OOps! Sorry all, I intended that to be a private response to Ernic. Somehow the HG group name isn't visible propeorly in my "to" field...Oh well, now you all have my homily for your entertainment.
Have a great week! Vlad On 26 Jun 2012, at 12:14, Wolodymyr Smishkewych wrote: > Dear Ernic, > > Many thanks for your message and for the YouTube links. It is wonderful to > hear about the Aachen and your role in developing it with Chris and Sabina; I > have been considering getting their sinfonie and it is very good to know that > perhaps this might be an option as well. > > Many thoughts have always been on my mind regarding the issue of the HG in > the medieval, and what we now do in our "early music ensembles." The > instrument which I play with ensemble Sequentia is one developed in > conjunction with my brother Eugene Smishkewych, and it is based on the body > of instruments found on the porticoes of the cathedrals in Leon, Burgos, and > Burgo de Osma (you can google "smishkewych & smishkewych organistrum" and see > images of it). It, too, is an amalgam of various hypothesis and desires, and > even such an instrument which could be described as "limited" in range or use > fulfills the needs we ask of it in the ensemble. This comes, of course, of > limiting its use to its capabilities, but I also included some individual, > anachronistic additions, such as a release-capo to provide the subfinalis on > the melody string, and it has many more keys than on the models in stone. It > is in that sense based on the order of gamut-tangents such as in Odo of > Cluny's drawing, so it includes B and Bb (or in the case f concrete pitches, > F and F#) at the top of the octave, which makes my instrument in effect have > the range F-G-a-b-c-d-e-f-f#-g. > > I have often considered that what we ask of these reproductions and > reconstructions of medieval instruments is o informed by our present-day > needs and wants that they depart from being reconstructions--which can be OK > so long as we acknowledge it. We are even in our music--perhaps especially so > in our music-making!--representing really only what our 21st century, > present-day imaginations can make of artifacts and a collective memory of > something approaching a "Repertoire." I use that word with caution, because > of course the HG has both everything and nothing as a repertoire when it > comes to the medieval. It can be sued on so much, and to it belongs so little > (pretty much nothing). 'La Manfredina' fits beautifully on the "Aachen", and > now so does 'Ghaëtta', thanks to the chromatic key-option you requested of > the makers. But would 'Ghaëtta' ever have been played by a HG player, a > 'sinfoniator'? Not likely, but perhaps s/he dreamt of the option, whereas a > fidula or tibia (bagpipe) or fistula (flute) player would have been able to > and not so restricted by the instrument, since chromatic alterations were > easier to achieve. The instrument was possibly both unable to respond to > trends and faithful to its original conceptions by its nature (that of a > vocal accompaniment instrument). And of course there is the important > consideration that we now respond very much more to the dance-element of > medieval music and our modern culture has much less patience for the poetic, > slower, (and often sung) repertoire. We are forever making rationales (I have > been guilty of this myself!) for cutting numbers of verses (e.g. "public will > not listen or have patience," "presenter/radio/CD needs X amount of minutes," > etc) and the audience always seems to want sets or concerts to end with > "Drums and fun." These are of course all modern considerations and since they > often involve our livelihoods we definitely respond to them, but they are > still of our times as far as we can tell. It is not to say they were not > ideas present in the medieval but we cannot see that far back with any > clarity and can only make our best educated assumptions. > > Nonetheless, it is wonderful that you are adding to the possibilities > available for medieval HGs. I myself have considered the sinfonie as I > mentioned above, as well as one that was reconstructed by Antonio Poves > (http://www.organistrum.com/ap.htm), based on a triptych from the monasteria > de Piedra in Zaragoza. These instruments have similar constructions and they > appear to head from the concept of making "organum sine magister" to a more > melodic use of the instrument. > > But even so, the concept of a medieval HG as solely an instrumental > enterprise is an intriguing and difficult one. We could quote the miniatures > from the Cantigas to say "there is an example of sinfonias playing alone" but > there is always the problem that the Cantigas miniatures were likely meant > more as an encyclopedia cataloguing the many things going on at Alfonso's > court, a veritable propaganda book for his kingdom as much as a valuable > codex of songs (but even that was a state-sponsored sort of > ethnomusicological enterprise). So truly, while this is all of great interest > and use to us today, we must take so much of it with the proverbial "grain of > salt." > > I am interested in knowing more of the balance of the "Aachen:" how well does > it work as an instrument accompanying singing? Is it too loud for > accompanying solo singing, but could it work for ensemble singing, such as we > do in the Sequentia men's ensemble (5-6 voices)? > > In the end what we ask of our HG choice is to do what we want it to do best. > I don't play certain types of music, so I don't need certain features on my > instrument, and adding them on would take away from something else I value, > which is the ability to have an instrument that responds to my approach to > studying history and performing music that has a certain historical context. > I respect that many other musicians have the need and desire to play multiple > repertoires and in various concert contexts and therefore I think it is great > that all of these options are open, and even better that we continue to push > the envelope in all directions. > > Thank you though, Ernic, for adding to the "medieval corner" which often gets > a bit hidden or obscured by other influences in our HG world! I look forward > to being in touch! > > All best, > Vlad > > > On 26 Jun 2012, at 07:09, Ernic Kamerich wrote: > >> 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. > > > > > > -- > 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. -- 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.
