I'd LOVE some information from them. I read technical German (my first love is the medieval crossbow, and all the best information is in German), I don't read any Spanish.
BTW, do you know Ain Haas? He has been a wealth of information in our building of baltic and Russian lyres and psaltery. Just wondered, as I have heard that Indiana has a really tight bunch of ethnic musicologists, music and instrument historians, and a well rounded community of players of more unusual instruments and music styles, and he has been active there in many roles. Chris Nogy *********** REPLY SEPARATOR *********** On 2/3/2008 at 11:01 AM Wolodymyr Smishkewych wrote: Chris, I don't know if you read Spanish, but are you familiar with the books written about the reconstruction of the Portico de la Gloria instruments and all manner of topics surrounding them? In it, Luciano Perez of Lugo's CADG discusses some of the very interesting topics that went into the whole process--in even more detail than in Rault's organistrum book. Let me know if you;d like some info from them. Vlad Wolodymyr Smishkewych wolodymyrsmishkewych.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Feb 03 2008, at 10:36, Chris Nogy wrote: OK, the 5" thick plank of black walnut has finally satbilized at around 9%, so I can start cutting. This is my "build a gurdy that COULD have been built at the time of the first trompettes" project, and by various iconographic evidence that was somewhere in the 1300's to 1400's. I have borrowed from what I know of instrument design in the period for shape, size, all that other rot, but I have only 1 question left. I have asked this before, but I got so many answers I am hoping this time around the responses will be simpler. I am not looking to build a modern instrument that looks like a period piece. I am looking to build a period piece to learn what it might have sounded like, and to play with a gregorian group that is local to our area. (Yes, I know, my sinphone should be what I use for that, or an organistrum, but I want to try this thing). The instrument will be a carved body, not rib-built. Is there any evidence from this early that curved soundboards were common (not carved yet, but simply curved), or should I stick to a flat top which I KNOW I can document to the period, at least on a whole lot of other stringed instruments. Again, I am not trying to build a modern instrument in disguise, I am trying to build a really first-class period instrument. But one that is significantly pre-Bosch, an instrument with a trompette that could be set down in any great hall of the time and a local builder would not have any reason to question if it is proper. Chris Nogy
