In n the twilight of the days surrounding the 21st December (the winter solstice or midwinter) a casual visitor wandering in the area of Twente just might catch the melancholic, haunting sound of one of the most mysterious of tradtional instruments, the midwinterhoorn. The enduring tradition of playing this unique wooden instrument in the period between the first Sunday in Advent1 and Epiphany (Driekoningen, 6th January) is still cultivated in this eastern part of the province Overijssel, bordered by the rivers Regge and Dinkel,2 as well as in the neighboring Achterhoek (province Gelderland) and some adjacent German locations.
The midwinterhoorn is rarely discussed today and since it was never as popular as the fiddle, bagpipe or shawm, it is more typically a subject for ethnomusicologists. Nevertheless, the midwinterhoorn played a considerable role in the lives of countryfolk of times past and thanks to the folklore movements in the 1950s, it has enjoyed a revival.
The distribution of the midwinterhoorn in the area of Twente,
(or Twenthe, province Overijssel) and adjacent German locations, c. 1800.
from: Everhard Jans, Het Midwinterhoornblazen. Enschede 1977. 42.
Muted midwinterhoorn, ca. 1900.
Rijksmuseum Twente.
the history and function of the midwinterhoorn
The horn is one of the oldest known musical instruments of mankind. First made of animal horn (ram, goat, bull, ox) it had been employed by the "primitive" peoples of the pre-historic times both for signaling and performing ancient rites.
The blowing the shofar, the principle horn of the Jews, is frequently mentioned in the Bible (Ancient Testament) and the Talmud. It served to announce special days like New Year's Day, New Moon etc. and together with the trumpet it was used to signal the start of a war. Wooden horns were already known from ancient Mesopotamia in the time c. 2700 B.C.3
A shofar in Jemenite Jewish style,
made of a kudu horn.
The early relatives of the midwinterhoorn
A pair of the famous Brudevælte-lurs, found in 1797 by peasant Ole Pedersen in Brudevælte Mose, a bog near Lynge in North Zealand, Denmark. 2
The Scandinavian form of the ancient horn, closely related to the midwinterhoorn, was the Lur (from the old nordic word luðr, meaning "hollow log"). The early types came from the Nordic Bronze Age and were made of bronze. Since the correct name of these remarkable early instruments are unknown, historians refer to them as lurs, even though the lur known from the sagas were straight wooden instruments. The striking S-shape of the bronze-lurs was probably an imitation of the oxhorn.
The lurs mentioned in the Icelandic sagas rallied troops to the battle and were no doubt capable of striking fear into the hearts of their enemies. They have been called "Viking lurs" since the great part of them were found in Norway, Denmark and northern Germany dating back from the Viking Age (700 to 1100 A.C.). They are straight, end-blown wooden tubes of c. 1 m length, their parts held together with willow rings.
A shepherd's or neverlur, by Magnar Storbækken, Norway.
In the Middle Ages, farmers and dairy maids in Scandinavian countries blew lurs similar to the Viking type to call their cattle and communicate over large distances. These lurs, the "shepherd's lurs", were called Neverlur (Birch bark lur) in Norway. They were made from two long halves (pine or fir) which were hollowed out, glued together and then smoothened and wound tight with birch bark. The birch-bark binding is the main difference between the older Viking lurs which, as mentioned above, were held together with willow rings. Both types show close similarities to the Dutch midwinterhoorn. Like the wooden lurs, they are overblown and have no finger holes. Within a range of 7-8 notes one is restricted to simple melodies and signals.
click here for period horn music:
A signal played on two "Revheim"-lurs, found in 1894 by people from the Revheim-farm in a large bog, called Revheimsmyra, close to the Hafrsfjord in Rogaland, Norway. The instruments are still in good condition, so that it is possible to play on them.
Performed in 1958 by two hornplayers.
The two "Revheim"-lurs from the Revheimsmyra, Rogaland, Norway. Today they are housed in the Museum of Archaeology, Stavanger, Norway.
click here for period neverlur music:
A melody for the time of Advent, composed and played on the neverlur by Odd Sylvarnes Lund.
