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Spécial « Congrès Acoustics 2012 »
Acoustical and musical properties of the
Deskford carnyx reconstruction
Propriétés acoustiques et musicales d’une reproduction
du carnyx de Deskford
arnyx is the name given by the Romans to a lip-exci-
ted wind instrument widely used by the Celtic inhabitants
of Northern Europe around 2 000 years ago. The most
striking feature of the instrument is the bell section in
the form of a boar’s head. Although images of the carnyx
appear on coins and vessels from the period, no complete
carnyx has survived to the present time. The instrument
described in this paper is a reconstruction based prima-
rily on a fragment discovered at Deskford in the North of
Scotland in 1816, now in the National Museum of Scotland
in Edinburgh.
The reconstruction project was a collaboration between the
musicologist John Purser, the archaeologist Fraser Hunter,
the silversmith John Creed, and the musician John Kenny
[1]. Since only the head had survived, decisions about the
length and bore profile of the main tubing of the instrument
were based largely on evidence from iconography, notably
the depiction of three carnyx players on the Gundestrup
cauldron. The team also sought advice from the Musical
Acoustics Laboratory at the University of Edinburgh, and
input impedance measurements were carried out on a
prototype in 1992 [2]. The final design was completed in
1993. John Kenny found the instrument to offer rich musi-
cal properties, and some years later commissioned John
Creed to produce a second reconstruction with essenti-
ally the same bore profile. The original reconstruction is
now on display in the National Museum of Scotland. The
second reconstruction, which has been extensively played
and recorded by John Kenny, is the subject of the studies
reported here.
Murray Campbell
University of Edinburgh
School of Physics and Astronomy, JCMB
King’s Buildings,
Mayfield Road
EH9 3JZ Edinburgh
UK
E-mail :
John Kenny
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
100 Renfrew Street
G2 3DB Glasgow
UK
E-mail :
Abstract
In 1992 a multidisciplinary team including the musicologist John Purser, the
archaeologist Fraser Hunter, the silversmith John Creed and the musician John Kenny
undertook a reconstruction of the carnyx, a Celtic brass instrument characterised by
a bell in the form of a boar’s head. The reconstruction was based on a fragment of
a carnyx which was discovered in the early nineteenth century buried on farm land
near Deskford in north-east Scotland. Since only the head of the Deskford carnyx
has survived, decisions on the length and bore profile of the tube and the nature and
orientation of the mouthpiece were guided by images of the carnyx on vessels and
coins from the early part of the Christian era, and by acoustical considerations based
on calculations and measurements on a prototype. In 2004 excavations at Tintignac in
Correze,France revealed a collection of bronze tubing including parts of several carnyxes.
The present paper reviews the acoustical and musical behaviour of the Deskford
reconstruction, and reconsiders the decisions taken in 1992 in the light of the new
information from Tintignac and the extensive performing experience of John Kenny over
the last eighteen years.
Résumé
En 1992, une équipe pluridisciplinaire composée du musicologue John Purser, de
l’archéologue Fraser Hunter, de l’orfèvre John Creed et du musicien John Kenny ont
entrepris la reproduction d’un carynx, un instrument à vent celtique caractérisé par une
bouche en forme de hure de sanglier. Cette reproduction est basée sur un fragment
d’un carynx qui a été découvert au début du 19eme siècle enterré dans le champ
d’une ferme près de Deskford au nord est de l’Écosse. Bien que seulement la tête du
carynx ait survécu, les choix de la longueur et du profil de l’alésage du tube ainsi que
ceux portant sur la nature et l’orientation de l’embout buccal ont été effectués à partir
d’images de carynx sur des vaisseaux ou des pièces de monnaie provenant du début de
l’ère chrétienne, et par des considérations acoustiques basées les calculs et les mesures
effectués sur un prototype. En 2004, des fouilles à Tintignac en Corrèze, France ont
révélé une collection de tubes en bronze comprenant des parties de nombreux carynx.
Cet article présente les comportements acoustiques et musicaux de la reproduction, et
reconsidère les choix pris en 1992 à la lumière des nouvelles informations provenant de
Tintignac et de l’immense expérience de John Kenny en matière de spectacle tout au long
des 18 dernières années.
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