Hurdy-Gurdy Band Instruments

The Hurdy-Gurdy has a long history. It was probably invented in the northwest of what is now Spain in the 11th or 12th Century. This region was then the Kingdom of Galicia and a place where the original Celtic folk of the region rubbed elbows with the Christians from the North, the Muslims from the South, and Jews from the East.

In Medieval times the Hurdy-Gurdy was a repectable instrument played by angels as well as noble Troubadours and Trouveres. By the 14th Century it was played almost everywhere in Europe. In French it is known as La Vielle a Roue, in German Die Drehleier, Italian La Ghirondha, Spanish La Zamfonia, Hungarian Tekerolant, Swedish Lirans, etc. etc.

Though the sound is often compared to the Bagpipes, the Hurdy-Gurdy is actually a type of violin! The bow is replaced by a rosined wooden wheel which is turned by a crank. Some strings drone along without interruption. Other strings play the melody, which is produced by pressing keys that stop the strings with tangents of wood.

By varying the attack of the bowing, the Hurdy-Gurdy produces a pulsating and rhythmically variable buzzing sound called, in English, the "Trumpet".

The Hurdy-Gurdy is not to be confused with the Barrel Organ, played by the organ grinder!

By the time of the Renaissance, the Hurdy-Gurdy was still ubiquitous, but fell on hard times. No longer a "noble" instrument, it was played by shepherds and itinerant (and often blind) beggars.

A darker side of the Hurdy-Gurdy also appears at this time: an instrument favored by Old Mr. Bones to accompany his macabre Totentanz!

Though it remains very much an instrument of the people, in the 18th Century the Hurdy-Gurdy once again is an instrument that is repected and very popular. In England and France it is often played to accompany the singing of ballads and vaudevilles.