Looks like a violin case. This instrument is also known as the organistrum, or hardy gurdy. When played, the lyre must be held on the lap, and when played, most of the strings are played at the same time. A musical instrument popular since the 10th century is not used so often today. But thanks to the amazing sound, original design, the lyre is still remembered.

Sound features

The sound of the hurdy-gurdy is provided by the work of most of the strings, when vibration occurs as a result of their friction against the wheel. It is noteworthy that most of the strings are responsible only for a monotonous buzz, and the reproduction of a melody is ensured by playing one or two. The hurdy gurdy sounds powerful, sad, monotonous, somewhat nasal. And to soften the sound, the strings have long been wrapped with linen or wool fibers. An important role is played by the exact centering of the wheel - it must be smooth and rosin.

Device

The three-stringed lyre has a deep wooden figure-eight body, two flat soundboards with bent shells. The upper part of the instrument is complemented by a head with wooden pegs, which allows you to tune the strings. The hurdy gurdy has a short peg box that often ends in a scroll. Since the wheel rim protrudes somewhat, it is hidden under a special bast protector in the form of an arc.

The top deck has holes, it also houses a key-sill mechanism with keys. They, in turn, are simple wooden planks with ledges. When a musician presses the keys, it is just the protrusions that come into contact with the strings, making sounds. The protrusions are attached in such a way that they can be shifted in different directions, thereby aligning the sound range. The body of the instrument is thought out in such a way that the string sound is amplified. The amplification of the sound occurs due to the vibrations of the strings, which are caused by the movement of the wheel.

String Features

The hurdy-gurdy is an instrument with three stranded strings:

• melodic, which is called spivanitsa, or melody;
• two bourdon, which are called bass and pidbasok.

If the melodic string by design passes through the inside of the box, then the bourdon strings go over it. All strings are positioned so that they are in contact with the wheel rim. It is rubbed with resin before work, thanks to which the strings sound smooth and audible. The evenness of the sound is ensured by the smooth surface of the wheel and its precise centering. The melody is created or performed by pressing the keys located in the side cutouts of the box.

Historically, strings were constructed from strands, although metal or nylon strings are increasingly popular today. To get the desired timbre and sound quality, the musicians wrapped the strings with cotton wool or other fiber, and there should have been more on the bourdon ones. And if there is not enough cotton wool, then the sound will be either too dull or too harsh, especially in the upper range.

How to play?

The hurdy gurdy is a tool that is not easy to use. Lyra is placed on her knees, and a belt is thrown over her shoulders. The peg box should be located on the left side and slightly inclined, while the free keys should fall away from the string. With his right hand, the musician evenly and slowly rotates the wheel by the handle, pressing the keys with his left hand. In its sound, the lyre resembles a bagpipe or a whistle, since bourdons sound in all three instruments. As for sound quality, it depends primarily on the friction wheel, which is precisely centered and well lubricated. If the musician is playing while standing, the lyre is hung on a shoulder strap with a slight slope to distribute the weight of the instrument.

How did the lyre appear?

The wheeled lyre is a musical instrument that has been known since the 10th century. Most often it was used in monasteries for the performance of church music. By the 15th century, the instrument had not become so popular, but continued to be used by vagabonds, the blind, the crippled, who walked the streets and sang songs, fairy tales to the unpretentious sound of the lyre.

In Rus', this musical instrument was known around the 17th century, and experts answer that it appeared in our country from Ukraine. It was here that even whole schools of lyre players existed, who wandered from village to village, performed music and earned money. The lyre was also used at weddings, as it sounded loud, and the most cheerful repertoire could be chosen for it. The peculiarity of the hurdy-gurdy is that it was produced in different lengths. In some variations, even two people had to play music on it, since the instrument had a length of up to one and a half meters.

Brotherhood of Lyre Players

In Ukraine, whole classes of 30 people were taught to play the hurdy-gurdy. The elders got into practice, which involved visiting neighboring villages during bazaars and weddings, when the money earned was given to the mentor as tuition fees. After graduation, the musicians took exams.

In the Soviet years, the hurdy gurdy underwent several changes. The photo shows that even outwardly the instrument has changed somewhat. Thanks to the improvement of the design, it became more original, the strings became 9, and they were tuned in small thirds. Instead of a wooden wheel, a plastic transmission band was used, thanks to which the sound was more even. A special device changed the degree of pressure on the string, so the strength of the sound of the instrument was different. It should be noted that improved samples of the lyre are still used in folk art orchestras.

