David Munrow On The Shawm

Saltarello, Italian 14th Century.
David John Munrow 1942 - 1976.
Excerpt from 'Early Musical Instruments', six part series for Granada Television. DVD available from Viking New Media.
Written and Introduced by David Munrow. Early Music Consort of London.

[@samothrace2106]

This guy fucking gets it. Look at him blow by god. No dainty historicism. No self-conscious self-deprecation. Pure jazz full on

[@Strideo1]

The beat drops harder than the fall of Constantinople.

[@fletzyproductions1190]

0:02

[@bobbyggare8364]

I love the energy in this performance!

[@SWOTBWOT]

He's using the glassblowers' breathing technique. You inhale through your nose and exhale out your mouth at the same time by storing air in your cheeks and using the pressure in your cheeks to blow the air out your mouth. It's a technique glass blowers developed to keep a continual stream of air going so their blown glass object doesn't collapse on them midway through the creation of whatever they're trying to make. This technique was something medieval wind and brass musicians used to do. A person can keep a constant stream of air going for several minutes that way.

[@sh1r013]

So I should practice that? I just got a shawm!

[@cactusjuice2557]

this is also called circular breathing, i use it with my oboe sometimes but im really bad at it

[@KeesKist-cu2lv]

It doesn't look like he's using it here..

[@yumyumwhatzohai]

He's not doing that here, but brass and woodwind players still frequently do it, sometimes it's necessary for long phrases in some music

[@greghenrikson952]

I cracked my lip wide open trying to match his beat on the shawm. Your entire face has to be a tuned muscle to play at this level.

[@inregionecaecorum]

I have one of those, bloody noisy which is why I have not played it for years, it is Chinese like the one he is playing there. David Munrow turned me on to early music with his soundtrack to the six wives of Henry VIII back in the 70s, was devastated that he took his own life as he seemed so full of talent. His life was not in vain though as he inspired so many and original performances and historically inspired performances have become a permanent fixture in the musical world now.

[@dorklymorkly3290]

Play it, bro. Noise keeps the bad spirits away.

[@stevenklimecky4918]

Munrow was an incredible genius - and beautiful. Tragic suicide. I cherish every little bit of what left for us - I think his arrangements and performances (including with such groups as the Early Music Consort of London) are among the greatest of Western "Early Music" that we have.

[@lucamassenziopalermo9071]

Not suicide. He was found dead in a WC at the airport of Heathrow.

[@MrPoupard]

@@lucamassenziopalermo9071 you are talking garbage.

[@thomasmead4642]

I agree, I have all the Early Music Consort albums on vinyl.

[@thomasmead4642]

@@lucamassenziopalermo9071 Please explain your insensitive remark.

[@marionetteproject508]

@@lucamassenziopalermo9071 he hanged himself

[@medievalhistory7942]

R.I.P David munrow

[@darktimesatrockymountainhi4046]

The man is a legend

[@johndoyle486]

My soul feels fresh and renewed after hearing that. God bless you, David, you magnificent genius,

[@martynsmith8254]

I have just read this man's autobiography on Wikipedia. What an utterly tragic way for a talented life to end. We should have been taking depression seriously far earlier than we have been

[@johnbuggy9121]

Depression wasn't taken seriously back then?

[@TheKarret]

@@johnbuggy9121 In the 70s? Nah, probably not. PTSD wasn't even recognized until 1978; and during the World Wars, the term "shell shock" existed, but the British Army executed like 300+ of the soldiers experiencing "prolonged shell shock" for essentially not having heroic qualities they wanted their soldiers to have.... if this is how they were treating PTSD from war, no doubt they weren't taking depression seriously.

[@VoicesofMusic]

Remembering hearing this 50 years ago.....

[@Rustymouse]

He enveloped the music time gone bye... what a master.

[@filippozaccaria6944]

This is so cool, it makes me want to dance

[@farah.a2134]

This is what we do at egyptain wedding! 🔥🔥

[@leonelbat]

This is music

[@bamdadbaz]

David Munrow, what a clever man!

[@borderbioscope1180]

Saltarello, a musical dance, originally from Italy.

[@milleribsenalbeefan]

Dumb question What material is that shawm made from? Clearly it isn't wood.. brass? Some sort of metal?

[@ZoeR.]

​@@milleribsenalbeefanit's a combination of wood and brass. The instrument is a suona, a Chinese shawm. Medieval shawms were hard to come by in the 70s so the suona was substituted as used here.

[@JessHull]

his eyes look like they're about to rupture out of his head.

[@t.d.e.bachmann1804]

Excellent

[@dmitryponsov2870]

Amazing! Just 504 "likes", so sad! Not popstars...

[@stephielulu9096]

Bloody Nora I'd have another brain haemorrhage playing that thing! It's bad enough playing the trumpet and clarinet

[@fletzyproductions1190]

0:02

[@StankNuts1234]

Looks and sounds more like a bombarde than a shawm

[@greghenrikson952]

It's not exactly medieval, but it's as close as they could get back then. Now, thanks in part to Monrow, you can buy the things off etsy.

[@ZoeR.]

The bombarde is actually a shawm tuned in sopranino. Also, the shawm here was a Chinese suona. Medieval shawms were hard to come by during the 70s so they substituted it with the suona

[@richardgordon8110]

wheres my portative organ???

[@PaisleyPatchouli]

Didja see where his tongue poked right out the bell of the shawm at about 1:47? ;)

[@internetomatic]

bruh, this is that song from Time Bandits. whaaat

[@elsonidodelronco]

what is this song? what it the name?

[@weltgeist2604]

Saltarello

[@Whiteshirtloosetie]

Saltarello -Trotto II-Instanpitta

[@elsonidodelronco]

@@Whiteshirtloosetie thank you very much!!! 👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻

[@Whiteshirtloosetie]

@@elsonidodelronco It is a pleasure. Have to say like you really like this tune.

[@slowlyshoy2930]

suona

[@antibob72]

what vegetable did you carve up to make this instrument