Gemshorn

The gemshorn is an instrument of the ocarina family that was

historically made from the horn of a chamois, goat, or other

suitable animal. The gemshorn receives its name from the

German language, and means a chamois horn.

History
The gemshorn was in use in the 15th century. Examples have been unearthed in Italy, in Hungary and in Germany, including one intact instrument made of clay which dates at least to 1450, as it was found buried beneath the foundation of a house built at that time. . They were primarily a pastoral instrument and were not very well known after the mid-to-late 16th century. With resurgent interest in early music in the 19th and 20th centuries, they have received new attention. Horace Fitzpatrick developed a form of gemshorn which adopted the fingering method of recorders and produced them in consort families, which have proven very popular since the 1960s