Realize Why No One Plays It Anymore

A group of Scottish researchers helped develop a replica of the Lituus—a musical instrument last known to exist during J.S. Bach’s lifetime.

The Lituus has been virtually extinct since 1736. Not only is Bach’s “O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht” the only known piece that calls for it, but there are no surviving examples of the instrument itself. In an effort to recreate this abandoned musical instrument, the Swiss-based conservatory Schola Cantorum Basiliensis enlisted the help of Scottish PhD student Alistair Braden and a software he wrote intended to improve the design of modern brass instruments. Researchers from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland built a model of the Lituus from criteria provided by the conservatory regarding both the physical and tonal characteristics of the instrument.
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