Ossenhoorn-players in Markelo (Overijssel).
For the ancient peoples living in the northern most part of the hemisphere, the winter was most difficult time of the year. Its gelid winters with seemingly endless darkness arouded deep anxieties, the dread of evil spirits and the deepest dread of all: that the sun might never return. In response, the population devised rites and mystical practices to alleviate the uncertainties of the natural world. In the Germanic pagan Joelfeest or Yule, celebrated for twelve days around the winter solstice (c. 21st December), the Batavians blew on cow horns to spur the god Odin (or Wodan) in his "Wild Hunt" to fight against the huge wolf Fenrir who chases the sun in a large chariot. The horn helped to frighten the wolf away so that the sun could once again return. The inhabitants of the Twente-area, in particular, blew the ossenhoorn ("ox horn"), a forerunner of the midwinterhoorn.
A today's farmer is blowing the
midwinterhoorn on his field.
People in the early times also believed that on midwinter night their ancestors arose from "Mother Earth." However, midwinter was also a symbol of procreation. Being the darkest day of the year, the following days gradualy became longer bearing hope for the return of the light. As days grew longer, new live began to flourish once again. Thus, peasants played the midwinterhoorn in their fields in order to dispel evil spirits and please the gods of fertility who let their fruits grow in the lap of "Mother Earth."
Both the construction of the midwinterhoorn and time in which it was played relates to ancient myths and fertility rites.The wood from which it is made relates to the "fruit" of "Mother Earth") as well as water, the other source of all live.
Once the two sections of the "wet horn" (see below) were put together, the instrument was submerged into a well so that the bulrush inserted between the two halves would swell up and make it airtight.
Curiously, the midwinterhoorn, and especially the "wet horn", is often blown over a well, which enhances the sound of the horn and demonstrates the natural relationship between water and wood. When the horn freezes in winter, it produces a particularly brilliant sound that encouraged peasants to awake the spirits of fertility so that they might produce more abundant harvests. Moreover, one has to consider that the Twente-area is in great part composed of marshy soil and venen (bogs). Consequentially water and soil had a particularly deep impact on survival.
A farmer in the Twente-area
is playing his midwinterhoorn
over a well.
Midwinter was also the time for bidding farewell to the "dying" old year and awaiting its rebirth into the new year – a true "holy time." It is not by chance that the Early Church determined the 25th December (shortly after midwinter) as Christmas Day, the feast of the birth of Jesus Christ as the redeemer of all mankind, who will bring a new, eternal light into the dark world. The aim of the Church was partly to induce the Romans and other pagans to convert to Christianity without foresaking their own winter celebrations when their gods and goddesses had their "birthdays" on the exact same day, in particular the god "Sol Invictus" ("the Unconquered Sun").
During midwinter people spent most of the time in their homes. It was a period which has always been full of rites, celebrations and festivities, whether pagan or Christian. Christmas celebrations took place from c. mid 4th century onwards4. Since Northern Europe was the last part to Christianize, its pagan celebrations had a major influence on the celebration of Christmas4, already evident in the number 12 (the period of the Germanic Yule relates to the Twelve Holy Days after Christmas Day). This period had always been the principle time for the playing of the midwinterhoorn, or, in early times, its forerunner, the ossenhoorn.
Eve though the midwinterhoorn is mainly blown in the four weeks of Advent to announce the coming of Jesus Christ, Christmas Day and New Year's Day to welcome the new year, its playing still may possess secret pagan meaning which mingled with Christian customs.
Last but not least, the midwinterhoorn was used to signal danger, whether from fire, water or enemies. During the Eighty Years' War was a constant threat in the area of Twente since it was a Catholic enclave in a Protestant country. Its sound warned those attending the Holy Mass of Protestant incursions.
It was particularly useful for the people who inhabited the marshy lands to call for help as the next farm was often some kilometers away. The loneliness of those dark times was not always easy to bear and so peasants blew their horn at regular intervals to "ask" if the neighbor is still alive or hear if there is someone else in the vicinity.
