Midwinter horn

The midwinter horn is a member of the brass (Hornbostel–Sachs 423.121.21). Learn how it makes its sound and explore related instruments.

How the midwinter horn makes its sound

In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the midwinter horn belongs to the brass (lip-vibrated aerophones): the player's buzzing lips set the air column vibrating – trumpets, horns, trombones, tubas and the didgeridoo.

More broadly it is one of the aerophones (wind instruments), where sound comes from vibrating air.

Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.

From Wikipedia

The midwinter horn, in Dutch midwinterhoorn and in various dialects of Low German Middewinterhorn, Mittewinterhorn, Mirrewinterhorn, Midwinterhorn and Mittwinterhorn, also known as the dewertshorn and adventshorn (Advent horn), is a wooden natural trumpet traditionally blown at the Christmas season in areas of the Netherlands and nearby parts of North Germany.