Fullscreen version

Mouse + left mouse button: rotation
Mouse + right mouse button: pan
Mouse wheel: zoom
Mouse click on interactive object (keys): animation and sound

The hurdy-gurdy (also known as a wheel, mare's head, beggar's violin) is a stringed musical instrument. Its sound is produced by the friction of the circumference of a rotating, fluted wheel against the strings, which are shortened using wooden tangents controlled by the rods of a simple keyboard. The wheel performs a similar function to the bow on a violin. Playing the hurdy-gurdy is characterized by a single melody in the octave range with a drone delay. The player turns the crank with his right hand, while the fingers of his left hand control the flap device. The hurdy-gurdy can be held standing, suspended from a strap over his shoulder or fastened around his waist, or placed on his knees when playing while sitting.

Throughout history, the socio-cultural status of the hurdy-gurdy has changed, from a temple setting to a folk instrument, serving as an instrument for beggars and wandering musicians. Later, it emerged as an eighteenth-century fashion fad for the entertainment of the nobility. Today, it is receiving a new wave of attention from foreign and domestic producers and musicians of various genres.

There are more than thirty hurdy-gurdies in Czech museum collections, eight of which belong to the collection of the National Museum - Czech Museum of Music in Prague. One of these instruments is represented by the depicted hurdy-gurdy from an unknown manufacturer. It comes from the inventory of the Cistercian monastery in Osek, in whose inventory it was recorded as a "lyre", later "lyra antiqua". It came to the museum collection in 1949 as a confiscation of the National Cultural Commission. It has already been briefly discussed in the literature as a "typically Czech hurdy-gurdy" of the 18th century, although this place of origin is debatable. The shape of the body, the arched end of the pin box and the location of one smaller sound hole make it identical to the German and Swedish variants of the hurdy-gurdy.

The depicted hurdy-gurdy has been preserved without the lid of the tangent box, which it is usually equipped with. It has two melodic strings tuned in unison, whose vibrating length is shortened by tangents. There are eleven pushers with tangents, the melodic strings provide an extended diatonic range. On the sides on the left and right are two drone strings, tuned in a perfect fifth. This creates a harmonic accompaniment that corresponds to the system of musical production of the early Middle Ages, the time of the origin of this instrument. The tangents are all-wooden, rectangular in shape. The tailpiece is attached only with metal wire. A leather eyelet is stretched in the middle under the handle, probably for attaching a strap to hang the instrument while playing. The strings are gut, the tailpiece loop is made of several layers of thin wire. The wooden parts are made of light brown. On the upper surface and sides of the peg box there are ornaments that are now barely visible. There are also remnants of colorful floral motifs on the edges in the lower area of the round part of the body; in both cases, this is probably glued paper.

Video demonstration