Schryari

(from Ger. Schreyerpfeifen: ‘shouting pipes’).

(1) An alternative name for the Schreyerpfeife, used in the 17th century and occurring only in the plural form.

(2) A group of Wind-cap instruments described by Praetorius as similar to his Cornamusa (i); he illustrates three Schryari, which he also calls ‘Schreyerpfeifen’ (see illustration). The tenor (alto) and bass have bodies that taper towards the bottom. The bores may also taper, but this is unclear. Praetorius states that the alto and tenor are identical except that the alto has two closed keys which increase the range upwards. The bass has a key for the lowest soundhole. The compasses are: bass, F–b; tenor, c–d'; alto, c–f'. The soprano Schryari appears to have a bore doubled back within the body of the instrument. Praetorius states that ‘although the soprano is closed at the bottom, it has many holes on the side through which the wind can come out’, some of these being covered ‘with the balls of the hands’ as on the wind-cap Kortholt. He gives only the bottom note of the soprano’s compass, which is g.

Praetorius characterizes the sound of Schryari as ‘loud and fresh’. He must have been describing a rare group of instruments (they are known from no other source), which may explain his evident confusion over both names and descriptions.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

PraetoriusSM, ii

PraetoriusTI

B.R. Boydell: The Crumhorn and Other Renaissance Windcap Instruments (Buren, 1982)

BARRA R. BOYDELL