About the instruments

The cornu or cornum (from latin cornū, cornum usually translated as cornos, later recovered as tuba curva) was a copper instrument similar to the buccina, and used by the Roman army in ancient times, mainly to communicate commands to the troops in battle. The name cornu is a Latin word that means literally horn. The instruments was approximately 3 metres long and G shaped. It had a transversal bar to add strength to the structure and which also gave a way of supporting the weight of the instrument on the player’s shoulder. Two cornu used by Letty Stott has been reconstructed by Dr. Peter Holmes, of Middlesex University, a great expert leadering the recovery of this and other ancient instruments.

The carnyx was a wind instrument from the Celtic Iron Age, between 300 b.C. and 500 b.C. It was a sort of brass trumpet, suspended vertically and with a wild boar shaped bell. It was used during war, probably to urge the troops to go to battle and to intimidate the enemies. The verticality of the instrument allowed its sounds to travel above the heads of the people in battles and ceremonies. The instrument used in this project is an exact copy of another original found in Deskford (Great Britain).