Workshop on April 25 features uncommon musical instruments

There is a world of lesser known musical instruments like the gemshorn, cornamuse, krummhorn, schreierpfeife, shawm, rackett and doucaine.

And they are just a few of the instruments Lauren Pelon has introduced to people across the world during her musical workshops.

A gemshorn is made from an animal horn and dates to the 1400s. A cornamuse is a double-reed instrument from the Renaissance era.

A krummhorn is an old woodwind instrument sometimes described as a bent horn. A shawm is a woodwind type instrument from medieval times.

A doucaine is similar to a shawm but with a cylindrical interior chamber instead of cone-shaped, and a rackett is a double-reed woodwind originating during the Renaissance.

On April 25, Pelon will bring those instruments to The Roots of Music event at the Hermiston Public Library, 235 E. Gladys Ave.

The musical lecture starts at 7 p.m. and there is no admission fee.

Pelon, from Minnesota, is a vocalist as well as a multi-instrumentalist who has introduced her plethora of instruments to audiences in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Russia, Kazakhstan, China and across the United States.

During her program she will give a history lesson on the instruments as well as play music from the era where they were created, including ancient Greece, medieval and renaissance Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.

"I am fascinated by the interesting ways people of other cultures and different times have found to make music," Pelon said on her website. "I especially enjoy doing these programs because they offer not only an opportunity to listen to music but also a way to think about how music has affected the lives of people all over the world, from ancient times to modern day."

Her Hermiston visit is sponsored by the Hermiston Public Library and Libraries of Eastern Oregon.

For more information, call Marie Baldo at 541-567-2882.

*Dori O'Neal: 582-1514; doneal@tricityherald.com

This story was originally published April 20, 2012 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Workshop on April 25 features uncommon musical instruments ."