History of Double Reeds

The Middle Ages and Renaissance Periods were a time of much development both musically and instrumentally. Instrumental playing became steadily more popular and more commonly performed. Among the first instruments being played were double reeds, or shawms, along with other various instruments such as the flute, aulos, harp, and lute. These first double reed instruments became the basis and influenced many of the modern day instruments such as the oboe and bassoon. They are also thought by some to be the forerunners of the modern day clarinet as well. The history of these double reeds have…