The heckelphone (German: Heckelphon) is a musical instrument invented by Wilhelm Heckel and his sons. The idea to create the instrument was initiated by Richard Wagner, who suggested it at the occasion of a visit of Wilhelm Heckel in 1879.[1] Introduced in 1904, it is similar to the oboe but, like the bass oboe, pitched an octave lower, the heckelphone having a significantly larger bore.
The heckelphone is a double reed instrument of the oboe family, but with a wider bore and hence a heavier and more penetrating tone. It is pitched an octave below the oboe and furnished with an additional semitone taking its range down to A.[2] It was intended to provide a broad oboe-like sound in the middle register of the large orchestrations of the turn of the twentieth century.[citation needed] In the orchestral repertoire it is generally used as the bass of an oboe section incorporating the oboe and the cor anglais (English horn), filling the gap between the oboes and bassoons.[citation needed]
The heckelphone is approximately 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) in length and is quite heavy[clarification needed]: it rests on the floor, supported by a short metal peg attached to the underside of its bulbous bell ("Liebesfuss"). An alternate second bell, called a "muting" bell, is also available, which serves to muffle the instrument for playing in a small ensemble. This arrangement is unique among double-reed instruments. It is played with a large double reed that more closely resembles a bassoon's than an oboe's reed.[citation needed]
Smaller piccolo- and terz-heckelphones were developed, pitched respectively in (high) F and E♭, but few were made, and they were less successful than the baritone-range instrument.[3]
Musical uses
The first use of the heckelphone was in Richard Strauss's 1905 operaSalome.[citation needed] The instrument was subsequently employed in the same composer's Elektra, as well as An Alpine Symphony (though this part frequently calls for notes that are below the range of the heckelphone),[citation needed]Josephslegende and Festliches Präludium. It was adopted as part of the large orchestral palette of such works as Edgard Varèse's Amériques (1918–1921) and Arcana (1925–1927), George Gershwin'sRhapsody in Blue (1924) and Carlos Chávez's Sinfonía de Antígona (1933). Aaron Copland's Short Symphony (Symphony No. 2, 1931–33) calls for a player to double on cor anglais and heckelphone, but a cor anglais may be used for the entire part if a heckelphone is unavailable.
The heckelphone was also used by Gordon Jacob in his 'Variations on Annie Laurie' which was performed in the first Hoffnung Music Festival Concert at the Royal Festival Hall, London, UK in 1956. See Annetta Hoffnung's biography of Gerard Hoffnung and the sleeve notes to the complete Decca recording of the concert in question.[citation needed]
The heckelphone is often confused with F. Lorée's redesigned hautbois baryton which was introduced in 1889, the term "bass oboe" being widely used to describe both instruments. Among English composers of the early-20th century there was some vogue for the use of a "bass oboe", for example in Gustav Holst's orchestral suite The Planets (1916), as well as in several works of Frederick Delius (A Mass of Life, 1904-1905; Dance Rhapsody No. 1, 1908), Arnold Bax's Symphony No. 1 (1921), and Havergal Brian's Gothic Symphony (1919-1927) and Symphony No. 4 (Das Siegeslied). However, it is not in all cases clear which of the two instruments is intended—indeed, it is possible that sometimes the composers themselves were unclear as to the distinction. Strauss, however, mentions both instruments in his 1904 revision of Hector Berlioz's Grand Traité d'instrumentation et d'orchestration modernes, and (like Varèse) specifies the instrument by name in his orchestral scores, so preventing any ambiguity.
The heckelphone is also featured in the orchestral music of Finnish composer Kalevi Aho. It is heard in his operas Insect Life (1985–87), The Book of Secrets (1998), and Before We Are All Drowned (1995/99), in the Symphonies no. 6 (1979–80), 11 (1997–98), 13 (2003), 15 (2009–10), 17 (2017), and in his Piano Concerto no. 1 (1988–89), Contrabassoon Concerto (2004–05) and Oboe Concerto (2007). American composer William P. Perry used the heckelphone as part of a double reed quartet in his score for the film The Mysterious Stranger. There is a part for heckelphone in the concert band piece Two Sketches From The Orient by composer Cecil Burleigh, Op. 55 arranged by N. Clifford Page, published by Oliver Ditson Company 1926 and 1928.
For all its potential in adding weight to the lower registers of the woodwind section, the heckelphone remains a rarity on the orchestral scene—only about 150 heckelphones have been produced, of which around 100 are believed to be extant—and is seldom carried on the regular roster of professional orchestras. Competent players are thus rare. The most prominent American heckelphone players now are Mark Perchanok and Andrew Shreeves, both of New York City. Shreeves plays regularly with the Metropolitan Opera while Perchanok has performed many new and older compositions for the instrument and has recorded with the Paul Winter Consort. Other notable American players include Robert Howe of Massachusetts, most known for recital work, and Arthur Grossman of Seattle, Washington.
The first annual meeting of the North American Heckelphone Society took place on August 6, 2001 at the Riverside Church in New York City, with six heckelphonists in attendance—possibly the first occasion upon which six such instruments had been assembled under one roof. Later meetings have included as many as 14 instruments. The group met annually in New York through 2006.
