Fontanelle (instrument making)

In instrument making, a fontanel is a form of key cover on historical woodwind instruments from the Renaissance and their replicas today.

It can be found, for example, on Pomeranian or Renaissance recorders in the lower register, which have one or more keys. Its purpose is likely to have two motives.

optics

On preserved instruments, which can be found in museums today, one can very well understand how the keys were made on the instrument at that time. Almost all of them have in common their clear functionality, but many lack beauty. It is unclear whether the optics were neglected because a fontanel came over it or a fontanel was built to cover the ugly flap. The craftsmanship should not have failed to build a beautiful valve.

protection

The most likely motive is the flap protection. At that time, flaps were very expensive and only a few could manufacture. In the Renaissance musicians rarely had solid cases or cases to adequately protect their instruments. Often the instrument was simply wrapped in a cloth or put in a bag. To prevent the expensive flap from snagging and breaking off, the fontanel was attached to many instruments.