The Acme siren is a
musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...
used in
concert band
A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...
s for comic effect. Often used in cartoons, it produces the stylized sound of a police
siren. It is one of the few
aerophones in the
percussion section of an
orchestra.
The instrument is typically made of metal and is cylindrical. Inside the cylinder is a type of fan-blade which, when the performer blows through one end, spins and creates the sound. The faster the performer blows, the faster the fan-blade moves and the higher the
pitch the instrument creates. Conversely, the slower the performer blows, the lower the pitch.
Iannis Xenakis used it in the 1960s in his works ''Oresteia'', ''Terretektorh'', and ''
Persephassa
In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Persephone ( ; gr, Περσεφόνη, Persephónē), also called Kore or Cora ( ; gr, Κόρη, Kórē, the maiden), is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the underworld after ...
''.
A siren was used in
Bob Dylan's classic album, ''
Highway 61 Revisited''.
Acme is the trade name of
J Hudson & Co of
Birmingham, England, who developed and patented the Acme siren in 1895. It was sometimes known as "the cyclist's road clearer".
See also
*
Acme Corporation
References
External links
Archive.org: MP3 audioof an Acme Siren, on Hudson's website
Blown percussion instruments
Orchestral percussion
Unpitched percussion instruments
19th-century percussion instruments
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