What today?

In Russia today, the hurdy-gurdy is rarely used. The musical instrument (the photo shows all its colorfulness) remained in the composition of the State Orchestra and the National Choir of Belarus. It is noteworthy that hard-hardy was also used among rockers: the bands Led Zeppelin, In Extremo chose the instrument due to its unusual sound. Today, the instrument has been almost forgotten, but some orchestras, for their unusual sound, leave hardy gurdy as a highlight of their work.

Historical outline

In Europe, it is known under different names, the oldest of them - "organist" (lat. organistrum) - refers to the late Middle Ages (not earlier than the 13th century). The oldest images date back to the 12th century: an English book miniature (c. 1175) and a bas-relief of the Cathedral of St. James (Santiago de Compostela, 1188).

In the XII century. the hurdy-gurdy was a bulky instrument operated by two people (the musician and his assistant, who mechanically rotated the handle). After in the XIII century. lightweight (portable) instruments appeared, the hurdy-gurdy quickly spread throughout Europe and became one of the most characteristic attributes of the minstrel culture of the Middle Ages. By the 15th century, the hurdy gurdy had lost popularity and became an instrument of the poor and vagabonds, often blind, crippled and mentally retarded, who performed songs, poems, and fairy tales to unpretentious accompaniment. During the Baroque, a new heyday of the instrument came. In the 18th century, the hurdy-gurdy became a fashionable toy for French aristocrats who were fond of rural life. It is currently used in the folk music of some European countries, primarily France and Hungary.

It appeared in Russia in the 17th century. It was played by itinerant musicians, kaliki and the blind, who performed historical songs, ballads and spiritual verses to the mournful sounds of their lyres. The appearance of the lyre in Rus' marked the decline of buffoonery, in connection with the persecution by the authorities and the clergy.

Game technique

The performer holds the lyre on his knees. Most of its strings (3-11) sound simultaneously, vibrating as a result of friction against the wheel turned by the right hand. One to four separate strings, the sounding part of which is shortened or lengthened with the help of rods with the left hand, reproduce the melody, and the remaining strings emit a monotonous buzz (the so-called bourdon). On Western European instruments there is also a so-called. trompette- a string resting on a loosely fixed stand and allowing you to play rhythmic accompaniment by changing the speed of rotation of the wheel.

sound

The sound of the hurdy-gurdy is powerful, sad, monotonous, with a slight nasal tinge. To soften the sound, the strings at the point of contact with the wheel rim were wrapped with fibers of flax or wool. The sound quality of the instrument also depended on the precise centering of the wheel; in addition, it had to be smooth and well rosined.

Other names

At different times and in different countries, the instrument was called differently: in Germany - Leier, Drehleier, Bettlerleier, Bauernleier; in England hurdy gurdy (hyodi gyodi, also found in Russian), in France (including in historical Provence) - symphonie, chifonie, sambiût, sambuca, vierelète, vielle à roue(also abbreviated vielle); in Italy - ghironda, lyra tedesca, rotata, sinfonia; in Hungary - tekerő; in Belarus - lyre, in Ukraine - kolіsna lira or relay, in Poland - lira korbowa, in the Czech Republic - ninera .

Use of the instrument in contemporary music

• British singer Donovan composed the song "Hurdy-gurdy man".
• The hurdy gurdy was used by former Led Zeppelin band members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant in their joint project No Quarter. Unledded".
• The instrument was played by performer Nigel Eaton (eng. Nigel eaton).
• At the moment, the hurdy gurdy can be found among the arsenal of musical instruments of such groups as In Extremo (in particular, in their song “Captus Est” from the single “Nur Ihr Allein”), Eluveitie, Blackmore's Night (in particular, in the song “ The Clock Ticks On" from the album "Paris Moon"), Metallica (in the songs Low Man's Lyric, The Memory Remains), Saltatio Mortis, Subway to Sally, Arcade Fire (in the song Keep The Car Running), Satarial, Faun and others.
• Hurdy-gurdy has been used on recordings by the Australian-Irish band Dead Can Dance and the Swiss folk metal band Eluveitie.
• The hurdy gurdy was used on the Mummer's Dance song by Laurina McKennitt.
• The hurdy gurdy was also used on Scottish recording artist Annie Lennox's album The Christmas Cornucopia.
• In Russia, the hurdy gurdy is used by: the musical group The Origin Ensemble, the early music ensemble Insula Magica, the soloist Viktor Luferov, the ensemble of medieval music Laterna Magica, the ensemble of ancient Russian sacred music "Sirin", the Russian neo-folk group Moon Far Away.
• Spanish Folk Jazz Quartet Kaulakau
• Used to record the album "The Civil War" by the electronic band Matmos (2003).
• On the Cold Mountain soundtrack, "You Will Be My Ain True Love" performed by Alison Krauss and Sting.
• It was used by the Belarusian VIA Pesnyary when performing and recording folk songs and songs in the Belarusian language.
• In the Rauta video by the Finnish folk metal band Korpiklaani, the lead singer is holding a hurdy gurdy.
• It was used when recording the album "Moon and Grosh" by the Moscow folk-metal group "Kalevala".
• Beginning with

