Help Define "Hurdy Gurdy"
By Bob Conant
In a message dated 96-02-01 03:28:27 EST, you write:
> Right now I keep thinking of getting a Hurdy Gurdy to Bring back to
> Canada (If I could find one around here)
> I'm in Highland beach Florida for the winter.
>
> Charles Kossman
> p001573b@pbfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us
Charles, what do you mean by hurdy-gurdy ? A friend of mine built what I believe is a real hurdy-gurdy. It looks like a cross between a guitar, a Mills Violano and an autoharp. It has a soundbox like a guitar and several strings. The strings are sounded by turning a crank which in turn caused wheels to turn against them. The notes were picked out by a system of buttons which fretted the strings in different places corresponding to the notes or chords desired.
Many knowledgeable people ascribe the term hurdy-gurdy to a stringed instrument like a small street piano which is cranked and the tunes are determined usually by a pinned barrel.
Finally, the general public uses the term to describe what is really a street organ (sometimes called a monkey organ) that plays by cranking and uses organ pipes to make the music. The tunes are generally pinned on barrels on the old ones and may be punched in paper rolls or cardboard books or be imbedded in microchips on the newest ones.
You indicated an interest in obtaining a hurdy-gurdy. If you really mean a street or monkey organ, I think you will be able to find one either restored or unrestored or new if you look in the right places. If you are referring to the street piano type of instrument, these are rather scarce but occasionally one does turn up. Again, persistance will pay off. If you are referring to the true hurdy-gurdy, I wish you luck. These are extremely rare and you may end up having to construct one like that friend of mine.
Anyone else have a definition or description of a hurdy-gurdy ?
Hope this stimulates a little discussion.
Bob Conant
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(Message sent Thu 1 Feb 1996, 19:16:23 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.) |
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