Clarinet

Tarogato - Schunda Factory

Schunda Factory in Hungary
Eastern Europe

Field collected by John L. Kasza in the 1970's

Marked "Schunda Factory" The early historical tarogato in Hungary was a double-reed conical-bore instrument much like the shawm. This instrument and its playing style ended by the 1830s and the name "tarogato" was recycled to identify this present day instrument, which was invented in the 1890s.

The tarogato is a single-reed, conical-bore woodwind, similar to a saxophone. It was invented in the 1890's at the Schunda Factory, which made many of the early tarogato's. The tarogato is sometimes called the national instrument of Hungary. The mouthpiece and reed are similar to those of a clarinet. The fingering is similar to an Albert-system clarinet, but because of the conical bore, the tarogato breaks into the upper register an octave higher like a saxophone, rather than the musical twelfth of the clarinet. The tarogato has an extra key on the bell, operated by the right thumb. The tarogato plays much like a saxophone, but has a much sweeter, more mellow tone. It is sometime used on jazz recordings along with a saxophone. Some say the lower notes have a foghorn quality.

Owner:
Catalog#: HWMC