The shawm ( / ʃ ɔː m / ) is a cone-shaped, double-reed woodwind instrument made in Europe from the 12th or 13th century to the present. It was most popular during the medieval and Renaissance periods, but later became less common as the oboe family of instruments took its place in classical music. The shawm likely arrived in Western Europe from the Eastern Mediterranean during the Crusades. Double-reed instruments similar to the shawm were already used in Southern Europe and the East, such as the ancient Greek and Byzantine aulos, the sorna and zurna, and the Armenian duduk.

The shawm’s body is usually carved from a single piece of wood and ends with a flared bell, similar to a trumpet. Starting in the 16th century, shawms were made in various sizes, from very small sopranino to large great bass. Groups of shawms could play music with four or five parts together. Most shawms (except the smallest) have at least one key that allows the instrument to play lower notes. These keys are often covered by a wooden cover with holes, called the fontanelle.

The double reed, made from Arundo donax cane (the same type used for oboes and bassoons), is inserted into a socket at the top of the instrument or, in larger shawms, into a metal tube called the bocal. A small wooden piece called the pirouette, shaped like a thimble, surrounds the lower part of the reed. This helps support the player’s lips and mouth position.

Because only a short part of the reed extends beyond the pirouette, the player has limited contact with the reed and less control over the instrument’s volume. The shawm’s cone-shaped tube and flared bell, along with the way it is played using the pirouette, create a loud, trumpet-like sound. This makes the shawm well-suited for outdoor performances.

Etymology

The name first appears in English writings from the 14th century. At first, there were three main forms of the name: (1) schallemele (also spelled shamulle or shamble), (2) s(c)halmys (also spelled shalemeyes or chalemyes, all plural forms in Middle English), and (3) sc(h)almuse (or schalmesse). These forms came from similar words in Old French: chalemel, chalemie, and chalemeaux (the plural of chalemel). These French words, in turn, came from the Latin word calamus, meaning "reed," or its smaller Latin form, calamellus. The Latin word calamus itself came from the Ancient Greek word kálamos, which also meant "reed" or "cane."

A similar-sounding instrument called the chalumeau also shares this same origin. Early plural forms of the name were sometimes confused with singular forms, leading to the creation of new plural forms. By the 15th and 16th centuries, the name was shortened to one syllable in forms like schalme, shaume, shawme, and finally shawm in the 16th century. This change likely happened because people mixed up plural and singular forms.

In German, the shawm is called Schalmei. Larger versions of the instrument are sometimes called Bombard (a name also used in English during the 14th century). Over time, this name became Bombhardt and later Pommer by the 17th century. Many traditional shawms in Europe have similar names. In Spain, they are called dulzaina (sometimes chirimía), xirimia, dolçaina, gralla, or gaita in Navarre. In Portugal, the instrument is called charamela, and in Italy, it is called ciaramella (or cialamello, cennamella).

It is also possible that the name comes from the Arabic word salamiya (سلامية), a type of oboe from Egypt. European shawms may have developed from similar instruments brought to Europe during the Crusades. The Arabic name salamiya is related to other names for the instrument in different cultures: zamr in Arabic, zūrnā in Turkish, surnāy in Persian, suona in Chinese, saruni in Javanese, and sahanai or sanayi in Hindu traditions.

Use

By the early 16th century, the sharp sound of the medieval shawm changed because the instrument’s body became narrower and its fingerholes smaller. This change allowed the shawm to play notes in a higher range, including the second octave. Larger shawms were also made, such as the great bass in B♭, which was two octaves and a major third lower than the soprano in D. However, these larger shawms were difficult to handle, so they were rarely used.

Smaller shawms, like the soprano, alto, and sometimes the tenor, were often played with the Renaissance trombone or sackbut. This combination created a powerful sound that city leaders wanted for public events. The shawm became a common instrument in town bands, or waits, which announced the start of official events and signaled important times of day. Because of its connection to these groups, the shawm was also called the wait-pipe.

Before a still shawm was found on the wreck of the Mary Rose, historians were confused by old references to "still shawms" or "soft" shawms, which were said to have a gentler sound than earlier versions. These instruments disappeared by the 16th century, and the Mary Rose shawm is the only surviving example. A copy of this instrument has been made and played. When paired with a pipe and tabor, it provides a strong bass sound that would have been ideal for music during ship dances.

The shawm was mostly used outdoors because its loud sound was better suited for open spaces. For quieter indoor music, other instruments like the crumhorn and cornamuse were preferred. These instruments had a special cover that enclosed the reed, making the sound softer but still unable to change in volume.

Known as the chirimia in Spanish, the shawm is still used today by the Maya people in Highland Guatemala. It is played with a drum during processions and in traditional dances, such as the Dance of the Conquest (Baile de la Conquista).

Progeny of the shawm

A tenor shawm in the key of C, with one key and no lower extension to G, had a range of a perfect twelfth. Michael Praetorius, in his book Syntagma Musicum II (1619), pages 23 and 36, called this instrument a nicolo, but he did not draw a picture of it. However, in Theatrum instrumentorum (1620), a supplementary volume of illustrations, Praetorius showed a bassett:nicolo alongside crumhorns. This instrument looked like a capped shawm with four keys but had a mostly cylindrical hollow tube inside. The bassett:nicolo could play down to the A below great C and was over four feet long. A shawm with the same range, which has a conical shape, would need more than nine feet of pipe.

The shawm influenced the development of the 17th-century hautbois, an instrument created by the French musician Martin Hotteterre (died 1712). He designed a new instrument that borrowed features from the shawm, such as its double reed and conical shape, but differed in important ways. One major difference was that the player placed their lips directly on the reed, without a separate piece called a pirouette. By about 1670, the hautbois began to replace the shawm in military bands, concerts, and operas. By 1700, the shawm was rarely used in concerts, though it remained in German town bands until at least 1830. Meanwhile, Germans and Dutch continued making an ornate version of the shawm called the deutsche Schalmey long after the hautbois was introduced. Some deutsche Schalmey instruments still exist in European collections, but their exact musical use is unclear.

In the 16th century, musicians made shawms in many sizes. However, the largest shawms were too long and unwieldy to be practical. To solve this, builders "folded" the hollow tube inside the instrument, creating a shorter, more manageable version. This instrument was called a dulcian in many places, curtal in England, fagott or fagotto in Germany and Italy, and bajón in Spain. Like the first oboes, the dulcian used direct lip-to-reed contact, giving players greater control over the sound. This made the dulcian very popular, serving as a bass instrument for other shawms and for ensembles that did not include shawms. Its ability to play softly also helped it gain popularity. The dulcian was the ancestor of the bassoon, which was invented during the Baroque period, like the oboe.

The charumera (チャルメラ) or charumeru (チャルメル) is a double-reed instrument used in traditional Japanese music. It may have been introduced to Japan by Portuguese Christian missionaries or Iberian traders in the 16th century. The charumera is sometimes played in kabuki theater performances and is also linked to street vendors who sell ramen (noodles). These vendors used the charumera to play a unique melody to attract customers.

Modern performances

• Music from the Middle Ages and Renaissance—David Munrow and The Early Music Consort of London
• City of Lincoln Waites (The Mayor of Lincoln's own Band of Musick)
• Many recordings by Blackmore's Night and Piffaro, The Renaissance Band feature shawms