Thebirch trumpet (Norwegian:neverlur,Swedish:näverlur,Latvian:tās̆u taure,Lithuanian:ragas, daudytė,Finnish:tuohitorvi,Estonian:karjapasun[1][2][3]) is a type ofnatural trumpet made ofspruce covered withbirch bark, known inNorway,Sweden,Finland,England,Denmark,Latvia,Lithuania,Belarus andEstonia. Even cruder and less durable versions were made of plain birch bark. They are associated with the early EuropeanChalet culture, where it was presumably used to intimidate predators, frighten supernatural enemies, and convene council meetings.
Usually, the neverlur is a natural horn, having no fingerholes or valves. Normally, a player can play 10 tones from thenatural scale on the instrument. In the modern era, the neverlur is primarily a cultural curiosity, used for the occasional fanfare.
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In Finland, the birch trumpet, locally known as thetuohitorvi, comes in different varieties. Some instruments are built as natural horns and used for signalling, usually by shepherds, whereas others are built in the style of themute cornett and have fingerholes for melody playing.
Tolgakulturskole (culture school) in Norway regularly teaches playing the neverlur to all interested people living in themunicipality.[4]
The oldest recovered näverlur in Sweden dates back to the 10th century, and resembles earlier bronze trumpets.
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