The conch is the archetype of the whole lip reed family of instruments. When humans first walked out of Africa they hugged the courses of rivers and the margins of the sea. They were hunter-gatherers, and shellfish have always been a vital part of our diet. Shells are appreciated even today for their natural beauty, and were used early on as a currency of exchange. They have also been adopted as musical instruments in many cultures where they grow large enough to be blown, or used as amplifying and distortion devices for the voice. Such shells were exported and exchanged over vast distances in the ancient world.
The Carnyx & Co collection includes:
Lobatus gigas, commonly known as the queen conch.
Lambis lambis, or spider conch.
Labiostrombus epidromis, or swan conch
Charonia tritonis, or Triton’s trumpet