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interpretation of the music into sound. Mouthpieces, therefore, serve as a means of classifying wind instruments. They fall into the following divisions: I. The See also:

SYRINX (ovpryE)

syrinx or See also:

pan-pipe mouthpiece consists merely of the open end of the tube across (not into) which the player directs his breath in a current which impinges obliquely against the sharp edge of the pipe, producing the series of shocks or pulses required in the air stream from his lips; this in turn, when in a See also:

state of vibration, serves to generate the sound-waves within the pipe. This principle was embodied in the See also:

NAY, or NEY

nay, or See also:

long oblique See also:

FLUTE

flute of the See also:

ancient Egyptians, which was probably the first mouthpiece discovered and put into See also:

PRACTICAL

practical use by prehistoric See also:

man. A modification of this principle has been applied to the transverse flute (q.v.), in which the air stream or exciting current is directed across a lateral hole in the See also:

head See also:

JOINT (through Fr. from Lat. junctum, jungere, to join)

joint of the instrument. 2. The See also:

WHISTLE

whistle mouthpiece is based on that of the flute with this modification, that the air current, instead of being compressed by the lips of the performer and then directed through See also:

AMBIENT (from Lat. ambi, on both sides, and ire, to go)

ambient air to break against the sharp edge of the lateral hole, is compressed mechanically in passing through a narrow channelso constructed within the mouthpiece that the stream of air impinges with force against the sharp edge of a lip cut into the pipe below the channel.

The principle of the whistle mouth-piece has been applied with slight modifications to a variety of instruments such as the See also:

recorder (q.v.) See also:

FAMILY

family in See also:

England (Fr. flute d bec, flute See also:

DOUCE, FRANCIS (1757-1834)

douce, flute anglaise; Ger. Schnabelflole, Plockflote; Ital. flauto See also:

DOLCE, LUDOVICO, or LUIGI (15o8–i568 or 1569)

dolce, in which the channel assumes the form of a See also:

BEAK (early forms beke and becke, from Fr. bec, late Lat. beccus, supposed to be a Gaulish word; the Celtic bec and beq, however, are taken from the English)

beak, the See also:

FLAGEOLET

flageolet (q.v.), the See also:

penny whistle, &c. All these whistle or fipple pipes have at all times enjoyed great popularity owing to the ease with which they can be played). The flute or flue-See also:

WORK

work of an organ is the result of the See also:

ADAPTATION (from Lat. adaptare. to fit to)

adaptation of the same principle to both open and stopped pipes (fig. 1). Compressed air is fed in at an even pressure through the See also:

FOOT

foot AB, and passing through the slit or channel EC, impinges with force against the lip D, producing the requisite series of pulsations in the pipe FF. By this elimination of the human See also:

ELEMENT (Lat. elementum)

element in the organ, all possibility of communicating the emotion of the performer becomes impossible. With a rigid mouthpiece any increase in wind pressure would affect the pitch, causing the See also:

note to become unsteady or to jump to the harmonics; the result could in no See also:

case be a crescendo. 3. Reed Mouthpieces.—There are three kinds of reed mouthpieces: the See also:

double, the single or beating, and the See also:

FREE

free reed. The See also:

FUNCTION

function of the reed, a See also:

TERM

term originally applied to part of a stalk of the Arundo donax or saliva, but now extended to any vibrating See also:

TONGUE (O. Eng. lunge)

tongue of See also:

wood or See also:

metal, is to break up an exciting current of air, otherwise flowing in an uninterrupted even stream, into regular beats or pulses, corresponding with the beats or vibrations of the reed. Reeds proper or wooden vibrators, being flexible, are compelled to vibrate synchronously with the column of air within the tube and to accommodate their frequency of vibration to the length of the tube as it varies according A to the lateral holes which remain open?

