oliphant
Quick Summary
The oliphant is a type of hunter's horn traditionally made from an elephant's tusk. This instrument is prominently mentioned in the medieval epic The Song of Roland and was associated with the military and nobility during the Carolingian era in Western Europe. The word "oliphant" itself derives from Old French terms for elephant and ivory.12
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hornā¦often richly carved, were called oliphants. The oxhorns of medieval huntsmen and watchmen sounded but one or two notes of the natural harmonic seriesāi.e., the notes produced on a horn or trumpet without finger holes or valves, caused by the air column vibrating in fractional segments (as for the fundamentalā¦
Read Moreā¦often richly carved, were called oliphants. The oxhorns of medieval huntsmen and watchmen sounded but one or two notes of the natural harmonic seriesāi.e., the notes produced on a horn or trumpet without finger holes or valves, caused by the air column vibrating in fractional segments (as for the fundamentalā¦
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wind instrumentIn western EuropeThe oliphant, an end-blown horn made from an elephant tusk, is prominently mentioned in the medieval epic The Song of Roland. Later, European armies used shawms (predecessors of the Western oboe) and straight metal trumpets (buisines) to sound military calls and to rally troops in battle,ā¦
Read MoreThe oliphant, an end-blown horn made from an elephant tusk, is prominently mentioned in the medieval epic The Song of Roland. Later, European armies used shawms (predecessors of the Western oboe) and straight metal trumpets (buisines) to sound military calls and to rally troops in battle,ā¦
Read More