hurdy gurdy
(hurdy-gurdy)

Wheel lyre, hurdy-gurdy, also known as wheel violin ( "wheel fiddle") is a stringed musical instrument, the sound in which is extracted by rubbing a rosin wheel, driven by a lever, against the strings. This wheel essentially functions as a bow, turning the instrument into something like a mechanical violin. The melody is played with the help of keys on which cams are fixed - wooden wedges that clamp the strings in the right places. Like most acoustic strings, the hurdy gurdy has a resonator that amplifies the vibration of the strings.

Most hurdy gurdy have multiple bourdon strings that give a consistent tone while playing, much like the bagpipe principle. For this reason, the hurdy gurdy is often used in conjunction with or instead of the bagpipe, such as in French and Hungarian folk music.

Many music festivals bring together groups with hurdy-gurdy performers, the most famous of which is festival in St. Chartier, in central France in the department of Indre, held around 14 July.

Origin and history

It is believed that hurdy-gurdy appeared in Western Europe before the 8th century AD. One of the early forms of the instrument was the organistrum, a large instrument with a guitar-shaped resonator and a long neck, on which the keys were fixed (in the range of one diatonic octave). The organistrum had one melodic string and two bourdon strings, which were pulled through an ordinary bridge and a small wheel. Due to its size, the organistrum was played by two people - one musician turned the wheel, the other pulled the keys. Pulling (rather than pressing) the keys was not an easy technique, so the instrument was played mostly slow melodies. Organistrum tuned to Pythagorean temperament, and was used primarily to accompany church and monastery choral singing. Abbot Odo of Cluny (d.942) is credited with a short description of the organistrum called Quomodo organistrum construatur (How the organistrum works), known from later copies, but its reliability is rather doubtful. One of the earliest images of the organistrum is a sculpture of the 12th century. on the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spanish Galicia, depicting two performers on the instrument.

Later, the organistrum acquired smaller dimensions, more convenient for use by one musician. The solo organistrum was known in Spain and France, but was soon replaced by the symfonia, a small variant of the hurdy-gurdy with a rectangular resonator, three strings and a diatonic keyboard. Around the same time, push keys were invented. Such keys were much more suitable for playing fast melodies, were much more convenient, and soon completely replaced the exhaust ones. Medieval depictions of the symphony show both types of keyboards.

During the late renaissance, two characteristic forms of the instrument's resonator were established - a guitar-shaped one and a set of staves, a rounded lute shape. The latter form is especially characteristic of French instruments.

By the end of the 17th century, changing tastes demanded greater polyphonic possibilities from the hurdy gurdy and, lacking them, it became an instrument of the lower classes and as a result received names such as the German Bauernleier"peasant lira" or Battle-Leier"poor lira".
During the Rococo period, however, a revival of interest in peasant themes turned the eyes of the upper classes back to the instrument, and it gained immense popularity in high society. Famous composers wrote classical works for the hurdy-gurdy (for example, the well-known - Pastor Fido Vivaldi). At this time, a six-stringed form of the instrument called vielle à roue. Such an instrument had two melodic strings and four bore strings, which could be switched off and on if there was a need to play in different keys.

At the same time, the hurdy gurdy began to penetrate further to the east, where it was developed in various versions in the Slavic countries, eastern German regions and Hungary. Most of the national instruments died out by the beginning of the 20th century, but some have survived to this day, the most famous of which is the French vielle à roue, Venusian tekerőlant and Spanish zanfona. In Ukraine, a variety called lira was widely used by blind wandering musicians, most of whom were destroyed by Stalin in the 1930s. In many countries - in Sweden, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Italy and Portugal, there has recently been a revival of the instrument, as a result of which it has penetrated into a variety of musical directions and styles, including modern music, in the context of which no one had ever played the hurdy-gurdy before. did not consider.

