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Woodwind Instruments and Their History
Anthony Baines
Anthony Baines's Woodwind Instruments and Their History is the classic single-volume study of the flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and their many relatives—long regarded as the definitive work in English. Baines was a musicologist, bassoonist, and curator of Oxford's Bate Collection of historical wind instruments, and the book reflects that rare double authority of scholar and player. The first part introduces the woodwinds themselves—how they are built, how they sound, the acoustics of reeds and bores—while the second traces their evolution from ancient pipes to the mechanized instruments of the modern orchestra. Generously illustrated with photographs, drawings, musical examples, and fingering charts, it manages to be both a technical reference and a genuinely readable history. First issued in 1957 and revised through 1967, later kept in print by Dover, it remains essential for players, makers, and anyone curious about how these instruments came to be.
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The author
Anthony Baines (1912–1997) was a British musicologist, bassoonist, and conductor who helped found the Galpin Society and served as curator of the Bate Collection of historical wind instruments at Oxford. Few writers on instruments combined his scholarly range with genuine playing experience.
The book
Woodwind Instruments and Their History first appeared in 1957 and reached its third edition in 1967—the text Dover later reprinted. Part one describes the instruments' construction, acoustics, and technique; part two follows their historical development, with particular attention to the mechanization of keywork. Seventy-five illustrations, musical examples, and fingering charts support the text.
How it has aged
It remains the standard English-language reference. Later organology has added detail, but Baines's clarity and authority—and Sir Adrian Boult's admiring introduction—have kept the book in continuous use among players and scholars.
For more context
Pairs with Baines's European and American Musical Instruments and the publications of the Galpin Society he helped create.
Sources
- Type
- Book
- Author / Maker
- Anthony Baines
- Publisher
- Dover
- Year
- 1967
- ISBN
- 0-486-268854
- Format
- Paperback
- Shelf
- Music
- Location
- Maine