full name is Johann Christoph Graupner. In fact his name is just Christoph Graupner. However, he did have a son with the name Johann Christoph Graupner, which is how the name confusion first arose! Here is a wonderful example of the chalumeau in action in a Graupner cantata (video starts at 1.29.52): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eEVQ7-nWfCM.html (I call it the "peppa pig chorale")

Lovely tone. The consort pieces were utterly charming. And thank you for the history of the instrument

I love Graupner's music - he wrote a brilliant Sinfonia featuring the timpani. It's apparently thanks to him rejecting the position at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig that Bach gained the recognition he had in his lifetime.

What an absolute delight. Have always wanted to know about the chalumeau. An owl singing in the breeze. Thank you!

It's lovely. Like a reedy recorder, but without the brassy conical sound of the sax. Sounds like it can hold its own nicely, in a consort or not.

What a lovely use of vibrato in the first tune. I also love the slightly less dense sound as compared to the modern clarinet; The owl analogy is super accurate. This combined with the oboe sounding like a duck if a duck could sing like a lark and the flute sounding like a regular songbird, I'm really starting to fill out my woodwind ornithology catalogue😇. It's nice that some instruments aren't meant to sound like the human voice.

The performance here of La Speranza is just so so good. Please post more videos of Chalumeau pieces like that

Thanks for your video. I have three C chalumeaux ( two from Sansluthier, Spain, and a Tupian chalumeau, German, I think). They are marvellous instruments and I can asure you I have a great time playing them. Best wishes from Spain.

I love her enthusiasm.

Thank you for making a video that does its job! No distractions, no clickbait, no nonsense.

I 3d printed one that uses a regular clarinet mouthpiece, and the low register always gets a wow from people!

BRAVO! As a retired oboist, I am thrilled to say that I have never heard of the Chalumeau family. What a lovely sound. I am glad you touched upon the reed. Oddly enough, after a year as a clarinetist I switched to oboe and found the oboe much easier for me (other than the reed making ... 🙂

Everything I ever learned about chaleumeau was from a Carthusian monk named Carl. Miss Carl eternally haven't seen him for over 40 years. He's long gone to Heaven. He was a loving and kind teacher. Would play chaleumeau for us and make glass. He loved Graupner. Jesus blessed us when he made Carl.

Before I saw this video, I knew nothing about the chalumeau, and I didn't know there even was a Graupner. So this wins for instruction and delight.

What a wonderful and lovely introduction to the chalumeau. This goes straight to my "favorites" playlist 👌

BEAUTIFUL sound. Between recorder and oboe, I believe. I love this. It is very sad that we have lost it in modern times. We need this sound!! With the thee together= my ears are in love.

I first heard about this instrument when in discussion with a great jazz tenor saxophone player from England called Don Weller, around fifty years ago. Don was a great fan of J.S.Bach, and himself was taught to play the clarinet at the British army school of music. Don became one of the legends of British jazz, and once or twice when we played together at a jazz gig, he would lean across to me and whisper the word" Chalumeau" which meant that he was going to play his horn at very low pressure, and in the lower register. I subsequently learned that the word chalumeau had nothing to do with pressure, but was related to the sound that Don wanted to hear from his saxophone. The chalumeau is a beautiful instrument, and I send thanks for this lovely upload. More of these films please.

How could you not love this alluring instrument? Truly it' s charming enough to melt the heart of the fiend.

Lovely Introduction to the Chalumeau--Bravo to Katherine and her musician friends! Best wishes, Albert (Al) Rice

What an absolute delight to the ears! And such a lovely "show and tell" generously given by Mrs Spencer (and her two colleagues)! 🥰

This was a beautiful discovery of a rainy afternoon. Thank you so much!

Such a beautiful sounding trio. I have to get one now!

Gorgeous sound! THANK YOU for introducing this lovely instrument to the world. Fantastic sound.

I love the tone of this instrument!

it has such a pleasing tone

wonderful video - thank you!

I like this instrument. Very nice color to it.

How delightful! I knew about the chalumeau and listen to recordings of Telemann, Vivaldi et al, but I imagined them to be much bigger instruments. I might get some recordings of Graupner too.

Lovely video. The music is enchanting and the commentary delightful. Thank you.

This is amazing! thank you

Delightful! I really enjoy the warmth of the instrument - very pleasant to listen to. …great performance as well. Thank you.

