Bassanelli

Bassanelli is a set of straight double reed instruments invented by Johann Bassano that were quieter than shawms. These instruments show up in the inventories of the Graz court chapel in 1577/1590, the Accademia Filarmonica in Verona in 1593 and the Kassel court chapel in 1613. As far as we know, none of these instruments have survived till the present time. Praetorius mentions that the advantage of the Bassanelli is that they were made in several sections, which allowed them to be played in different pitches. His soprano corresponds to a tenor in d, his alto/tenor plays like a bass in G and his bass would be a great bass in CC in modern terminology. Probably those Italian instruments, which he examined at Kassel were made to a much higher pitch than the one at the court chapel, so the set could have been tuned to c, F or B-flat.