RE: [HG-new] Digest for hurdygurdy@googlegroups.com - 8 Messages in 2 Topics
michael
From: hurdy...@googlegroups.com [mailto:hurdy...@googlegroups.com]
Sent: 27 June 2012 08:54
To: Digest Recipients
Subject: [HG-new] Digest for hurdy...@googlegroups.com - 8 Messages in 2 Topics
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/hurdygurdy/topics
§ a medieval hurdy gurdy - Youtube clips [4 Updates]
§ Breathalizers and hurdy-gurdies [4 Updates]
Ernic
Kamerich <e.kam...@gmail.com> Jun 26 08:09AM +0200
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, (modern hurdy-gurdies are larger instruments of the early
18th cent and can be set up to play quietly and sweetly. In period performance,
however, it is more appealing to have a model of the period) 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. Which no doubt it
is.
With my combined interest in medieval (and renaissance) music, which I play
in consorts (a consort is normally a group
of instruments of the same type but at different pitches, such as consort of
viols or recorders.) 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. The
organistrum can be tuned in various ways, just like our modern instrument. It may
be used to play a drone only, as in our successful recording ‘a Feather
on the Breath of God’ or a monody which can be lively, with one or more drones,. The Santiago
type is large and sounds an octave lower. (I sell plans for this.) The players
are often depicted as singing and it may be that the instrument was used for
teaching the new tunes which were sent around Europe by the Vatican. As Europe
developed culturally the organistrum was replaced by the organ (And see pp 4-6 of The
Hurdy-gurdy Method). Odo’s drawing is suspect,
seeming to be a copy of a copy. The details are never right in these drawings,
being copied and re-copied from chap books by scribes who did not know the
instrument at first hand.
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. I have a ‘square’ sinfonye which is 4o years old.
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. Yes, very interesting.
- 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)
Wolodymyr
Smishkewych <wolodymyrs...@googlemail.com> Jun
26 12:14PM +0100
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:
Wolodymyr
Smishkewych <wolodymyrs...@googlemail.com> Jun
26 12:15PM +0100
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:
Margarita
Rankin <rankin.m...@gmail.com> Jun 26 06:33PM
-0500
As a sinfonia player myself, I enjoyed that. Nothing to be sorry about!
--Margarita
On Jun 26, 2012 6:15 AM, "Wolodymyr Smishkewych" <
JULIE
BARKER <dro...@btinternet.com> Jun 26 05:32PM +0100
This might at first seem a long way off topic but in view of the fact that some
of us hope to go to France for the gurdy festival season it might just be
relevent.
I have heard that from 1st July it is to become law for every car to carry a
breathalizer. Does anyone out there know about this? I remember a few years ago
they introduced the hi-viz jacket rule at what seemed like short notice.
Philip G Martin aka Drohne
www.drohne.co.uk
cwhill
<cwh...@santa-fe.freeserve.co.uk> Jun 26 06:16PM +0100
Yes, that's quite correct. From 1st July you must carry a portable one
if you are driving in France.
It's NOT a joke. The fine for not having
one is 11Euro!
You can buy them at the channel ports. The good news is that they are
only a couple of pounds (limit in France
is 50mg per 100ml of blood (30
lower than the UK).
You also need more than one (if you use it, you won't be legal unless
you still have an unused one in the car).
You are not required to actually use it, of course, just to have one in
the car!
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1073607_france-decrees-mandatory-breathalyzers-in-all-cars-by-july-1
Colin Hill
On 26/06/2012 17:32, JULIE BARKER wrote:
-----
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2012.0.2180 / Virus Database: 2437/5094 - Release Date: 06/26/12
cwhill
<cwh...@santa-fe.freeserve.co.uk> Jun 26 06:18PM +0100
Yes, that's quite correct. From 1st July you must carry a portable one
if you are driving in France.
It's NOT a joke. The fine for not having
one is 11Euro!
You can buy them at the channel ports. The good news is that they are
only a couple of pounds (limit in France
is 50mg per 100ml of blood (30
lower than the UK).
You also need more than one (if you use it, you won't be legal unless
you still have an unused one in the car).
You are not required to actually use it, of course, just to have one in
the car!
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1073607_france-decrees-mandatory-breathalyzers-in-all-cars-by-july-1
Colin Hill
On 26/06/2012 17:32, JULIE BARKER wrote:
-----
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2012.0.2180 / Virus Database: 2437/5094 - Release Date: 06/26/12
cwhill
<cwh...@santa-fe.freeserve.co.uk> Jun 26 06:24PM +0100
Apologies for the multiple replies. Didn't notice the same message was
posted to several groups as CC and I just hit reply on the ones I'm a
member of so they all came through here (first named group)! Sorry.
Colin Hill
On 26/06/2012 17:32, JULIE BARKER wrote:
-----
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2012.0.2180 / Virus Database: 2437/5094 - Release Date: 06/26/12
You received this message because you are subscribed to
the Google Group hurdygurdy.
You can post via email.
To unsubscribe from this group, send an empty
message.
For more options, visit
this group.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "hurdygurdy" group.
To post to this group, send email to hurdy...@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
hurdygurdy+...@googlegroups.com
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.