I'm more than delighted to have just discovered your channel. You all play so beautifully and I'm looking forward to a lot of wondrful listening and learning as I go through all of your epsisodes. Thank you!

I love this series of videos. The music is beautiful, and the history of these instruments is fascinating.

Your interpretation of Graupner's La Speranza is not only the best I've ever heard but brings whole new light.

And the lady herself is pretty expressive 😀

So interesting & Wonderful to listen to!

Fascinating. Thank you for sharing your passion

How gorgeous! Thank you!

Thank you.

Thanks for sharing. What a beautiful sound!

I enjoyed this immensely! Thanks to you and your chalumeau!

Love the video!

Beautiful sound, I love it!

Beautiful!!!

love this! didn't know ! thank you so much!

Such a beautiful sound!

What a tender sound!! Very nice! Thank you!

These guys are amazing!!!!! 😍😍😍

Super great teaching skills on musical history. 🤔

Very instructive. I loved it! Thank you.

brilliant!

Absolutely love your style!

What a beautiful sound!

Fascinating!

What a fantastic sound, thanks for sharing 😊😊😊😊

So beautiful

What an amazing instrument. Never knew they even existed but I'm glad I found them.

Awesome video, thanks!

Wonderful demonstration and overview of this unusual instrument. Thank you.

Such a lovely instrument....and the lady ♥

That Graupner trio is exquisite!

Lovely video, very interesting! They first Graupner was just perfection.

Beautiful! I need one

Very very beautiful video. Bellísimo vídeo. Muchas gracias.

You play beautifully!! And such character in your trio! This video is one of those that really puts out not as known info that needs to get out there, thank you!!

Liebe Katherine Spencer, schöner läßt sich eine solche Instrumentenvorstellung nicht denken: genau richtig in der Länge, dabei SO VIEL (augenzwinkender) CHARME! Einfach wunderbar, auch das Trio: DANKE an Alle fürs Teilen! - Dear Katherine Spencer, such an instrument presentation couldn't be more beautiful: just right in length & with SO MUCH sparkling CHARM! Simply wonderful, including the trio: THANK YOU ALL for sharing!

It took a lot of keywork to close the gaps between registers, and produce the clarinet as we now know it. I have experimented with cylindrical bore instruments, using a membrane reed: the result sounds much like a crumhorn, although a bit louder. Since I made them of copper pipe, using plumbing fixtures for a reed cap, I dubbed them "plumbhorns". I even once made a set of smallpipes based on the same principle...

Thank you for such beautiful playing! La Speranza brings tears to my eyes.

Wow, great!

oh boy 😁... something new under the sun for me... I worked at learning the clarinet many years ago... I'm in love... thanks so very much for sharing ❣️

What a lovely sound! No wonder you love it!

That was terrific!

Incredible musical instrument,never heard of it

Wow a beautiful sound xx

Being a baroque music lover, I've come to know a thing or two about instruments from that era; but I didn't know anything serious about the chalumeau until I saw this video, so thank you so much, Katherine!

As soon as you started playing, I thought I need to play this!

💗this harmony.

Soulful sound.

I love the pony tail ligature!

Magical time capsule!!

Love this video. I'm currently learning the chalumeau (i have only a tenor) and its such a joy playing graupners works. Vivaldis writing for tenor (the little there is) has eluded me though, its so difficult and very high. Graupner seems to understand the instrument better imo.

Delightful!

Lovely! If I wasn't already busy working on my shawm, cornamuse and crumhorn playing, I would be very tempted.

What a coincidence! I just ordered my new chalumeau yesterday. I can't wait for it to arrive!

Very cool.

Claricorder. I love it!

I want one!

Beautiful sound coming from this instrument! It appears to be a Recorder, but, w/a reed - sounding very much like a Clarinet.

what a beautifully mournful sound it produces. I'd love to try and play one.

This chalumeau looks like it's fingered just like a recorder, except i couldn't figure out what that brass piece just under the mouthoiece is used for. Thanks for showing us something most of us have never seen before!

Beautiful and unexpected sound. Would be wonderful to see these old instruments return to popularity

There is/was a gentlemen in the Cape area of South Africa, selling his home-made chalumeaus and reed flutes on the festival circuit. I bought a Chalumeau from him, but don't know what happened to it. It sounded a bit like a saxophone.

Chris is as an absolute madman

I used to have a clarinet trio. We played both Graupner's suites but they didn't like the first. I'm sure with the help of this video they will love it.