OOK WORLD B Boekwêreld • Ilizwe Leencwadi a castle where walking sticks are common), even those who once Fanus often joked that his epitaph should read: ‘Nou is hy dood- were famous. ernstig’ (Now he is dead serious). Like all brilliant humourists, he It happened like this: I was asked to review Tien uit tien: stories seemed to have a need to be taken seriously, even if only once in en sêgoeters van Fanus Rautenbach (Tafelberg, 2010), a collection a while - for instance, Peter Sellers revealed that he wanted to be of stories by Fanus, edited by Danie Botha - which I did. I thought a serious actor. Imagine that! And most humourists suffered from nothing of it, except that he wrote some really good, original stories depression - humour is a ‘laugh with a tear’. But there was never and implemented unusual techniques. any evidence that Fanus Rautenbach was Then Botha asked me to visit the old man, who was pining for at- depressed, ever. Hopefully not too lonely tention. This was just before Christmas 2010. I was busy; could not either. even go out to Fanus maintained that humour Vredenburg to visit my Tiesj is one of two autobiographical is more than just cracking jokes. own mother. An acquaint- works by Rautenbach, the other being ance called. She would Fanus onthou en Sebastian lieg in die It is really about observing, set up a meeting. A coffee mou (met Piet Coetzer, Lapa, 2009). about knowing your subject shop near the ‘kieriekas- material, namely people. The teel’ in Claremont. Two With acknowledgement to Bolander. weeks fl ew by. Then the rest is basically adding some lady called again. Fanus fell colour to the story you spin ill, we have to postpone. And I just knew. When the next call came, I nodded to my wife; she did not have to tell me. The noble trumpet and other brass instruments ERICH BUCHHAUS Each has a mouthpiece that is either shaped like a cone, a cup, or Book Selector a funnel depending on the instrument. Their sound comes from the musician’s lips as they blow air into the instrument. This airfl ow istening to music is a psychosomatic experience that, as well causes the instrument to vibrate, resulting in a crisp and distinctive as promoting harmony and peace, holds the power for inner sound. Of course the sound emitting from the brass instrument reassurance and satisfaction which stems from deep within can be changed as the player alters his lip tension. The greater the ‘Lthe human spirit. Many people would count themselves the poorer tension the higher the sound of the instrument. without it. We do not have to go into the science and philosophy Musical instruments and their story have always been part of his- of music to fi nd the answer to our question; we simply need to tory, and the story begins with the story of humanity. The fi rst brass go into our own souls, for that is where music belongs.’ (Wade- instrument that we know about is a trumpet found in a drawing in Matthews, Max. The world encyclopedia of musical instruments.- King Tutankhamen’s tomb in Egypt dating to 1500 bCE - over three Lorenz Bks., 2000. p.13.) thousand years ago. The Egyptian trumpet was a long straight tube made of silver or bronze, and was four feet long, capable of only producing a few tones. Over time this trumpet would evolve to Introduction become longer and coiled to make the instrument easier to hold. In addition valves and tubing would be added to let players play all In this latest journey into the fascinating world of music, attention the notes in the scale. will be devoted to brass musical instruments. All brass instruments are made of long pieces of coiled tubes of brass or other metals. Kaapse Bibliotekaris, Maart/April 2011 1717 OOK WORLD B Boekwêreld • Ilizwe Leencwadi General Brass instruments form part of illustrations and sculptures of the time rather than on surviving the wind instrument group which instruments. The ancient Egyptians used metal trumpets on sacred includes woodwind instruments. occasions such as during the worship of Osiris. The Hebrews, after An accurate way to determine their famed exodus out of Egypt, adopted the trumpet which came whether an instrument is brass or to be used by priests during certain rites of the temple. In early woodwind is to examine how the medieval Europe the right of owning a trumpet was restricted to player produces sound. In brass the aristocracy. Due to this noble connection the trumpet became instruments, the player’s lips vibrate, the instrument of the cavalry, a section of the army usually associ- causing the air within to vibrate. In ated with the nobility. It was used to maintain morale as well as to woodwind instruments the player sound military signals. This instrument gained further prestige when either causes a