In the 18th century the name hurdy gurdy also applied to a small portable instrument, also called barrel organ- a hurdy-gurdy, which was often played by wandering musicians.

hurdy gurdy in eastern europe

In Eastern Europe, in particular in Hungary, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine, there is a developed tradition of playing the hurdy-gurdy. In Ukraine, the instrument is known as lira or relay, and was used mainly by professional itinerant musicians, often blind, who were called lyre players. Their repertoire consisted mainly of religious themes, as well as epic songs called thoughts and folk dances. In the 1930s the tradition was practically interrupted, because the Soviet government declared the lyre players to be a socially undesirable element and massively destroyed. Now the instrument is being actively revived and used in various folk projects.

Terminology

Due to the development of the French wheel lyre tradition, many of the parts of the instrument and playing techniques are called French terms. For example:

trompette : the highest bourdon string that is strung across a buzzing bridge
mouche : bourdon string tuned a fourth or fifth below the string trompette
petite bourdon trompette
Gross bourdon : bourdon string tuned an octave below the string mouche
chanterelle(s) : melodic string(s), also called in English chanter or chanters
chien : (literally "dog") buzzing bridge
tirant : a small peg on the bridge designed to adjust the sensitivity of the buzz bridge

Tool names

According to the Oxford Dictionary of Etymology, the word is onomatopoeic in origin, and produces a repetitive creaking sound characteristic of instruments with hard wooden wheels that have warped from moisture; or the sound of a buzzing bridge.

Some adhere to a different, folk etymology:

hurdy- back, butt of a person + gurdy- wheel with lever for pulling fishing nets into the boat

This etymology is questionable for several reasons: firstly, hurdy- not an English word, secondly - the name of the lever ( hurdy gurdy, but not gurdy) was first recorded in 1883 and transferred to it because of the analogy with a musical instrument, and not vice versa.

Another folk etymology says that the name hurdy gurdy comes from an anglicized form of French harpe de gourde .

The instrument is sometimes descriptively referred to as a "wheel violin", but this term is not commonly used among performers. Hungarian tekerőlant and its variant forgolant both mean "turning lute". German Bauernleier means "peasant lira". (Words Leier, lant- designate instruments of the lute or lyre family, but historically they denoted a wider range of meanings and were used for many types of stringed instruments).
Another Hungarian word for hurdy-gurdy is nyenyere, which is supposedly onomatopoeic and denotes the creak of an uneven wheel. It is worth noting that the term had a pejorative meaning on the Hungarian plains, but was common on the island of Csepel south of Budapest.

Device

There is no generally accepted standard for the device of the hurdy-gurdy, although in Europe the most typical French vielle a roue. Outside of France, it has several regional forms, but outside of France, the instrument was considered folk, and a single standard was not developed.

There are two most common types of modern hurdy gurdy resonator - guitar and lute. Both variants exist in French-speaking regions, but outside of them, the guitar version is generally accepted. The rectangular resonator symphony is also in circulation among early music performers and historical re-enactors.

strings

Historically, strings were made from sinews, which are still preferred by some players, but metal strings are now the most common, and are most suitable especially for low bourdon strings. Nylon ones are also used, but many performers do not prefer them.
Bourdon strings produce a continuous sound of one tone. The melodic string(s) are clamped by cams attached to the keys and shorten or lengthen the sounding part of the string, similar to how a guitarist's fingers work on the fretboard. On the earliest hurdy-gurdies, the keys were tuned to Pythagorean temperament, later instruments were tuned differently, but now equal temperament is most common for ease of playing with other instruments. But, since each cam on any key of the hurdy gurdy can be individually tuned, almost any type of temperament is possible. Most modern hurdy gurdy has 24 keys, which give a range of 2 chromatic octaves.

