Gemshorn – “horn of a goat” – an instrument with an exceptionally warm, soft sound, and has been in use since the fifteenth century. Similiarly to, for example, the viola da gamba, it comes in a variety of sizes creating a whole family of instruments ranging from soprano gemshorn made from the horn of a cow through the alto gemshorn – made from the horn of a bull, tenor – from the European bison and the bass, made from the horn of arui (African barbary sheep). It should be emphasized that the acquisition of materials for the construction of the gemshorn takes place after the natural death of the animal.
