wind machine
Illustration — A video of a wind machine in use • Illustration — A historical wind machine (c. 1900) at the Konzerthaus in Ravensburg, Germany • Illustration — 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.
Also recorded as aeoliphone
wind machine
Photo: Andreas Praefcke · Self-photographed · CC BY 3.0
- Field
- friction sheet · effect instrument
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Documentary summary
Illustration — A video of a wind machine in use • Illustration — A historical wind machine (c. 1900) at the Konzerthaus in Ravensburg, Germany • Illustration — 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.
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wikidata · Q290688 · wikipedia · Wind machine
In this article
Construction
Construction
The wind machine is constructed of a large cylinder made up of several wooden slats which measures approximately 75–80 cm 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. 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.
Selected works that use the wind machine
Selected works that use the wind machine
• Les Boréades by Rameau • Amériques by Edgard Varèse • Atlantida by Manuel de Falla • Bluebeard's Castle by Béla Bartók • Daphnis et Chloé by Maurice Ravel • Des canyons aux étoiles… by Olivier Messiaen • Die Jakobsleiter by Arnold Schoenberg • Don Quixote and An Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss • Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofé • Les choëphores by Darius Milhaud • Sinfonia antartica by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Konzerthaus Ravensburg, historische
Photo: Andreas Praefcke · Self-photographed
A wind machine used in Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra for the performance of Vaughan Williams's Sinfonia antartica on 18th January 2013
Foamposite
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.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Wind machine”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q290688: wind machine
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Adato, Joseph. The Percussionist's Dictionary. Belwin-Mills. 65. 1984. 978-0-91095-728-1.
- 2.Blades, James. Wind machine. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. 2001. 10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.30403.
- 3.Bond, Ryan. A Brief History of the Wind Machine. Percussive Notes. 60. 4. 44–49. August 2022.
- 4.Blades, James. Percussion Instruments and Their History. Bold Strummer. 394–395. 1992. 978-0-933224-71-1.
- 5.Suite from Les Boreades, Jean-Philippe Rameau. LA Phil.
- 6.Holland, James. Practical Percussion: A Guide to the Instruments and Their Sources. Scarecrow Press. 58-59. 2005. 978-0-8108-5658-5.
- 7.Chion, Michel. Sound: An Acoulogical Treatise. Duke University Press. 2016. 978-0-8223-7482-4.
- 8.Jones, Barrie (2014). The Hutchinson Concise Dictionary of Music, p.731. Routledge. .
- 9.Dearling, Robert. Percussion & Electronic Instruments. Chelsea House Publ. 26-27. 2001. 978-0-7910-6093-3.
References
Citations
References
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General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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