Bombard

What it means

The bombard is a double-reed instrument of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance and belongs to the shawm family. Compared with the high treble shawm, it is built larger and lower, with a conical bore and an openly exposed double reed that the player controls with the lips. The sound is powerful, penetrating, and rich in overtones — an instrument for the open air, not for the chamber. The name is also used for a Breton instrument of the same family, which is still alive today in the musical tradition there.

Musical use

In late medieval and early modern town music, the bombard, together with shawms and slide trumpets, formed the loud ensemble that played at processions, dance events, and civic occasions. The contemporary division into soft and loud instruments matters more here than a division by construction: the bombard clearly belonged among the loud ones. In the Renaissance it was superseded by the oboe, which responds more quietly and more finely and whose development in the seventeenth century emerged from this family; the transition was gradual. Today it sounds mainly in early-music ensembles.

Performance practice

Air resistance is high, and the reed demands a stable, well-supported breath; too loose an embouchure makes the tone break. Intonation depends strongly on lip pressure and reed quality, which is why players usually work on their reeds themselves. First practise even long notes in the middle register before tackling the extreme registers. Wet the reed before playing and let it dry afterwards. In an ensemble with other early instruments, settle the choice of pitch beforehand, since historical pitch standards differ from one another. Information on construction types and tunings differs according to source and reproduction.

Keep in mind that instruments of this family were used outdoors and in large forces: indoors they quickly sound too loud, so the size of the ensemble decides the balance, not the manner of playing. Check this when planning the programme. If you come from the modern double-reed instrument, you need time for the different air resistance and should begin with long notes in the middle register. Settle the pitch in the ensemble and let the reeds dry after playing.