Bombard (music)

The bombard (Breton: talabard, ar vombard, French: bombarde) is a contemporary conical-bore double-reed instrument widely used to play traditional Breton music. The bombard is a woodwind instrument, and a member of the shawm family. Like most shawms, it has a broad and very powerful sound, vaguely resembling a trumpet. It is played as other shawms are played, with the double reed placed between the lips. The second octave is 'over-blown'; achieved via increased lip and air pressure or through the use of an octave key. It plays a diatonic scale of up to two octaves, although contemporary instruments frequently have added keywork permitting some degree of chromaticism. A bombard player is known as a talabarder after 'talabard', the older Breton name for the bombard.

The tradition: Sonneurs de Couple

Traditional Breton musicians are referred to as Sonerien (in Breton) or Sonneurs (in French). Musicians playing in pairs are also referred to as "sonneurs de couple". While 'Soner' originally referred only to the bombard player, the meaning long ago expanded to also include other traditional musicians. Call-and-response remains a central aspect of Breton music regardless of the instruments used. The paired kan ha diskan vocal tradition, which remains vitally active today, perhaps formed the original basis for all other pairings of Breton musicians. In some parts of Brittany from the late 19th century onwards, the most popular 'sonneurs de couple' were the paired treujenn gaol clarinet and accompanying button accordion.

Bombard (weapon)

The bombard is a cannon or mortar used in medieval times. It was a large caliber, muzzle-loading artillery piece mainly used during sieges to throw stone balls at opponent’s walls. The primary use was to break down the walls of the enemy so the army could get to them. Most bombards were made of iron and used gunpowder to launch the projectile through the air. There are many examples of bombards, including Mons Meg, the Dardanelles Gun, and the handheld bombard. Larger bombards are sometimes included in the family of superguns. They were used throughout the Middle Ages and the early modern period.

The weapon provided the name to the Royal Artillery rank of Bombardier and the word bombardment.

History of bombards

The oldest representation of a bombard can be found in the Chinese town of Ta-tsu. In 1985, Robin Yates was visiting Buddhist cave temples when he saw a sculpture on the wall depicting a demon holding a hand-held bombard. The muzzle seems to have a blast and flames coming from it which some believe is proof of some type of super gun. Yates examined the cave and believed the drawings dated back to the late 12th century.

Bombarde (organ stop)

The modern Bombarde is a powerful chorus reed, most often found in the pedals at 16' and 32' pitch (where it may be called Contra Bombarde or Contrebombarde), or on the manuals at 16'. It is found most often in French organs, along with the French Trompette. It is named after a medieval/renaissance instrument known as the Bombard, which was a term sometimes applied to the larger members of the shawm family.

The Bombarde can be described as the basic 16' reed in France, and has a low fundamental tone with a high amount of upper harmonics in contrast with the Posaune, which has a strong fundamental and lesser partials.

See also