It is amazing how one can live with a viewpoint formed under a wrong premise early in life. This is not a serious post, but I loved the Donovan song Hurdy Gurdy Man when I was a youngster (all 7 years old me) and someone told me that 'a hurdy gurdy man is a jester or clown who plays the fiddle'.
Listen to the tune whilst I correct my misinformed perception therafter.
Hurdy Gurdy Man - Donovan
Well, last week I was walking around the Science and Technology museum in Milan, Italy when I entered the musical instrument lab and came across this weird looking instrument ....
The hurdy-gurdy is a stringed instrument that produces sound by a hand crank-turned, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to those of a violin. Melodies are played on a keyboard that presses tangents—small wedges, typically made of wood—against one or more of the strings to change their pitch. Like most other acoustic stringed instruments, it has a sound board and hollow cavity to make the vibration of the strings audible.
Source
Have a close look at the intricate carvings all over the wooden components clearly the craftsman took pride in his creation.
I am happy I discovered this interestin instrument, now next task is to find some hurdy gurdy compositions to listen to. I wonder if Youtube is up to it.
Thanks for reading and I hope to share some of our Italy trip with my followers over the next few days.
