POMMER: Italian musical instrument

The pommer describes the alto, the tenor, the bass and the contrabass members of the family of shawm that are analogous in function to the contemporary cor anglais, bass oboe, bassoon, and contrabassoon, although the family of bassoon direct ancestor was the dulcian family.

The term ‘pommer’ ascended in Germany, named after artillery. The instrument is powerful and large in tone. The family of shawm was the prototypical consort musical instrument, constructed in 7 sizes from the high soprano to the great bass, and a group of double reed shawm has the ability of manufacturing a grand, full and balanced sound. These musical instruments remained prominent outdoor musical instruments and ceremonial musical instrument up until the improvement of the more sophisticated and expressive oboe family of musical instruments by Philidors and Hotteterres in France in the mid-17th century.

The main difference to the casual observer between the medieval musical instrument and the orchestra that progressed from them would be one of size. In pommer, no attempt had been made to bend the tube and the length, equal to that of the open organ pipe of the same pitch, was outspread in all its unwieldiness in a slanting position in front of the player.

The great contrabass version of the pommer was 9 feet long without the crook and reed that were bent downward. The musical instrument had 5 open finger holes and 5 keys functioning inside a perforated case; in order to bring the holes of the instrument within reach of the player’s fingers, they were cut slantingly through the tube. The other members of the family were the bass pommer.