reed to vibrate (as it came to be used in European courts to announce the arrival of in a clarinet or oboe), or blows important personages as in the case of when 30 trumpeters an- against an edge (as in a recorder), nounced the entry of Charles VI in Rheims in 1380. or blows across the edge of an The trumpet is a rather simple instrument, consisting of a long open hole (as in a fl ute). Hence oval-shaped tube, with two bends, a wide mouthpiece at one end, the saxophone which is typi- and a fl ared bell at the other. cally made of brass is classifi ed as a The trumpet appeared in the orchestra for the fi rst time in woodwind instrument because it produces sound with a vibrating Monteverdi’s opera Orfeo reed. (1607) and featured more widely One interesting difference between woodwind and brass instru- during the Baroque period in ments is that woodwind instruments are non-directional. This the works of Bach and Handel. means that the sound produced resonates in all directions with However, it lost popularity during approximately equal volume. Brass instruments, on the other hand, the Classical period, but this was are highly directional, with most of the sound produced travelling only temporary. During the early straight outward from the bell. This difference makes it signifi cantly nineteenth century composers more diffi cult to record a brass instrument accurately. It also plays realised its great versatility and a major role in some performance situations, such as in marching technical potential. bands. (Wikipedia.org/wiki/brass instrument) The valved trumpet, developed The woodwind section of a modern symphony orchestra usually in the 1820s, was effectively consists of fl utes, clarinets, oboes and bassoons, while the brass introduced to the orchestra by section consists of four horns, two trumpets, three trombones and Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868), a tuba. Brass instruments originally used at hunting and military to be triumphantly featured in functions and even at religious events became standard fare of the his popular William Tell opera in orchestra during the 18th century. This was at the time a standard 1829. The valve mechanism be- procedure as court orchestras relied on the resources of military came fully developed during the bands attached to the same household. 1830s. Composers found the instrument more versatile as all notes Brass instruments each produce their own distinct unique sound. of the octave could be used and keys could be shifted quite freely. The brass family can trace its ancestry back to herald trumpets, This novelty was immediately exploited by composers and many hunting horns and military bugles. The main instruments of the orchestras would include valve trumpets from the 1840s onwards. brass family include the trumpet, horn, trombone and tuba. The Wagner recognised the trumpet’s potential and he gave it a lead- trumpet is the highest-sound- ing place in Tannhäuser and Lohengrin. Other composers such as ing member of the brass family Saint-Saëns and Shostakovich would later ably combine the trumpet whereas the tuba is the lowest and piano in their chamber music compositions. One of the best- sounding. The trombone is known trumpet pieces from the early 1900s is found in Stravinsky’s larger than the trumpet, and Petrouchka and this set a trend for music to rely more constantly has a more mellow sound. on the trumpet in future compositions. History Other brass instruments The development of the Trombone modern trumpet can be traced Another important brass instrument is the trombone, a natural back over thousands of years. trumpet in the bass range. It was rebuilt by inserting the ends of It would seem that all the an extra U-shaped slide into its sound tube. The name ‘trombone’ major civilisations of the past means simply a big trumpet, and although they do not look much produced trumpets. Evidence alike, they are closely related. Trombones were initially used mainly of this is revealed through in church music and later in opera. Mozart exploited this quality in 1818 Cape Librarian, March/April 2011 OOK WORLD B Boekwêreld • Ilizwe Leencwadi his operas The magic fl ute and Don Giovanni, and in his famous Requiem. Conclusion The subject matter covering man’s inventiveness in his search for Tuba music-making objects and their development up to the present is The tuba is the lowest-pitched and largest instrument of the brass vast and something that can only be briefl y covered here. As in the group with a total tubing length of up to 14m. Dating from Roman previous articles on musical instruments readers must be aware that times it served as a signal horn used in the fi eld, it developed over this article is only introductory.