A quartet of midwinterhoorn players from the village Saasveld during a senior contest. However, it has to be considered that the midwinterhoorn is by all means a solo-instrument as each one is singular in its shape and sound, so that a real harmonic tuning between the instruments is impossible.
With the improved drainage and the modern means of communication in the middle of the 18th century the use this type of signaling gradually died out, though players still blew to each other as a kind of playful question-and-answering. The midwinterhoorn as a signalling device was revived during World War II in Holland when local farmers used it to warn of approaching military patrols coming from the nearby German border.
In the 1950s, local enthusiasts in the area of Twente began to revive the traditional custom of playing the midwinterhoorn from the first Sunday in Advent until Epiphany and contests between the villages decree the best player. But as tradition dictates, no midwinterhoorn-player would ever play his instrument before or after these exact dates, not even for practicing.
click here to view a short video of midwinterhoorn music:
Gerwin Winkelhuis is playing a large midwinterhoorn, placing it on a well.
The Construction of the Midwinterhoorn
from:
Jeremy Montagu, "The Construction of the Midwinterhoorn".
The Galpin Society Journal 28 (April 1975) 71-80.
With kind permission by Jeremy Montagu
and the Galpin Society.
"The instrument itself belongs typologically to the category of the Lowland Alphorn. It is a long trumpet which is made by splitting a curved piece of timber, gouging it out, reuniting the two halves and binding them together in a few places with strips of withies or other suitable material. It is prepared for use by being soaked for some hours or even a day or two in a ditch, or nowadays often in a bath-tub, to swell the wood so as to seal the joint, and then, immediately before playing, a few buckets of water are poured down it. Pouring water down the bore immediately before use is a common practice, but this alone is not sufficient to seal the joints of a wooden instrument that is not covered with a close and almost airtight wrapping of some sort; it merely serves to line the bore.
Interior of a midwinterhoorn, showing the gasket of rush along the edge and the tool marks left
by the gauge.
(Montagu, plate XV b)
The woods that are used are those which are easily penetrated and soaked by water and which grow freely in the damp and sandy soil of the area. The majority of the makers seem to use birch, though it is said that alder, which is still frequently used, was the traditional material; water-willow is also commonly used. There was general agreement that any of these three woods, birch, alder and willow, would do, provided that the tree was of suitable size and shape, and it was made quite clear to us that a maker would cut the first tree that he came to of the right dimensions without worrying about which of the three species it belonged to.
The shape of the tree is important, for the midwinterhoorn is never a straight instrument. The commonest shape is a straight upper part with a gently hooked bell, though a few makers prefer a gentle S-shape. The purpose of the hooked bell is to project the sound downwards into a well, which appears to be done more for ritual purposes than to act as an amplifier; the instrument is held only a few degrees below the horizontal, so that the curved bell does not have the function of projecting the sound up from the ground that it does on the Swiss alphorn, but of projecting it either forwards or downwards instead.
A midwinterhoorn of the traditional 'wet' type, showing the typical lashings to fix the two halves. (Montagu, plate XV a)
All makers are agreed on the importance of the curve, one saying that the curve is very important for blowing: when the curve is too strong it is difficult; when it is too smooth, it blows too freely. In other words, the resistance must be just right and this is controlled mainly by the amount of curve.
Horns are never made to any definite pitch. They are solo instruments, never used with any other instrument, nor are they ever used together except to answer each other, so they are cut to the size that suits the maker or that has been ordered by the player. We were told that fifty or so years ago, the usual length was 80 cm to 90 cm and that the instrument has grown longer and longer so that it is now 100 cm or even 115 cm. Nevertheless, it is true that the range of natural harmonics obtained by the players is creeping up, and where once the 5th or most the 6th was the limit, the 7th harmonic is now taken as a normal part of the repertoire and some players achieve the 8th. As we all know, the longer the tube the easier it becomes to obtain the higher partials.