To obtain the desired timbre and sound quality, each string of the hurdy-gurdy is wrapped with a piece of cotton or other similar fiber. A small amount of cotton wool is usually wound on the melodic string, more on the bourdon ones. The wrong amount of vata can result in a sound that is too harsh or too muffled, especially at the top of the range. In addition, hotel strings (especially melodic ones) require adjustment of the rise above the wheel using small pieces of paper placed under the strings on the bridge. This process is called shimming. Shimming and winding cotton wool are related processes, since both affect the geometry of the instrument's strings.

buzzing bridge

In some types of hurdy-gurdy, especially in the French vielle à roue(violin with wheel) and in Hungarian tekerőlant (tekerő- short) a device called "buzzing bridge" is used, chien(French dog) or recsego(Hungarian buzzer). On modern French instruments, there can be up to 4 of them. This mechanism consists of a free bridge, on which a bourdon string is stretched. One leg of this bridge is inserted into a groove on the soundboard (or, on Hungarian instruments, held with a peg) and holds the bridge in place. The free end, called the "hammer", is adjacent to the soundboard and can vibrate more or less freely. When the wheel turns slowly, the pressure of the string (called on French instruments trompette) holds the bridge in place and only the string sounds. As the player speeds up the rotation, the hammer rises and begins to vibrate, hitting the soundboard surface and producing a characteristic rhythmic buzz that is used to create rhythmic percussive accompaniment, especially in dance melodies.

On French-style instruments, the sensitivity of the buzz bridge can be adjusted using a peg called tirant, it is mounted on the tailpiece of the instrument and connected to the string trompette with wire or thread. Tirant changes the lateral pressure on the string and thus adjusts the sensitivity of the buzz bridge in relation to the speed of the wheel. There are various techniques for rotating the wheel, accelerating its rotation in various phases. Each "jerk" (hard acceleration) of the wheel produces a distinct whirring sound. Such jerks are not made automatically, but are under the complete control of the performer.

On Hungarian instruments, this adjustment is carried out using a wedge called recsegőek(adjustment wedge (literally "buzzer wedge")), which deflects the bourdon string down. When played traditionally, the buzz bridge is completely controlled by the player's wrist and has a completely different sound and rhythmic capability compared to French instruments.

Regional types

Regional types of hurdy gurdy since the Renaissance can be classified according to
a) wheel size And
b) the presence or absence of a buzzing bridge.

1.Small wheel

Instruments with a small wheel (less than 14 cm in diameter) are typical of Central and Eastern Europe. They feature a wide string box (keybox) and bourdon strings that run inside her. Due to the small diameter of the wheel, these instruments usually have three strings - one melodic, one tenor and one bass string. There can sometimes be more strings - up to five.

German instrument with pear-shaped resonator Drehleier . Two or three bourdon strings and one or two chromatic melodic ones. The characteristic wedge-shaped "headstock" on which the tuning pegs are attached. Often richly decorated. Instruments of this type use a buzzing bridge with an adjusting peg, which is mounted next to the string, and not on the tailpiece as on French instruments.

V). Buzzing bridge with wedge adjustment

Hungarian tekerőlant : Usually has 2 bourdons (sometimes 3) and one or two melodic chromatic strings. The wide string box is often carved or heavily decorated.

Tyrolean Drehleier (Austria): Very similar to tekerőlant, but usually has a diatonic setting. It is very likely that this instrument was the prototype of the Hungarian one.

With). No buzzing bridge

lira korbowa (Poland). Guitar shape resonator. Two bourdons and one melodic diatonic string.

hurdy gurdy / ryla / ryla (Russia). Guitar shape resonator. Two bourdons and one melodic diatonic string. Flat keyboard.

lira (Ukraine). Two bourdons and one melodic diatonic string.
Three types of resonator: hollowed out from one piece of wood, guitar with side pegs and stacked with vertical pegs. Flat keyboard.

ninera/kolovratec (Slovakia). Guitar shape resonator. Two bourdons and one melodic diatonic string. Wide string box. Outwardly similar to the Hungarian tekerő, but does not have a buzzing bridge.

grodalira/vevlira (Sweden). It was revived in the 20th century according to historical patterns. Two forms of resonator: oblong box-shaped and elongated pear-shaped. It usually has a diatonic setting, but it can be extended to chromatic by adding extra keys that sit below the regular diatonic row (rather than above, as on most hurdy gurdy).

German tulip-shaped Drehleier . Three bourdons and one melodic diatonic string.

2.Big wheel

Tools with a large wheel (diameter from 14 to 17 cm) are typical for Western Europe. Such instruments usually have a narrow string box inside which only the melody strings are strung. They usually have more strings and often doubling or tripling. Some modern instruments have up to 15 strings, although the usual number is 6.

a). Buzzing bridge with string adjustment

hurdy gurdy- a stringed musical instrument, shaped like a violin case.

