Music and Time Annotation << Back To the question of instrumental music of the Middle Ages I.V. Semeriaga There are two keywords in this epigraph: horn and pleasure. The article will focus on instrumental music of the Middle Ages, and on what role wind instruments "played". Especially, primitive tools will attract our attention – horns, horn predecessors, their sphere of existence and the functionality of these tools. For a long time in the study of medieval culture, there was a tradition to evaluate that era as a "gloomy Middle Ages", as a gray and joyless time when all human thoughts, hopes and joys were turned only to God. Nevertheless, at the same time, there was a different tendency in evaluating this era – romanticization, since the courtly knightly art is the brightest surge in the poetry and music of the Middle Ages. The culture of a simple layman was almost not included in the circle of this issue. The research of modern medieval scholars allows us to take a different look at this historical stage, and provide an opportunity to understand and appreciate the folk musical culture of the Middle Ages. In particular, we will focus on instrumental wind music. Keywords: historically informed performance, European culture, the dark Middle Ages, Aron Gurevich, Mikhail Saponov, folk tradition, instrumental musicians practice, Valery Zharkov, natural horn, Manes Codex, "phasian banquet", Philip Good. Pp. 48-51.