Hi Anthony,
Thanks for this suggestion, which does indeed seem logical.
The Hurdy gurdy net group were talking about early names for the gurdy
recently, and this is where Old Sarah came up.
Mayhew, who was an experienced journalist who interviewed hundreds of
street people, so ought to know what he talked about, called it a hurdy
gurdy. There's a Scots reference in the 16th C to "Cymphan", thought to
be from the older "symphony" and that's one explanation. She was fairly
old when she talked to him, and from the early repertoire she had she
was possibly taught by an Irish or Scots musician, so a misremembered
"Cymphan" type word may have become "Cymbal". But I certainly wouldn't
go to the stake on that!
The old lady also talked about having to keep the works covered so that
pennies punters threw didn't get in and damage them.
She spoke of having to learn tunes, and mastering them over a few
weeks at first, so it wasn't a barrel organ type hurdy gurdy; and the
dulcimer is lacking in interior works, so I'm fairly happy going with
the gurdy as we now know it - there are pictures of people playing them
on London streets.
Thanks all for tolerating this excursion outside the Land Of Smallpipe.
Best wishes,
Richard.
On 31/10/2010 16:38, Anthony Robb wrote:
On 31 Oct Richard York wrote lots including:
Henry Mayhew in the 1850's interviewed "Old Sarah" a blind Londonstreet
hurdy gurdy player who was taught in the very early years of the
1800's
to play what she called the "cymbal".
Richard
Can't help with the tunes I'm afraid but it might be that the
instrument she calls the "cymbal" is in fact the cimbalom.
[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimbalom.
Good luck with your quest.
Cheers
Anthony
--
References
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimbalom
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