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The shawm was developed in Markneukirchen in 1905.
It is also called the Martin trumpet after its inventor, Max. B. Martin.
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Shawms were invented in Markneukirchen in 1905 at the Max B. Martin company on the basis of the so called "Imperial fanfare", which was developed at the same place in 1895. The sound is produced by forcing the metal reeds – the volume cannot be adjusted. In 1920 the first orchestras started practising shawm music, dividing the registers into melody, accompaniment and bass sections.
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The instruments, which basically had no valves, developed into instruments with simple valve units. In 1950 the owners of the company were expropriated under the former system in East Germany and the company was nationalised under the Blechblas- und Signalinstrumentenfabrik Markneukirchen label, but they still continued to produce shawms up to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
The tradition of making shawms in Markneukirchen has continued at our company since 1996. New, improved shawms are being made by skilled craftsmen at our company according to strict quality standards based on tried and tested models.
Our shawms have a particularly light design. This means that players can play the instruments at fairly long concerts without getting tired.
Equipped with Monel valves (Monel is a corrosion-free nickel/silver alloy), these instruments need little maintenance. We place a great deal of importance on the easy production of sound and ideal tuning, one of the main preconditions for the unique, characteristic sound of a shawm.
At least, in 1995 we resumed production of shawms at our workshops in line with the old Saxon tradition. The instruments were improved technically and the ease of playing the instruments satisfies tougher musical requirements.
The unique sound of a shawm is created through the brass reed.
A flow of air is required to cause this brass reed to vibrate and players can produce this easily without having to purse their lips.
The sophisticated valve system feeds the flow of air to each reed.
The 8-toned shawm in various types of pitch is widely used.
It has been possible to bring together whole orchestras of shawms since 1920.
The instruments cover the pitch of a diatonic octave.
These 8-tone instruments are supplemented by accompanying instruments providing 4-tone basses, chords and 4-fold bass or treble accompaniments and bass instruments in tuba or helicon form.
The instruments are made in a horizontal or vertical shape depending on customers’ requirements and are equipped with a round or flat mouthpiece in plexiglass or silver-plated brass.
The 13-tone shawm, used as a solo instrument, enriches the sound, particularly in 8-tone shawm orchestras.
We have been producing the whole range of 16-tone shawms since 2003.
The chromatic pitch range of these instruments opens up even greater musical opportunities.
The shawms are normally supplied with a nickel-plated surface.
Our range of shawms is supplemented by a range of accessories, e.g. tailor-made, well padded bags with a rucksack attachment, spare parts and sets of reeds and we offer repair services.
Special instruments are made to satisfy customer requirements; we carry out repairs and provide spare parts and accessories, like cases, gig bags and lyres.
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Imperial fanfares, football horns or bulb horns are other instruments based on the principle of the shawm.
We make huge efforts in close cooperation with our customers to meet constantly changing musical demands by introducing new developments and quality improvements. |
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