The centennial of the heckelphone in 2004–5 led to the publication of a number of articles on the instrument in organological journals. Among these were two in the German-language Rohrblatt by the Cologne player Georg Otto Klapproth; a comprehensive review article by Robert Howe and Peter Hurd, "The Heckelphone at 100", in the 2004 Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society; and a two-part article by Michael Finkelman in the 2005 issues of The Double Reed.
A recent development is the Lupophon (Lupophone), essentially an extended Heckelphone able to play lower notes such as those called for in the Alpine Symphony.
Selected solo and chamber works
Mielenz, Hans Concerto, Op. 60 for heckelphone and orchestra
Ewazen, Eric Quintet for Heckelphone and String Quartet
Discography
Robert Howe, Heckelphone; Alan Lurie, Michael Dulac, piano (2005). Centennial Recital for Heckelphone. Wilbraham Music.
Paul Winter Consort (1990). Earth: Voices of a Planet. Living Music.
Paul Winter Consort (1995). The Man Who Planted Trees. Living Music.
Paul Winter Consort (2010). Miho:Journey To The Mountain. Living Music
Winter, Paul (1994). Prayer for the Wild Things. Living Music.
Grossman and others (2002). Music by Paul Hindemith. Centaur Records.
Arthur Grossman, Heckelphone; Lisa Bergman, piano. Arthur Grossman Plays Heckelphone. Wilhelm Heckel GmbH.
Vittorio Piredda, "Voci in guerra" (2018) for heckelphone, harp, cello and photosongs.[full citation needed]
^. Archived from the original on 2014-12-03. Retrieved 2014-12-08.
^Jürgen Meyer Acoustics and the Performance of Music: Manual for Acousticians, Audio Engineers, Musicians, Architects and Musical Instrument Makers (Modern Acoustics and Signal Processing) pg. 73 Springer Publishing (2009) ISBN0-387-09516-0
^Sibyl Marcuse, Musical Instruments: A Comprehensive Dictionary, corrected edition (The Norton Library N758) (New York: W. W. Norton, 1975): 239–40.
External links
Wilhelm Heckel GmbH
Website dedicated to the heckelphone with an extensive repertoire list, information on individual instruments and players
Heckelphone page at Contrabass Mania site
January 08, 2023
heckelphone, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, april, 2021, l. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Heckelphone news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message The heckelphone German Heckelphon is a musical instrument invented by Wilhelm Heckel and his sons The idea to create the instrument was initiated by Richard Wagner who suggested it at the occasion of a visit of Wilhelm Heckel in 1879 1 Introduced in 1904 it is similar to the oboe but like the bass oboe pitched an octave lower the heckelphone having a significantly larger bore HeckelphoneWoodwind instrumentClassificationWind Woodwind Double reedHornbostel Sachs classification422 112 Double reeded aerophone with keys Developed1904Related instrumentsOboe Piccolo oboe Oboe d amore Cor anglais English horn Oboe da caccia Wiener Oboe Bass oboe Contrabass oboe Piston oboe Contents 1 General characteristics 2 Musical uses 3 Modern use 4 Selected solo and chamber works 5 Discography 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksGeneral characteristics EditThe heckelphone is a double reed instrument of the oboe family but with a wider bore and hence a heavier and more penetrating tone It is pitched an octave below the oboe and furnished with an additional semitone taking its range down to A 2 It was intended to provide a broad oboe like sound in the middle register of the large orchestrations of the turn of the twentieth century citation needed In the orchestral repertoire it is generally used as the bass of an oboe section incorporating the oboe and the cor anglais English horn filling the gap between the oboes and bassoons citation needed The heckelphone is approximately 1 3 m 4 ft 3 in in length and is quite heavy clarification needed it rests on the floor supported by a short metal peg attached to the underside of its bulbous bell Liebesfuss An alternate second bell called a muting bell is also available which serves to muffle the instrument for playing in a small ensemble This arrangement is unique among double reed instruments It is played with a large double reed that more closely resembles a bassoon s than an oboe s reed citation needed Smaller piccolo and terz heckelphones were developed pitched respectively in high F and E but few were made and they were less successful than the baritone range instrument 3 Musical uses EditThe first use of the heckelphone was in Richard Strauss s 1905 opera Salome citation needed The instrument was subsequently employed in the same composer s Elektra as well as An Alpine Symphony though this part frequently calls for notes that are below the range of the heckelphone citation needed Josephslegende and Festliches Praludium It was adopted as part of the large orchestral palette of such works as Edgard Varese s Ameriques 1918 1921 and Arcana 1925 1927 George Gershwin s Rhapsody in Blue 1924 and Carlos Chavez s Sinfonia de Antigona 1933 Aaron Copland s Short Symphony Symphony No 2 1931 33 calls for a player to double on cor anglais and heckelphone but a cor anglais may be used for the entire part if a heckelphone is unavailable The heckelphone was also used by Gordon Jacob in his Variations on Annie Laurie which was performed in the first Hoffnung Music Festival Concert at the Royal Festival Hall London UK in 1956 See Annetta Hoffnung s biography of Gerard Hoffnung and the sleeve notes to the complete Decca recording of the concert in question citation needed The