Buccina Latin Buccine (unknown)

Most sources describe Buccina as an obsolete synonym for the Posaune, used, according to Audsley, by certain Italian builders. The name was originally given to a shepherd's horn formed of an ox horn, from the Latin bucca, meaning “cheek” (puffed out). Irwin describes it somewhat differently: “A Chorus Reed of 16' or 8' on the manuals, and 32' or 16' on the pedals. Its light, loud voice is Trombone-like in color.” Two of the five known examples are at 2' pitch (see below).

Examples

Buccina 16', Pedal, Epistelorgel; Passau Cathedral, Passau, Bavaria, Germany; Steinmeyer 1924-28.

Buccine 2', Pedale; Cathedrale Notre-Dame, Reims, France; Gonzales 1938.

Buccina 16', Enclosed Positiv, Pedal; St. Thomas, New York City, USA; Aeolian Skinner 1956. (Half-length inverted-conical resonators, CCC 4" top diameter.)

Buccina 16', Bombarde; Calvary Church, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Moller 1990.

Buccine 2', Pedale; Broadway Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Casavant 1996.

Bibliography