Characterization and Taxonomy of Historic Brass Musical Instruments from an Acoustical Standpoint

Abstract

The conceptual bases of existing classification schemes for brasswind are examined. The requirements of a taxonomy relating to the character of brass musical instruments as experienced by players and listeners are discussed. Various directly and indirectly measurable physical parameters are defined. The utility of these parameters in classification is assessed in a number of case studies on instruments in museums and collections. The evolution of instrument design since 1750 in terms of these characterization criteria is outlined.