A double-reed woodwind instrument from the Renaissance period with a warm, soft tone, used in early orchestras and chamber music.
Possibly from German 'Krummhorn' elements or Romance language sources, ultimately from 'crook' or 'bent,' describing the instrument's characteristic curved shape.
The cromorna produces such a uniquely soft, buzzing tone that modern orchestras revived it in the 20th century—and some early music scholars think the instrument's gentle sound is why it was used in Renaissance paintings of peaceful pastoral scenes.
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