As a sinfonia player myself, I enjoyed that. Nothing to be sorry about! --Margarita On Jun 26, 2012 6:15 AM, "Wolodymyr Smishkewych" < [email protected]> wrote:
> 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<http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=smishkewych%20&%20smishekwych%20organistrum&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=N4_pT6baLs-IhQeDm7nwDA&biw=1223&bih=664&sei=OY_pT9uIPMiLhQeV1PH5DA#um=1&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=Oo_pT__vBtS6hAe1z4WTDQ&ved=0CEgQvwUoAQ&q=smishkewych+&+smishkewych+organistrum&spell=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=65dc3c2c217f9ff4&biw=1223&bih=664>" > 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. 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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.
