For playing medieval music on hurdy gurdy, solo and in consorts, I have been using a box hurdy gurdy. It has a nice sound that mixes very well with singers, medieval fiddles, recorders, etc. It does so much better than most modern hurdy gurdies, but it is rather modest in character and loudness. Moreover, box hurdy gurdies seem to have been rare in the middle ages: most paintings and sculptures with a hurdy gurdy show an instrument that looks rather much like a fiddle with a wheel.
With my combined interest in medieval (and renaissance) music, which I play in consorts already nearly 40 years, and in bourdon music, especially of the hurdy gurdy, I wished to get a medieval hurdy gurdy. However, apart from the organistrum, which surely is not a melody+drone instrument but meant to supply a variable drone in parallel organum to a melody, and the box hurdy gurdy, often called with the general medieval name for hurdy gurdy, "symphonie", none of the renowned makers of hurdy gurdies offered such an instrument. De oldest type I have seen is of about 1500 after the "Garden of earthly delights" of Jeroen Bosch or comparable. I could persuade Chris Allen and Sabina Kormylo (http://www.hurdygurdy.org) to make a medieval hurdy gurdy for me. First we discussed more than a year on model and many details, then they started and last summer it got ready. It was a thrilling moment when I got the instrument in my hands: I knew rather well what I wanted to hear, what character I had hoped for. It was a revelation: it was even better. It is really a wonderful instrument for medieval music, a joy to play. Now I have been making some recordings and uploaded them on Youtube, one well known piece, La Manfredina, and some clips demonstrating and explaining the instrument (some not ready at this moment). I hope that these clips are worth while both for who has a general interest as for who knows already more about the subject. - La Manfredina http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR_R3FhkQ4E - A medieval hurdy gurdy 1: introduction http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0J41t_XV5g - A medieval hurdy gurdy 2: early history - the drone (not ready at this moment) - A medieval hurdy gurdy 3: sound and model http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j1KmZuU-dw - A medieval hurdy gurdy 4: playing modal music - strings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ciEmQOZlAs - A medieval hurdy gurdy 5: repertoire - range and available accidentals (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hAvGYyrKCY) - A medieval hurdy gurdy 6: a buzz string on a medieval hurdy gurdy? (not ready at this moment) - A medieval hurdy gurdy 7: temperament (not ready at this moment) I would like to draw your attention you for this. With kind regards Ernic Kamerich (Doede de Draaier) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hurdygurdy" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hurdygurdy The rules of posting, courtesy, and other list information may be found at http://hurdygurdy.com/mailinglist/index.htm. To reduce spam, posts from new subscribers are held pending approval by the webmaster.
