Kathleen Schlesinger

“ The shawm or Schalmey had a compass of two octaves, the second diatonic octave being obtained by overblowing each of the notes of the first octave an octave higher; the chromatic semitones were produced by half stopping the holes and by cross-fingering. In some instances the reed mouthpiece was half enclosed in a pirouette, a small case having a slit through which that part of the reed which is taken into the mouth of the player was alone exposed, the edges of the slit thus forming a rest for his lips. ”