Rauschpfeife (shawm with wind cap). An encapsulated double reed instrument with a wide, expanding bore. The reed is enclosed in a wooden cap. Made of rosewood with ivory mounts. The instrument has seven fingerholes and one thumbhole; an earlier, lower thumbhole has been plugged. Two joints: body and bell. Unstamped.
This instrument is related to the shawm, the medieval ancestor of the modern oboe. This example, made by Arnold Dolmetsch, was among the instruments that he built to recreate the sounds of the past. The double reed is enclosed by wind-cap. This is a constant feature in modern examples of the 'rauschpfeife', which is now established among the instruments of the early music revival movement. In the 16th century, 'rauschpfeife' meant a shawm, with or without the wind-cap that made it an easier instrument to play.