The performer holds the lyre on his knees. Most of its strings (6-8) sound simultaneously, vibrating as a result of friction on the wheel rotated by the right hand. One or two separate strings, the sounding part of which is shortened or lengthened with the help of rods with the left hand, reproduce the melody, and the remaining strings emit a monotonous hum.

In England, this instrument is called hurdy-gurdy (hardy-gurdy, also found in Russian), in Germany - drehleier, in France - vielle à roue, in Italy - ghironda or lira tedesca, in Hungary - tekerő. In Russian it is called the wheel lira, in Belarusian - lira, in Ukrainian - kolіsna lira or relay, and in Polish - lira korbowa.

The sound of the hurdy-gurdy is powerful, sad, monotonous, with a slight nasal tinge. To soften the sound, the strings at the point of contact with the wheel rim were wrapped with fibers of flax or wool. The sound quality of the instrument also depended on the precise centering of the wheel; in addition, it had to be smooth and well rosined.

In the X-XIII centuries. the hurdy gurdy was a bulky instrument (organistrum) played by two people. The instrument was used in monasteries; church music was played on it. By the 15th century, the hurdy gurdy had lost popularity and became an instrument of the poor and vagabonds, often blind and crippled, who performed songs, poems, and fairy tales to unpretentious accompaniment. During the Baroque, a new heyday of the instrument came. In the 18th century, the hurdy-gurdy became a fashionable toy for French aristocrats who were fond of rural life.

In Russia, the hurdy-gurdy became widespread in the 17th century. The instrument was mastered by beggars and blind vagabonds, “passable kaliki”. In order not to incur the wrath of the king and God, they performed spiritual verses to the sound of their lyres.

The hurdy gurdy was used by former Led Zeppelin band members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant in their joint project No Quarter. Unledded". The instrument was played by Nigel Eaton. At the moment, the hurdy gurdy can be found among the arsenal of musical instruments of the groups In Extremo (in particular, in their song "Captus Est" from the single "Nur Ihr Allein"), Blackmore "s_Night (in particular, in the song "The Clock Ticks On" with album "Paris_Moon") and Eluveitie, Metallica (in the songs of Low Man's Lyric, The Memory Remains)

Painting:

Georges de La Tour "organ grinder with dog"

Willem van Mieris "The Hurdy Gurdy Player Asleep in a Tavern"

David Vinckboons "The Blind Hurdy-Gurdy Player"

Teodor Aksentovich "Lirnik and the girl", 1900

Kazimir Pokhvalsky "Lirnik", 1885

Vasily Navozov "Song of Lyre"

vintage engraving "Girl playing the lyre"

Georges de la Tour Playing the hurdy-gurdy with a ribbon, 1640

Georges de la Tour "Playing the hurdy-gurdy", 1631-36

Kazimir Pokhvalsky "Lirnik in front of the hut", 1887

Unknown French artist "DANCE"

Pieter Brueghel Jr., The Organ Grinder, 1608

Jan van de Venne "The hurdy-gurdy man"

Jules Richomme "The Hurdy-Gurdy Girl"

Osmerkin Alexander Alexandrovich. "Still life with lyre and guitar", 1920

Photos:

Hungarians, photo 1980

lyre player on Moscow street -1900

A blind kobzar with a guide boy. Belarusians. REM Photo Archive

France-20-30s of the 20th century

France-20-30s of the 20th century

Wheel lyre. Hurdy Hurdy (hardy-hardy). Organistrum

Oranistrum - under this name, the hurdy gurdy appeared in Europe about a thousand years ago. This folk musical instrument is considered to be the forerunner of the nikelharpa (the nikelharpa is a Swedish folk musical instrument). Hurdy-gurdy (hardy-gurdy) - they call it in England, vielle a roue - in France, nin?ra kolovratec - in the Czech Republic. Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians began to call her a ryle or a lyre.
Until the 14th century, the hurdy gurdy was very bulky (up to two meters) and to play it, the musician needed an assistant to turn the handle.
The instrument was used in monasteries; church music was played on it. By the 15th century, the hurdy gurdy had lost popularity and became an instrument of the poor and vagabonds, often blind and crippled, who performed songs, poems, and fairy tales to unpretentious accompaniment.

