Search

Abstract Covered tightly by a thin leather skin, three early seventeenth-century cornetts from the collection of the Rijksmuseum were examined with the focus on their construction and manufacturing. One cornett of the three unexpectedly turned out to have a peculiar construction and to be made out of two sections of different wood species. The question arose whether this could be original or is the result of an extensive restoration. As the internal structure is not accessible for analysis and examination, multi-scale Computed Tomography (CT) scanning was employed to identify the exact regions of interest (ROI) and subsequently perform scans at a sufficiently high resolution in those areas. 3D images of the hollow spaces such as the tunnelling structure caused by the common furniture beetle (Anobium punctatum) criss-crossing the wood species could be computed from the 3D x-ray tomography reconstruction. This allowed to place the occurrence of the insect infestation after the joining of the two sections. Fine tool-marks, signs of construction and potential indications of earlier treatments could be visualized. These results were compared with the other two instruments of the same group and cross-referenced to instruments in other collections, in an attempt to answer questions about the instrument’s authenticity and originality. While the unusual construction out of two wood species might be the result of an extensive repair, another possible hypothesis—based on the combination of the results—is that this unique choice of original manufacturing was intentional, possibly to avoid splitting of the wood when inserting the mouthpiece or to counteract undesired vibrations when played.

Despite the long-acknowledged and widespread association of wind instrumentalists with English cathedrals in the late 16th and 17th centuries, and the continued performance tradition enjoyed by sacred vocal music of the period, the performance practices of English cathedral wind bands during this time have been strangely neglected in the existing literature. Drawing on a combination of traditional musicological and archival research and bespoke practice-led research methodologies, this article discusses some possible solutions to the question of how wind instrumentalists may have been employed in the day-to-day enactment of Prayer Book services during a turbulent period of English history. New archival evidence surrounding the life of William Mather, cornettist at Canterbury Cathedral in the years before the suspension of sung worship in 1642, sheds new light on the interplay between civic and ecclesiastical music-making in the city, contributing to our knowledge of the historical and social contexts of the people and practices involved, and offering a tantalizing glimpse into life in the 17th-century gig economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covered tightly by a thin leather skin, three early seventeenth-century cornetts from the collection of the Rijksmuseum were examined with the focus on their construction and manufacturing. One cornett of the three unexpectedly turned out to have a peculiar construction and to be made out of two sections of different wood species. The question arose whether this could be original or is the result of an extensive restoration. As the internal structure is not accessible for analysis and examination, multi-scale Computed Tomography (CT) scanning was employed to identify the exact regions of interest (ROI) and subsequently perform scans at a sufficiently high resolution in those areas. 3D images of the hollow spaces such as the tunnelling structure caused by the common furniture beetle (Anobium punctatum) criss-crossing the wood species could be computed from the 3D x-ray tomography reconstruction. This allowed to place the occurrence of the insect infestation after the joining of the two sections. Fine tool-marks, signs of construction and potential indications of earlier treatments could be visualized. These results were compared with the other two instruments of the same group and cross-referenced to instruments in other collections, in an attempt to answer questions about the instrument's authenticity and originality. While the unusual construction out of two wood species might be the result of an extensive repair, another possible hypothesis—based on the combination of the results—is that this unique choice of original manufacturing was intentional, possibly to avoid splitting of the wood when inserting the mouthpiece or to counteract undesired vibrations when played. