Hurdy-Gurdy

[spudtater]

I believe it was tehblahhh who was expressing disbelief that there was such an instrument as a "hurdy gurdy". I insisted that it did exist, and that it was some sort of crank-operated device, although I couldn't give any more details.

Well, this is a hurdy gurdy, and it's really quite a lovely instrument. An odd mixture of the mechanical and the organic, with a haunting, mournful tone.

(More hurdy gurdy: One with a 'buzzing bridge' for rhythm. One played with crazy-fast fingers.)

Apparently it was all the rage in medieval times, and then all but died out. What other instruments have been forgotten by history?

Comments

[nickys]

I expect there's an obscure 80s Goth band or something somewhere that plays medieval instruments. The dulcimer had a brief reappearance on the Goth scene certainly, and there's a punk band which has a ukelele.

As to forgotten instruments, check out the bombard. It's a wind instrument and it can be vicious in a confined space.

[spudtater]

"Bombard" indeed!

The history of music is quite interesting. I find it fascinating that they didn't even have the same notes as we do nowadays.

[nickys]

No, really...

[spudtater]

I believe you! I was commenting on the aptness of the name.   8^)

I located a video of said device being played — see comments on the livejournal version of this post.