The Lupophon (or lupophone) is an extremely rare
woodwind
Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and re ...
instrument in the
oboe family that plays in a lower pitch than standard, and was developed by
Guntram Wolf
Guntram Wolf (25 March 1935, Kronach – 4 February 2013, Kronach) was a maker of modern and historical woodwind instruments in Kronach, Germany.
His productions
He specialized in the modern Heckel (German) system bassoon and was one of the bett ...
of
Kronach
Kronach ( East Franconian: ''Gronich'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, located in the Frankenwald area. It is the capital of the district Kronach.
Kronach is the birthplace of Lucas Cranach the Elder and Maximilian von Welsch, as well ...
and
Benedikt Eppelsheim
Benedikt Eppelsheim is a German instrument maker of extreme high- and low-voiced woodwind instruments. He is the inventor and exclusive manufacturer of the '' soprillo'', a piccolo saxophone an octave above the B♭ soprano saxophone, as well as ...
of
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
, Germany, manufactured by Guntram Wolf. The instrument takes its name after the Italian translation of the inventor's surname (''lupo'' standing for ''wolf''), as the
sarrusophone
The sarrusophones are a family of metal double reed conical bore woodwind instruments patented and first manufactured by Pierre-Louis Gautrot in 1856. Gautrot named the sarrusophone after French bandmaster Pierre-Auguste Sarrus (1813–1876), ...
, the
saxhorn
The saxhorn is a family of valved brass instruments that have conical bores and deep cup-shaped mouthpieces. The saxhorn family was developed by Adolphe Sax, who is also known for creating the saxophone family. The sound of the saxhorn has a ...
, the
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
, the
heckelphone
The heckelphone (german: Heckelphon) is a musical instrument invented by Wilhelm Heckel and his sons. The idea to create the instrument was initiated by Richard Wagner, who suggested it at the occasion of a visit of Wilhelm Heckel in 1879. In ...
, and the
rothphone
The rothphone (german: Rothphon, it, ròthfono; also rothophone, rothaphone, or saxsarrusophone) is a metal double reed conical bore wind instrument similar to the sarrusophone, but built with a saxophone shape.
History
The rothphone was invent ...
are named after their inventors. It is in effect a modified
heckelphone
The heckelphone (german: Heckelphon) is a musical instrument invented by Wilhelm Heckel and his sons. The idea to create the instrument was initiated by Richard Wagner, who suggested it at the occasion of a visit of Wilhelm Heckel in 1879. In ...
, with a slightly smaller bore and range down to low F. The lower portion of the instrument is folded back on itself in order to manage the considerable length of the tube, somewhat in the manner of a saxophone. The addition of the four lowest semitones allows it to cover the full intended range of the heckelphone part of
Richard Strauss' ''
Eine Alpensinfonie
''An Alpine Symphony'' (''Eine Alpensinfonie''), Op. 64, is a tone poem for large orchestra written by German composer Richard Strauss in 1915. It is one of Strauss's largest non-operatic works; the score calls for about 125 players and a t ...
'', which descends beyond that instrument's lowest note.
The first chamber composition featuring the instrument in a solo capacity, ''PLP'' for lupophone and two pianos by
Samuel Andreyev
Samuel Andreyev (born Samuel Curnoe Andreeff; 15 April 1981) is a Canadian composer, singer-songwriter, poet and educator who has resided in France since 2003. As of 2021, he had completed about 30 works, nearly all of which have been recorded co ...
, was premiered by Martin Bliggenstorfer in Amsterdam on 15 March 2011.
References
{{reflist
Single oboes with conical bore