The birch trumpet (
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
*Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
*Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including the ...
: neverlur,
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
: näverlur,
Latvian: tās̆u taure,
Lithuanian: ragas, daudytė,
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
: tuohitorvi,
Estonian
Estonian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe
* Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent
* Estonian language
* Estonian cuisine
* Estonian culture
See also ...
: karjapasun) is a type of
natural trumpet
A natural trumpet is a valveless brass instrument that is able to play the notes of the harmonic series.
History
The natural trumpet was used as a military instrument to facilitate communication (e.g. break camp, retreat, etc.).
Even before th ...
made of
spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...
covered with
birch bark
Birch bark or birchbark is the bark of several Eurasian and North American birch trees of the genus ''Betula''.
The strong and water-resistant cardboard-like bark can be easily cut, bent, and sewn, which has made it a valuable building, crafti ...
, known in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
,
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
,
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
,
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
and
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
. Even cruder and less durable versions were made of plain birch bark. They are associated with the early European
Chalet culture, where it was presumably used to intimidate predators, frighten supernatural enemies, and convene council meetings.
Usually, the neverlur is a natural horn, having no fingerholes or valves. Normally, a player can play 10 tones from the
natural scale on the instrument. In the modern era, the neverlur is primarily a cultural curiosity, used for the occasional fanfare.
In Finland, the birch trumpet, locally known as the ''tuohitorvi'', comes in different varieties. Some instruments are built as natural horns and used for signalling, usually by shepherds, whereas others are built in the style of the
mute cornett
The mute cornett was an important variant of the treble cornett and it was used in compositions by European composers in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. A significant number of mute cornetts have survived and are preserved in various European ...
and have fingerholes for melody playing.
Tolga kulturskole (''culture school'') in Norway regularly teaches playing the neverlur to all interested people living in the
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
.
The oldest recovered näverlur in Sweden dates back to the 10th century, and resembles earlier bronze trumpets.
Contemporary manufacturers
Norway
* Magnar Storbækken at the company Naturinstrumenter in
Tolga
Sweden
* Rune Selén was Sweden's best known näverlur manufacturer. He manufactured more than 11000 näverlurar between 1959 and 2005 when he retired because of dust allergy. He died 28 October 2011.
* Lisa Byers Runberg in
Alunda
Alunda is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality situated in Östhammar Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 2,317 inhabitants in 2010.
References
Populated places in Uppsala County
Populated places in Östhammar Municipality
{{Uppsa ...
. She was taught by Rune Selén. Her husband Per Runberg is a folk musician and
riksspelman
The title of riksspelman (, ''National Spelman'') is a generally recognized badge of mastery for Swedish folk musicians. It is an honor bestowed upon bearers of the silver or gold Zorn Badge, awarded annually by the Zorn Jury, a panel of expe ...
.
* Jan Nordkvist at the company Lurmakaren in
Tällberg
Tällberg () is a small village located in Leksand Municipality, Dalarna County in Sweden. It is situated on the shore of Lake Siljan
Siljan, in Dalarna in central Sweden, is Sweden's seventh largest lake. The cumulative area of Siljan and the ...
Similar and related instruments
* With length up to 4–5 meters are known from the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
(
alphorn
The alphorn or alpenhorn or alpine horn is a labrophone, consisting of a straight several-meter-long wooden natural horn of conical bore, with a wooden cup-shaped mouthpiece. Traditionally the Alphorn was made of one single piece, or two parts ...
),
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretches ...
, and
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...
.
*
Midwinter horn mainly known from the border area between
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
in
Bentheim and
Twente
Twente ( nl, Twente , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Germ ...
. It is only played in the period between
Advent Sunday
Advent Sunday, also called the First Sunday of Advent or First Advent Sunday, among the Western Christian Churches, is the first day of the liturgical year and the start of the season of Advent.
On the First Sunday of Advent, Christians start ligh ...
and
Epiphany
Epiphany may refer to:
* Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight
Religion
* Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ
** Epiphany season, or Epiph ...
*
Büchel (Switzerland)
*
Ligawka (Poland)
*
Karjapasun (Estonia)
*
Trembita
The trembita (from the old Germanic ''trumba'', "to trumpet") is an alpine horn made of wood. It is common among Ukrainian highlanders Hutsuls who live in western Ukraine, eastern Poland, Slovakia, and northern Romania. In Poland it is known as ...
See also
*
Lur
A lur, also lure or lurr, is a long natural blowing horn without finger holes that is played with a brass-type embouchure. Lurs can be straight or curved in various shapes. The purpose of the curves was to make long instruments easier to car ...
References
External links
* Professional musicia
Sissel Morken Gullordhas specialized in playing the natural horn
working with the leading Baroque orchestras in Scandinavia an
playing the (never)lur and the billy goat's horn
(bukkehorn
A bukkehorn (Norwegian) or bockhorn (Swedish), also called ″Billy Goat Horn″ in English, is an ancient Scandinavian musical instrument, made from the horn of a ram or a goat. The horn is usually made from a goat horn harvested 5 to 7 years ...
).
*
Sissel Morken Gullord plays the cattle call "Koma guta liggje"
on a neverlur on a Norwegian seter
Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower vall ...
(shieling
A shieling is a hut or collection of huts on a seasonal pasture high in the hills, once common in wild or sparsely populated places in Scotland. Usually rectangular with a doorway on the south side and few or no windows, they were often cons ...
) (YouTube video)
The Wooden Lurs
part o
The Nordic Lurs
part o
O.J.'s Trumpet Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birch Trumpet
Natural horns and trumpets
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Finnish musical instruments
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no:Neverlur