Klarinet Archive - Posting 000878.txt from 1995/05

From: Ed Pearlstein <e_p@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Terminology: brass or woo...
Date: Wed, 31 May 1995 19:36:26 -0400

: I thought the distinction between brass and woodwinds had to
: do more with the fact that a brass instrument is a "closed"
: system where all the air input into the instrument comes out
: the bell, whereas a woodwind instrument has holes in the
: tube where air escapes when they are open, thereby changing
: the tone. This would exclude the pipe organ and include
: reedless instruments such as the recorder, which makes
: more sense to me.

Well, it's really a matter of definition, which might differ from
one use to another. But no, I would say that the cornetto, keyed bugle,
and serpent are all "brass", despite the fact that they have holes in
their sides. I think we are all agreed that the material of which the
instrument is made is not what determines what we call it.
As an aside, I remind us that the "woodwind" quintet includes a
horn!