From V. Mahillon, Elements d'acnu- A. The double reed is the most See also:

PRIMITIVE

primitive and stique,by permission probably the See also:

OLDEST

oldest of the reed mouthpieces; it of C. Mahillon. was used by the ancient Egyptians.3 A See also:

STRAW

straw FIG. 1.-See also:

DIAGRAM

Diagram flattened at one end and inserted into a pipe of a flue-pipe. having at the mouthpiece end the same See also:

DIAMETER (from the Cr. &a, through, µErpov, measure)

diameter as the straw contains all the rudimentary features of the double-reed mouthpiece See also:

COMMON

common to the members of the See also:

OBOE, or HAUTBOY (Fr. hautbois, Ger. Hoboe, Ital. oboe)

oboe family, i.e. See also:

cor anglais, See also:

bassoon, contra-fagotto, to the sarrusophone, and to the chaunter of the bagpipe. The earliest See also:

Greek autos (q.v.) was probably played by means of a double reed, since the mouthpiece was known as 1'euyor, signifying a pair of like things. The oboe reed (fig. 2) is made from two pieces of reed stalk, flattened and thinned at the end and See also:

BOUND, or BOUNDARY (from O. Fr. bonde, Med. Lat. bodena or butina, a frontier line)

bound together with waxed See also:

THREAD (0. Eng. praed, literally, that which is twisted, prawan, to twist, to throw, cf. " throwster," a silk-winder, Ger. drehen, to twist, turn, Du. draad, Ger. Draht, thread, wire)

thread, thus forming a tube with a constriction in the See also:

MIDDLE

middle, above which the See also:

section is See also:

OVAL (Lat. ovum, egg)

oval and below circular. A double-reed mouthpiece may be enclosed in an air-chamber or See also:

RESERVOIR

reservoir, as in the 16th-See also:

CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century See also:

CROMORNE

cromorne (q.v.), in the chaunter of the bagpipe (q.v.), in the reeds of organ-pipes and in certain instruments popular in See also:

France during the 17th century known as " hautbois de See also:

POITOU

Poitou." In all of these the air-chamber is supplied with compressed air by the mouth of the performer, whose lips do not come into contact with the reed, a method which makes the production of harmonics impossible, and thus restricts the natural scale. As soon as the practice of over-blowing, i.e. the production of harmonics by increased pressure of breath accompanied by a proportional tension of the lips, became known, the air-chamber 1 See Rev. F. W.

Galpin, " The Whistles and Reed Instruments of the See also:

AMERICAN

American See also:

INDIANS, NORTH AMERICAN

Indians of the See also:

North-See also:

West See also:

COAST (from Lat. costa, a rib, side)

Coast," Proc. Musical Assoc. (1903-1904), p. 115, with illustrations. 2 See See also:

Victor Mahillon, Elements d'acoustique musicale (See also:

Paris, 1873), pp. 167 and 83. 3 A case excavated in See also:

EGYPT

Egypt was found to contain two pipes, and in addition five pieces of reed without bore or holes, and three pieces of straw suitable for making double-reed mouthpieces. See Victor Loret, " See also:

Les Flfltes egyptiennes antiques," See also:

Journal asiatique (Paris, 1889), [8], xiv. pp. 119, 200, 201 (note), 207, 211 and 217. of the oboe was discarded and the reed taken directly into the mouth. It is certain that the ancient Greeks obtained the full See also:

COMPASS (Fr. corn pas, ultimately from Lat. cum, with, and passus, step)

compass of the See also:

AULOS (Gr. abXos; Lat. tibia; Egyptian hieroglyphic, Ma-it ; medieval equivalents, shalm, chalumeau, schalmei, hautbois)

aulos by overblowing, since the See also:

PROCESS

process by which a See also:

MODERN

modern performer on the oboe or See also:

clarinet obtains the harmonics is described by See also:

Aristotle 1 and others.' The vibrating length of the reed is controlled by taking the latter more or less deeply into the mouth and by varying the pressure of the lips upon it; the shorter the free end the higher the pitch of the note or harmonic obtained. The See also:

ACTION

action of the lips on the reed is imitated to some extent in reed organ-pipes by means of a tuning-See also:

WIRE (A.S. wir, a wire; cf. Swed. vire, to twist, M.H.G. wiere, a gold ornament, Lat. viriae, armlets, ultimately from the root wi, to twist, bind)

wire, with the difference that, the lips being See also:

MOBILE

mobile, different notes can be obtained from the same pipe, whereas in the organ each reed is adapted to its own pipe and gives one note only.

