The tárogató (also called the töröksíp or Turkish pipe; plural forms include tárogatók, tárogatós, or torogoata) is a woodwind instrument often played in Hungarian folk music. The modern version of the tárogató was created to copy the original instrument, but the two are believed to be very different from each other.

History

The tárogató is mentioned in Hungarian writings from at least the 15th century. It is not clear if the instrument was first brought to Europe by the Hungarians when they moved west from the east in the 9th century. However, it is certain that similar instruments, which came from the Middle Eastern zurna, were introduced to Eastern Europe by the Turks during the Middle Ages. This is shown by the term töröksip, meaning "Turkish pipe," which was used as another name for the tárogató. It is possible that instruments from both the Hungarian and Turkish traditions were combined into one type. Up to about the 18th century, the tárogató was a type of shawm, with a double reed, cone-shaped body, and no keys.

Because the tárogató is very loud and harsh, it was used as a signaling instrument in battle, like a bugle or bagpipe. However, depending on the type of reed used, it can also produce a soft, deep, and mellow sound when played slowly. The instrument was linked to the Rákóczi's War for Independence (1703–1711), so the Habsburg monarchy banned its use in the 18th century. It was later abandoned because it was too loud for concert halls.

In the 1890s, a modern version of the tárogató was created by Vencel József Schunda, a Hungarian instrument maker. This version uses a single reed, like a clarinet or saxophone, and has a cone-shaped body, similar to a saxophone. It is usually made of black grenadilla wood, like a clarinet or oboe. The most common size, the soprano tárogató in B♭, is about 29 inches (74 cm) long and has a sad, mournful sound, similar to a mix of an English horn and a soprano saxophone. Other sizes exist, including a contrabass tárogató in E♭ made by János Stowasser. The modern tárogató looks very different from the older version, and the two should not be confused. Some suggest the name schundaphone would have been more accurate, but tárogató was chosen because of the instrument’s connection to Hungarian history.

The tárogató was a symbol of Hungarian aristocracy and was the favorite woodwind instrument of Governor Miklós Horthy. Production in Hungary stopped after World War II, though some makers in Romania and other countries continued to make it. In the 1990s, Hungarian makers began producing the instrument again.

A modern tárogató may occasionally be heard in Act 3 of Tristan und Isolde by Richard Wagner. Some opera houses, like the Royal Opera House in London, use it instead of the off-stage cor anglais for a specific part of the Shepherd’s air. However, Wagner did not specify this in the score, only suggesting "a specially built simple natural instrument."

In the 1920s, Luță Ioviță, who played the instrument during World War I, brought it to Banat, Romania, where it became popular under the name taragot. In 1928, the British music journal Melody Maker reported that Frank Dyer, a clarinettist in Oxford, used "a taragossa," a term that likely refers to the tárogató.

Dumitru Fărcaș, born in Maramureș, Romania, helped make the tárogató famous worldwide and was considered the most famous player of the instrument. German saxophonist Peter Brötzmann has used the tárogató in free jazz and improvisation. American reed players Charles Lloyd, Scott Robinson, and Michael Marcus have also used the instrument occasionally. Joe Lovano has featured the tárogató in his music, including on his albums Trio Tapestry and Roma. In 2015, Romanian singer Irina Ross released a song called "Taragot," which includes the tárogató in a dance-pop style.