Sordun
A Renaissance double-reed instrument with a repeatedly folded bore.
What it means
The sordun (also sordone) is a Renaissance double-reed instrument whose bore is turned back several times inside a compact wooden body. This gives the instrument a great tube length, and so a low range, in a handy size.
The name points to the Italian “sordo” (“muted”) and suggests the soft, quiet, somewhat veiled sound.
Musical use
The sordun is among the wind instruments played in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries in ensembles with instruments of the same family in different sizes. It served mainly as a bass instrument.
More precise details on construction, range, and playing technique differ in the literature; since only a few original instruments survive, modern copies are partly based on reconstruction.
The sordun should be distinguished from the dulcian, the forerunner of the bassoon, whose bore is likewise folded, and from the crumhorn and the shawm, which represent other construction types of double-reed instruments.
Performance practice
Since the sordun is a quiet instrument, play in ensembles with other soft instruments and watch the balance. Listen to recordings of historical ensembles to understand its sound and role in the consort.