B. The beating- or single-reed mouthpiece, also known as the clarinet mouthpiece, is likewise of great antiquity; the principle is the same as that of the modern See also:

EGYPTIAN

Egyptian See also:

ARGHOUL, ARGHOOL, or ARGHUL (in the Egyptian hieroglyphs,As or As-IT)

arghoul (q.v.), which has been traced once at least in the See also:

HIEROGLYPHICS (Gr. iepos, sacred, and'yXv ni, carving)

hieroglyphics and in a"See also:

FRESCO (Ital. for cool, " fresh ")

fresco from the tombs at Saqqara.3 The mouthpiece of the arghoul is the primitive form of beating-reed known popularly in rural dis- tricts as a " squeaker." A lateral slit is made in a piece of reed and a little tongue is detached by slitting the reed back from the slit towards double-reed See also:

close and open the See also:

APERTURE (from Lat. aperire, to open)

aperture at regular intervals, mouthpiece. and the exciting See also:

AGENT (from Lat. agere, to act)

agent here acts by means of a series of concussions. The metal vibrator known as the beating-reed of organ reed-pipes is similarly constructed, except that the tongue is a See also:

SEPARATE

separate piece of metal fixed by means of nuts over an aperture, the vibrating length'being regulated by means of a tuning-wire (see FREE REED VIBRATOR). The clarinet mouthpiece (fig. 3) has the See also:

APPEARANCE (from Lat. apparere, to appear)

appearance of a beak with the point bevelled and thinned at the edge to correspond with the end of the reed, shaped like a spatula. The underpart of the mouth-piece is flattened in order to form a table for the support of the reed, which is adjusted thereon with great nicety by means of a ligature or metal See also:

BAND

band fastened by screws. A See also:

LONGITUDINAL

longitudinal aperture I in. long and z in. wide, communicating with the bore, is cut in the table and covered by the reed, so that the only opening is at the point, where for the distance of 3 to 4 in. the reed is thinned and the table curves backwards, leaving a See also:

gap of about I mm. between itself and the reed-tongue (for the Bb clarinet). The See also:

CURVE (Lat. curvus, bent)

curve of the table and the dimensions of the gap are therefore of considerable importance. The reed is set in vibration by the breath of the performer, and being flexible it beats against the table, alternately opening and closing the gap, and producing, as already mentioned above, a series of concussions in See also:

HARMONY (Gr. dpµovia, a concord of musical sounds, dpA'ew to join; &plan midi (sc. TeXvil)

harmony with the vibrations of the air-column within the tube, according to the length determined by the opening of the lateral holes and keys. C. The free-reed, illustrated under FREE REED VIBRATOR, is similar in construction to the beating-reed, but the metal vibrator is cut slightly smaller than the aperture, through which it passes freely, alternately opening and closing it without concussion and with See also:

COMPLETE

complete See also:

ELASTICITY

elasticity. The See also:

main difference in practice between these two outwardly similar reeds is a very important one.