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Imitate the human voice' is a familiar exhortation to instrumentalists in the pedagogical literature of the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1584 Girolamo Dalla Casa stated that the cornett is the most excellent of all wind instruments precisely on account of its ability to imitate the human voice. But what does it mean to imitate the voice in practical terms? To what extent does the 'vocality' of the cornett extend beyond a simple comparison of tone-quality with that of 'a boy's voice' (Luigi Zenobi, c.1600) or 'a choice eunuch' (Roger North, 1676)? This article explores ways in which different models and understandings of vocality inform the literature and pedagogy of instrumental performance practice in the 16th and early 17th centuries. It also explores ways in which techniques connected with vocal music such as solmization and transposition practices are embodied in the design and construction of historical instruments, which often have significantly different characteristics from the generic 'modern' cornetts more commonly played today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces two independent projects led by Jamie Savan and Ricardo Simian, both of which utilize CAD (computer-aided design) software and the latest in commercially available 3D printing techniques to model historical cornetts, based on original instruments in Christ Church, Oxford and the Sammlung Alter Musikinstrumente, Vienna. Together, these pilot projects have established the viability and efficacy of the technology to render accurate and playable instruments, which can lead to a deeper practical and theoretical understanding of the historical originals on which they are based. Possible future applications and developments of CAD modelling and 3D printing for musical instrument research are identified and discussed, as are the current limitations. Some of the wider philosophical implications of the technology are considered, as are opportunities for musical instrument museums to embrace the technology as a means of engaging with a wider constituency of practitioners and scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Zn layer was electrodeposited on various substrates by using various electrodepositing methods. The layers corrosion behavior in 1% NaCl solution was measured by potentiodynamic method and by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy method. The coatings corrosion resistance is influenced both on the depositing method and on the substrate nature, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The system under study is a bulk Co0.3Zn0.7Fe2O4 ferrite, synthesized by wet chemical route technique and having magnetic in-homogeneity at the microscopic scale, due to the concentration of magnetic ion at a tetrahedral site below the site percolation threshold for the ferrimagnetic ordering. To unravel the magnetic ground state of this system, low temperature neutron diffraction, magnetization and ac-susceptibility measurements were carried out. In the temperature-dependent neutron diffraction analysis, a diffused scattering signal appears at the low Q region below (111) magnetic Bragg peak at all temperature, indicating the presence of a finite magnetic cluster with infinite magnetic network. The diffused scattering signal intensity decreases with increases in magnetic field at T=10K. The ac-susceptibility measurement exhibits three peak behavior in χ′ and χ″ indicating the presence of finite magnetic clusters and cluster–cluster interaction in the system. The absence of magnetic (200) peak in neutron diffraction at 2K and bifurcation of zero field and field cooled magnetization indicate the phase transition from uniaxial random ferromagnetic (URF) phase to semi spin glass or canted random ferromagnetic (CRF) phase in the system with temperature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Secondary precipitation takes place in alloy 7050 during slow quenching after solution and results in a significantly decreased content of Mg, Zn elements. Optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) study showed the distribution of Al3Zr particles plays a vital role in quenching process. The equilibrium η phases mainly precipitate at Al3Zr particles within the recrystallized grains and other high energy areas (primarily grain boundaries). The influence of the processing (homogenization, hot rolling and solution) parameter on the quench sensitivity is also investigated by mechanical property examination (T6 temper). A ramping heat homogenization, controlled hot rolling (67% rolling reduction and 3–5s−1 deformation rate) and two-stage solution treatment result in lesser recrystallization and fewer high angle grain boundaries, and lower the boundary angles within sub-structures. The decreasing number of heterogeneous precipitation sites endows the study alloy with good quenching sensitivity and better mechanical properties. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Bulk Pt/ZnO Schottky rectifiers show gas sensitivities for CO of 4% and 8%, respectively, at 150 °C for 1 and 10% CO in N2. The current or voltage changes are time dependent, with an activation energy of 40.7 kJ?mol-1. Over a limited range of partial pressures of CO (PCO) in the ambient gas, the on-state resistance R of the sensor at fixed bias voltage decreased according to R=(RO+A(PCO)0.5)-1, where A is a constant and RO is the resistance in N2. Since these devices are also sensitive to H2 and C2H4, the ZnO rectifiers appear promising for a range of gas-sensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which editor discusses various articles within the issue on topics including archaeological discovery on 16th-century ceramic horn, relationship between cornett playing and vocal performance and musical activities of Thomas Coke.