Georges de la Tour. "Playing on a hurdy-gurdy with a ribbon." 1640

David Vinckboons. "The Blind Hurdy-Gurdy Player".

During the Baroque, a new heyday of the instrument came. In the 18th century, the hurdy-gurdy became a fashionable toy for French aristocrats who were fond of rural life.

Pieter Brueghel Jr., Hurdy-Gurdy Player» 1608

With the advent of the hurdy-gurdy as an accompaniment to dancing, the bulky instrument was replaced by a more portable one. There are modifications of this instrument - an instrument with an ordinary bow instead of a wheel (Nykelharpa in Sweden and Norway), or with a wheel, but without keys, with the usual violin fingering (Bauern Lyre).

Nikelharpa- Swedish folk musical instrument.

In Russia, the hurdy-gurdy became widespread in the 17th century. The instrument was mastered by beggars and blind vagabonds, “passable kaliki”. In order not to "incur the wrath of the king and God," they performed spiritual verses to the sound of their lyres.

Teodor Aksentovich. "Lirnik and the girl". 1900

Kazimir Pokhvalsky. "Lirnik in front of the hut". 1887

Vasily Navozov. "Song of the lyre".

Audio playback process

Three strings of various tunings are stretched over the body (which has a boat- or figure-of-eight shape), placed in a special box. A small keyboard with 8-11 keys is attached to the side of the drawer. That is, the hurdy gurdy is the first stringed instrument in which the keyboard is used.
The performer holds the lyre on his knees, presses the keys with his left hand, and turns the handle with his right, setting in motion a special wheel covered with hair, leather and rubbed with rosin. The wheel through the hole in the deck rubs against the strings and makes them sound.
Most of its strings (3-11) sound simultaneously, vibrating as a result of friction against the wheel turned by the right hand. One to four separate strings play the melody, while the remaining strings emit a monotonous buzz (called bourdon).
The sound of the hurdy-gurdy is powerful, sad, monotonous, with a slight nasal tinge. To soften the sound, the strings at the point of contact with the wheel rim were wrapped with fibers of flax or wool. The sound quality of the instrument also depended on the precise centering of the wheel; in addition, it had to be smooth and well rosined.

Kazimir Pokhvalsky. "Lirnik". 1885

In the nineteenth century in Ukraine, there were special schools of lyre players, which were very popular among the population of that time. The older students of such schools were practicing, playing in neighboring villages at weddings and bazaars. The income received - money and products as payment for training and maintenance - was given to the mentor. At the end of the training, the musician was examined for knowledge of the repertoire and mastery of the instrument. Old, experienced lyre players - "grandfathers" took part in the testing ceremony. The teacher, who successfully passed the exam, gave the newly-made lyre player a “wiggle” (probably, from the word “wiggle” - “liberation”) - the right to play independently and an instrument. At the same time, in the process of initiation into the lyre, the teacher hung the lyre intended as a reward for the student around his neck, the student covered it with his scroll. Then the belt of the instrument, into the resonator slot of the body of which a coin was dropped (probably for good luck), was thrown over the student's neck.

Jules Richomme. "The Hurdy-Gurdy Girl".

During the years of Soviet power, the lira was significantly improved. For example, an instrument designed by Ivan Mikhailovich Sklyar has nine strings that are tuned in minor thirds and a bayan-type keyboard mechanism. The wooden wheel was replaced with a plastic transmission band, as a result of which the lyre received a more even sound. The degree of pressure of the tape on the string is changed with the help of a special device, which gives a change in the strength of the sound of the instrument.
At present, the lyre has practically disappeared from folk music, but some musicians have not consigned the instrument to oblivion. The hurdy gurdy is a member of the Belarusian State Orchestra and the orchestral group of the State Folk Choir of Belarus. The musicians of the ensemble "Pesnyary" also use a hurdy-gurdy in their performances.

Ensemble "Pesnyary".

In Russia, the hurdy gurdy is played by: multi-instrumentalist Mitya Kuznetsov (“Ethno-Forge”), musician and composer Andrei Vinogradov, the group “Raznotravie”, etc.

Group "Forbs"

MITIA KUZNETSOV- Folk musician, composer, performer-multi-instrumentalist.

Hardy gurdy can also be heard abroad, for example, in Ritchie Blackmore's Blackmore's Night project.

Eluveitie - Pagan Fest II, Paris 16/12/2007

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