Here's where I found out about the Hurdy Gurdy girls....
Best wishes,
Lara
-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Gary F. Plazyk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Yes, that's a problem with the name "hurdy gurdy" - it actually is used to
> describe three distinct instruments:
> * our circular-bow keyboard-stopped droning violin
> * a barrel organ, or monkey-grinder organ (usually the crank pumps a bellows,
> and turns a wheel that drives a player-piano-like paper music roll)
> * any of the cranked music boxes (with the tunes encoded on cylinders or disks)
>
> That's an identity issue I have not been able to resolve regarding American
> saloons in the old West - they were called "hurdy gurdy houses" (Mark Twain
> mentions visiting one in Virginia City in his book _Roughing It_), and the
> dancers were called "hurdy gurdy girls", but I can't find a drawing, photo, or
& gt; description of which instrument was used there.
>
> -Gary P.
>
> John Roberts wrote:
> > Ah, but is that even a hurdy-gurdy? Sounds to me like it may be a barrel
> > organ.
> > JR
>
