An aerophor (sometimes spelled aerophore, aerophon, or aerophone) is a device designed to provide an auxiliary breath supply to aid players of

wind instruments A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube) in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at or near the end of the resonator. The pitc ...

in performing extended notes or passages. It was invented in 1912 by Bernard Samuels, a Dutch flautist in the Court Theatre of the Grand Duke of

Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1701, when Frederick William and Adolphus Frederick II divided the Duchy of Mecklenburg between Schwerin and Strelitz. Ruled by the successors of the Nikloting Hous ...

.A Dictionary of Modern Music and Musicians.
United Kingdom, J. M. Dent & sons, Limited, 1924, pg 7.

Design

The device consists of a small, foot-operated bellows that pumps air into the player's mouth via a rubber tube, which is fitted with a one-way valve to prevent the air from the player's lungs from passing into the bellows. The aerophor

mouthpiece Mouthpiece may refer to: * The part of an object which comes near or in contact with one's mouth or nose during use ** Mouthpiece (smoking pipe) or cigarette holder ** Mouthpiece (telephone handset) ** Mouthpiece (woodwind), a component of a woodw ...

(a small metal reed) is mounted adjacent to the instrument mouthpiece such that the player may receive air through the corner of their mouth without disrupting the embouchure. In some models, the bellows contains a water reservoir and electric light bulb to ensure that the supplied air matches the temperature and humidity of the player's breath.

Reception and utilisation

Some composers took advantage of the new invention, writing music that specifically requested the use of an aerophor in performance. Notable examples include

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...

's '' An Alpine Symphony'' and '' Festival Prelude''. However, the use case of the device was limited, and the use of circular breathing technique could allow a musician to accomplish the same goal of playing indefinitely without the need for a special apparatus. Boston Symphony tuba player Paul Mattersteig made use of the device for some time, including that orchestra's December 1914 performance of Wagner's Faust Overture, and Boston's first-chair horn Bruno Jaenicke and principal oboist Georges Longy "experimented with the device with much success.""Don't Need Lungs Now; 'Aerophor' Blows for You." Cleveland (OH) Plain Dealer, 28 March 1915. Despite a generally positive reception by professional wind players at the time, the aerophor never achieved widespread use, and today is regarded as nothing more than a curiosity. Aerophor with Woodwinds

References

Musical instrument parts and accessories {{music-instrument-stub