The reed being free remains uncontrolled, and increased pressure of wind therefore produces not an harmonic overtone but a crescendo. The principal use of the free-reed is in the See also:

HARMONIUM (Fr. harmonium, orgue expressif; Ger. Physharmonika, Harmonium)

harmonium (q.v.) and in the reed-work of See also:

ORGANS

organs on the See also:

CONTINENT (from Lat. continere, "to hold together "; hence " connected," " continuous ")

continent of See also:

EUROPE

Europe. In See also:

ENGLISH

English organs the beating-reed is almost universal. The free-reed is further used in the See also:

CHINESE, JAPANESE AND

Chinese See also:

CHENG

cheng (q.v.), through which it became known in Europe in the 18th century, and in the See also:

ACCORDION (Fr. accordeon; Ger. Handharmonica, Ziehharmonica)

accordion, See also:

CONCERTINA, or MELODION (Fr. concertina, Ger. Ziehharmonica or Bandoneon)

concertina and mouth-organ, under which headings its acoustic properties are more fully discussed. 4. See also:

CUP (in O.E. cuppe; generally taken to be from Late Lat. cuppa, a variant of Lat. cupa, a cask, cf. Gr. KuaeXXov)

Cup-Mouthpieces.—See also:

Brass wind instruments are played by means of cup or See also:

FUNNEL (through an O. Fr. founil, found in Breton, from Lat. infundibulum, that through which anything is poured, from fundere, to pour)

funnel-shaped mouthpieces, generally made of 1 See De audih. p. 8o4a. 2 Porphyrius (ed. See also:

WALLIS, JOHN (1616-1703)

Wallis), pp. 249 and 252. See Victor Loret, L'Egypte au temps See also:

des Pharaons (Paris, 1889), illustrated on pp. 139 and 143.

The author gives no See also:

INFORMATION (from Lat. informare, to give shape or form to, to represent, describe)

information as to this fresco except that it is in the Musee See also:

GUIMET, JEAN BAPTISTE

Guimet; it is probably identical with the second of the mural paintings described on p. 190 of the See also:

PETIT, SIR DINSHAW MANECKJI, BART

Petit See also:

GUIDE (in Mid. Eng. gyde, from the Fr. guide; the earlier French form was guie, English " guy," the d was due to the Italian form guida; the ultimate origin is probably Teutonic, the word being connected with the base seen in O. Eng. witan, to know)

guide illustre du Musee Guimet (Paris, 1890).See also:

SILVER

silver. The principal feature of the cup is the shape of the aperture in the bottom, where it communicates with the bore of the tube (known as the " See also:

GRAIN (derived through the French from Lat. granum, seed, from an Aryan root meaning " to wear down," which also appears in the common Teutonic word " corn ")

grain" or " See also:

THROAT (O. Eng. protu, prote or }Prota, possibly from preotan, to press, whence threat, or, with loss of initial s, connected with strut, to swell)

throat "), and its distance from the rim. The shallower the cup the more suitable it is for producing the higher harmonics. The lips of the per-former See also:

REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest lightly but firmly against the rim of the mouth-piece, vibrating like double reeds from the force of the breath and communicating these vibrations in the form of pulses to the breath as it issues from them in a stream. This stream or exciting current passes into the cup ready to generate sound waves in the air column contained within the main tube. If, as in the See also:

trumpet and in a lesser degree in the See also:

TROMBONE (Fr. trombone, Ger. Posaune, Ital. trombono)

trombone, the curve of the bottom of the cup terminates at the hole in an abrupt See also:

ANGLE (from the Lat. angulus, a corner, a diminutive, of which the primitive form, angus, does not occur in Latin; cognate are the Lat. angere, to compress into a bend or to strangle, and the Gr. ayKOS, a bend; both connected with the Aryan root ank-, to

angle, the quality of the tone See also:

DEVELOPED

developed is brilliant and blaring, being broken up by the sharp edge of the throat. In the See also:

horn, which has a funnel-shaped mouthpiece, the timbre is in complete contrast when the instrument is properly played,' being elastic, sonorous and very mellow, qualities which may be attributed to the See also:

ABSENCE (Lat. absentia)

absence of angle or bottom to the cup, the sides gradually sloping and converging insensibly into the bore of the tube. (K.

End of Article: MOUTHPIECE (Fr. embouchure; Ger. Mundstuck; Ital. bocchino)

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