A selection of midwinterhoorn mouthpieces. They vary a bit in size and form, but all show the typical slant cut. (Montagu, plate XVI b)
Once the maker has chosen and cut his suitably bent tree of a suitable size, he saws it to the exact length that he wants and, in most cases, drops it down a well on the end of a bit of rope. This is because, as one said, the longer it soaks the easier it works. Once the wood has soaked, the bark is removed with a draw-knife. The outside is roughly shaped and smoothed, either with an axe or with a draw-knife, and a short saw cut, the first six inches or so of the cut which will split the instrument, is made in the narrow end. A hole is then drilled into the centre of the narrow end to a depth of about six inches with a brace and bit, the diameter of the bit being usually 2 cm, to form the lead pipe and socket for the mouthpiece. The wood is then divided with a hand saw or with a band saw if the maker has mechanical equipment. The thickness of the walls is then marked along the edges of the two halves with a marking gauge. Most makers agree that walls 1 cm thick are the best. The makers check the thickness of the walls at the edges with the marking gauge but rely on judgment between finger and thumb for the rest of the circumference.
When the inside is finished, the two halves are fixed back together. Traditionally, rush stems are split lengthways and the strips so produced are fixed along the edges of one half of the instrument to form a gasket between the two halves which will swell with a quick soaking and seal the instrument. The two halves then have to be fixed together. The traditional method was with strips of 'brummel', lengths of willow or bramble half an inch or so thick, coiled round the instrument half a dozen times, with the ends tucked under the last coil; there would be about six such lashings on each instrument. Wooden wedges were then driven under the coils from the narrow end of the instrument, and always on the flat sides, i.e. not on the convex or concave sides. As the wood and the binding dried out, the wedges were driven in further to keep the two halves tight together.
The mouthpiece of the midwinterhoorn is made of a piece of year-old elder, cut on a slant. Most mouthpieces were lapped with something, sometimes transparent adhesive tape, sometimes strips of cloth, to fit the instrument.
The midwinterhoorn is played with the instrument held laterally. The point of the mouthpiece is pushed hard into the buccinator and the risorius muscles of the cheek and the player from the side of the mouth, as a cornett or shofar player does, so that, although he appears to be blowing across the instrument, he is in fact blowing straight down the tube. A heavy wooden tube is more easily held sideways than straight out in front of the player, and this shape of mouthpiece combined with the side embouchure is the only way of blowing straight down a laterally held instrument. Makers were agreed that the mouthpiece was the most important part of the instrument. They agreed also that a mouthpiece could be, and often would be, replaced.
Playing the midwinterhoorn, showing the
embouchure position. (Montagu, plate XVI a)
The construction and playing technique of the midwinterhoorn
Making a midwinterhoorn requires considerable experience and craftsmanship. Most of the local players have made their horns themselves. Today, some craftsmen make midwinterhoorns for tourists or nostalgic, expatriate Dutch citizens.
From a trunk of birch to a midwinterhoorn. In the middle the horn before its splitting, followed by the two halves up to the finished instrument.
First, the craftsman has to find a branch from a native tree, usually birch, alder, willow or poplar, with a suitable form for his purpose. It must have a length of c. 1,20–1,80 m and a diameter from c. 3-5 cm at the narrow end (where the mouthpiece will be placed) and up to c. 15 cm at the broader, curved end in order to accomodate the "bell." Since no branch is equal to another, no horn, or the sound it makes, is identical. The branch is cut to its proper length and roughly smoothed with an ax or draw-knife. The horn's length is vitally important since it determines the number of tones: the longer the horn, the easier it is to play and reach higher tones. Once it has been given its desired shape, shaped branch is lowered into a water well or, nowadays, into a bath-tub and allowed to soak for some time. Afterwards, it is split longitudinally and the two halves are carefully hollowed out and smoothed. At the narrow end where the mouthpiece is located, a hole is drilled ("Hap" or "Spool").
The two halves are then reunited with one of two methods. The traditional one requires putting bulrush between the halves and entwining them tightly with bast or blackberry shoots. The horn is again submerged in a well. When the bulrush absorbs moisture and swells, the horn becomes airtight and ready for use. In winter, when it freezes, the horn produces a particularly bright sound due to the increased smoothness of its inner surface. They have to be poured with water to get airtight short before playing.
Horns made according to this technique are called natte hoorns ("wet horns").