heckelphone is often confused with F Loree s redesigned hautbois baryton which was introduced in 1889 the term bass oboe being widely used to describe both instruments Among English composers of the early 20th century there was some vogue for the use of a bass oboe for example in Gustav Holst s orchestral suite The Planets 1916 as well as in several works of Frederick Delius A Mass of Life 1904 1905 Dance Rhapsody No 1 1908 Arnold Bax s Symphony No 1 1921 and Havergal Brian s Gothic Symphony 1919 1927 and Symphony No 4 Das Siegeslied However it is not in all cases clear which of the two instruments is intended indeed it is possible that sometimes the composers themselves were unclear as to the distinction Strauss however mentions both instruments in his 1904 revision of Hector Berlioz s Grand Traite d instrumentation et d orchestration modernes and like Varese specifies the instrument by name in his orchestral scores so preventing any ambiguity The heckelphone has also been employed in chamber music one of the most notable instances being Hindemith s Trio for Heckelphone Viola and Piano Op 47 1928 Graham Waterhouse wrote Four Epigraphs after Escher Op 35 1993 for the same instrumentation The heckelphone is also featured in the orchestral music of Finnish composer Kalevi Aho It is heard in his operas Insect Life 1985 87 The Book of Secrets 1998 and Before We Are All Drowned 1995 99 in the Symphonies no 6 1979 80 11 1997 98 13 2003 15 2009 10 17 2017 and in his Piano Concerto no 1 1988 89 Contrabassoon Concerto 2004 05 and Oboe Concerto 2007 American composer William P Perry used the heckelphone as part of a double reed quartet in his score for the film The Mysterious Stranger There is a part for heckelphone in the concert band piece Two Sketches From The Orient by composer Cecil Burleigh Op 55 arranged by N Clifford Page published by Oliver Ditson Company 1926 and 1928 Modern use EditThe examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject You may improve this article discuss the issue on the talk page or create a new article as appropriate June 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message For all its potential in adding weight to the lower registers of the woodwind section the heckelphone remains a rarity on the orchestral scene only about 150 heckelphones have been produced of which around 100 are believed to be extant and is seldom carried on the regular roster of professional orchestras Competent players are thus rare The most prominent American heckelphone players now are Mark Perchanok and Andrew Shreeves both of New York City Shreeves plays regularly with the Metropolitan Opera while Perchanok has performed many new and older compositions for the instrument and has recorded with the Paul Winter Consort Other notable American players include Robert Howe of Massachusetts most known for recital work and Arthur Grossman of Seattle Washington The first annual meeting of the North American Heckelphone Society took place on August 6 2001 at the Riverside Church in New York City with six heckelphonists in attendance possibly the first occasion upon which six such instruments had been assembled under one roof Later meetings have included as many as 14 instruments The group met annually in New York through 2006 The centennial of the heckelphone in 2004 5 led to the publication of a number of articles on the instrument in organological journals Among these were two in the German language Rohrblatt by the Cologne player Georg Otto Klapproth a comprehensive review article by Robert Howe and Peter Hurd The Heckelphone at 100 in the 2004 Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society and a two part article by Michael Finkelman in the 2005 issues of The Double Reed A recent development is the Lupophon Lupophone essentially an extended Heckelphone able to play lower notes such as those called for in the Alpine Symphony Selected solo and chamber works EditMielenz Hans Concerto Op 60 for heckelphone and orchestra Ewazen Eric Quintet for Heckelphone and String QuartetDiscography EditRobert Howe Heckelphone Alan Lurie Michael Dulac piano 2005 Centennial Recital for Heckelphone Wilbraham Music Paul Winter Consort 1990 Earth Voices of a Planet Living Music Paul Winter Consort 1995 The Man Who Planted Trees Living Music Paul Winter Consort 2010 Miho Journey To The Mountain Living Music Winter Paul 1994 Prayer for the Wild Things Living Music Grossman and others 2002 Music by Paul Hindemith Centaur Records Arthur Grossman Heckelphone Lisa Bergman piano Arthur Grossman Plays Heckelphone Wilhelm Heckel GmbH Vittorio Piredda Voci in guerra 2018 for heckelphone harp cello and photosongs full citation needed See also EditBassoon Bass oboe Piccolo heckelphone Lupophon List of musical instruments List of woodwind instrumentsReferences Edit Heckelphon Archived from the original on 2014 12 03 Retrieved 2014 12 08 Jurgen Meyer Acoustics and the Performance of Music Manual for Acousticians Audio Engineers Musicians Architects and Musical Instrument Makers Modern Acoustics and Signal Processing pg 73 Springer Publishing 2009 ISBN 0 387 09516 0 Sibyl Marcuse Musical Instruments A Comprehensive Dictionary corrected edition The Norton Library N758 New York W W Norton 1975 239 40 External links EditWilhelm Heckel GmbH Website dedicated to the heckelphone with an extensive repertoire list information on individual instruments and players Heckelphone page at Contrabass Mania site Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Heckelphone amp oldid 1125630871, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
