{{Short description|Type of musical instrument}} {{about|the musical instrument|the wind generator used for skydiving practice|vertical wind tunnel}} {{distinguish|Fan (machine)}}
thumb|A video of a wind machine in use [[File:Ravensburg Konzerthaus Historische Klangerzeuger Windmaschine.jpg|thumb|A historical wind machine ({{Circa|1900}}) at the Konzerthaus in Ravensburg, Germany]] [[File:Wind Machine.JPG|thumb|A modern wind machine during the performance of Vaughan Williams's ''Sinfonia antartica'' by Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra]]
The '''wind machine''' (also called an '''aeoliphone''' or '''aelophon''') is a friction idiophone used to produce the sound of wind for orchestral compositions and musical theater productions.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Adato |first=Joseph |url= |title=The Percussionist's Dictionary |last2=Judy |first2=George |publisher=Belwin-Mills |year=1984 |isbn=978-0-91095-728-1 |pages=65 |oclc=12096511}}</ref>
== Construction ==
The wind machine is constructed of a large cylinder made up of several wooden slats which measures approximately {{Convert|75–80|cm|in|abbr=on}} in diameter. The cylinder body of the instrument rests upon a stand and is typically covered with silk, canvas, or other material which is in a fixed position. A crank handle, used by the player to rotate the cylinder and create the sound, is attached to the cylinder.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last1=Blades |first1=James |date=2001 |editor-last=Holland |editor-first=James |title=Wind machine |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.30403 |work=Oxford Music Online |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.30403}}</ref>
Another method of construction implements an electric fan, which is fitted with lengths of cane, rather than blades. However, this method is less popular because it does not provide the player with the ability to control the speed of rotation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bond |first=Ryan |date=August 2022 |title=A Brief History of the Wind Machine |url= |journal=Percussive Notes |volume=60 |issue=4 |pages=44–49}}</ref>
== Technique ==
The wind machine is played by rotating the crank handle, which is attached to the cylinder, to create friction between the wooden slats and the material covering that touches the cylinder but does not rotate as the crank handle is turned. This friction between the wood and the material covering creates the sound of rushing wind. The volume and pitch of the sound is controlled by the rate at which the crank is turned. The faster the handle is turned, the higher the resulting pitch and the louder the sound. The slower the handle is turned, the lower the pitch and the softer the volume. The sound of the wind machine can also be controlled by the tightness of the fabric covering the cylinder.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Blades |first=James |title=Percussion Instruments and Their History |publisher=Bold Strummer |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-933224-71-1 |edition=Rev. |pages=394–395 |oclc=28230162}}</ref>
== Selected works that use the Wind Machine ==
*''Amériques'' by Edgard Varèse *''Atlantida'' by Manuel de Falla<ref name=":1" /> *''Bluebeard's Castle'' by Béla Bartók<ref>{{Cite book |last=Holland |first=James |url=https://archive.org/details/practicalpercuss0000holl_u4f2 |title=Practical Percussion: A Guide to the Instruments and Their Sources |date=2005 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-5658-5 |location=Lanham |pages=58-59 |url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> *''Daphnis et Chloé'' by Maurice Ravel<ref name="Chion">{{Cite book |last=Chion |first=Michel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dZUpCwAAQBAJ |title=Sound: An Acoulogical Treatise |publisher=Duke University Press |others=Translated by James A. Steintrager |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-8223-7482-4 |doi=10.1215/9780822374824}}</ref><ref name="Hutchinson" /> *''Des canyons aux étoiles…'' by Olivier Messiaen<ref name="Chion" /> *''Die Jakobsleiter'' by Arnold Schoenberg<ref name=":1" /> *''Don Quixote'' and ''An Alpine Symphony'' by Richard Strauss<ref name="Hutchinson">Jones, Barrie (2014). ''The Hutchinson Concise Dictionary of Music'', p.731. Routledge. {{ISBN|9781135950187}}.</ref><ref name=":3" /> *''Grand Canyon Suite'' by Ferde Grofé<ref name=":2" /> *''Les choëphores'' by Darius Milhaud<ref name=":2" /> *''Sinfonia antartica'' by Ralph Vaughan Williams<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Dearling |first=Robert |url=https://archive.org/details/percussionelectr00dear/ |title=Percussion & Electronic Instruments |date=2001 |publisher=Chelsea House Publ |isbn=978-0-7910-6093-3 |edition= |series=The Encyclopedia of Musical Instruments |location=Philadelphia, Pa |pages=26-27 |url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxW4EWi86TY Demonstration of a Wind Machine] by Dame Evelyn Glennie {{Percussion instruments}}
Category:Friction idiophones Category:Sound effects Category:Special effects