A horn made the modern technique of using glue instead of the traditional materials are called a droog horn ("dry horn"). Dry horns must always be kept dry.
The typical shape of the mouthpiece (hap) with its
slanting cut.
The mouthpiece ( "Hap") greatly influences the performance of the horn. It is ususally made of elderberry with a diameter of about 2,5'' to fit into the hole at the narrow end of the horn. The core is removed and the mouthpiece is fitted into the horn. Every player makes his own mouthpiece which must be replaced from time to time.
Playing the midwinterhoorn requires strongs lungs to create sufficient air pressure. Furthermore, the player must possess well-developed lip tension ( embouchure) since the horn's playing-technique is comparable to that of a trumpet. As Midwinterhoorns have no finger holes it is only possible to play a natural harmonic series of notes, usually 5 to 7, some players even achieve an 8th.
A farmer playing the midwinterhoorn in the misty twilight of a winter's day at the edge of a snowy field.
Nevertheless, it is possible to play short, simple melodies, which recall hunting signals and each village has its own kind of melody. In the village Ootmarsum in the Twente-area, for example, they play the so-called "oalde roap" (the "ancient call").
Those who have ever listened the sound of the midwinterhoorn in the twilight of a foggy day, will never forget the mystical atmosphere it evokes.
♪ the midwinterhoorn on the web:
Stichting Midwinterhoornblazen Twenthe
(Dutch, English, Twents, German. With links to various local groups,
see 'Buurtschap' – 'Lees verder')
Midwinterhoorn.nl
(Gerwin's midwinterhoorns) (Dutch only)
Wikipedia (Dutch):
♪ midwinterhoorn resources:
Everhard Jans, Het Midwinterhoorn blazen. Enschede 1977.
Wim Thijsse, "De Midwinterhoorn en zijn functie." Mens en Melodie XXXV (Januari 1980). 24-32.
Jeremy Montagu, "The Construction of the Midwinterhoorn." The Galpin Society Journal 28 (April 1975) 71-80.
♪ the lur on the web:
Per-Olof Johansson:
The Brudevaælte Lurs
O.J.'s Trumpet Page:
The Nordic Lurs
(with links to 'Bronze lurs' and 'wooden lurs')
- (end of November/beginning December)
- The c ounty Bentheim and the Münsterland.
- see Wim Thijsse, "De Midwinterhoorn en zijn functie." Mens en Melodie XXXV (Januari 1980). 29.
- Later included the four weeks of Advent as a period of preparation for the Nativity of Jesus and the Twelve Holy Days (26th December–6th January.
- The loud blowing relates also to one of the origins of the feast's name, from joelen (johlen in German) = yelling. In several countries, even in the Scandinavian ones, Christmas is still called "Jul." And some of our customs for Christmas, like the Christmas tree and the Advent wreath, have their origins in this old Germanic pagan feast, as people in northern Europe left offerings to the gods under a tree during the Reginheim: holidays, while the Advent wreath is the Christian symbol of the pagan "sun- or Easter-wheel," a burning wheel packed with straw rolling from a hill to symbolize the sun and believing that the light and the warmth of the fire would cleanse the young seeds. See also "Het Joelfeest" .
A comparison of the different sounds of midwinterhoorns.
An elsenhoorn, made of alder.
Length 1,70 m.
click here to hear an elsenhoorn, made of alder by Gerwin Winkelhuis.
A berkenhoorn made of birch.
Length 1,85 m. It is reminiscent of a Swiss alphorn.
click here to hear a berkenhoorn made of birch by Gerwin Winkelhuis.
The 'oalde roap' from Ootmarsum
click here for period midwinterhoorn music:
A form of the 'oalde roap', played by a member of the foundation Stichting Midwinterhoornblazen, Twente.
click here to view a short video of midwinterhoorn music:
Gerwin Winkelhuis is playing a large midwinterhoorn, placing it on a well.
click here to view a short video of midwinterhoorn music:
A member of the midwinterhoorn-group D'Olde Roop from Zelhem (province Gelderland) plays some chords from the Oalde Roap.