Hurdy-Gurdy, Or The Medieval Instrument You Might Have Never Heard About

The hurdy-gurdy is a rather old stringed instrument used in medieval times. However, its historical background does not make it necessarily obsolete. This musical instrument is generally considered to trace its origins in various early medieval fiddles used in Europe prior to the round of the 11th century.

In contemporary times, the hurdy-gurdy is quasi-unknown and very much unpopular on the music market. Yet it must be mentioned that centuries ago it was a great instrument for performing enchanting medieval tunes. It was predominantly used in modern day France and in may places across Iberia and Central Europe throughout the High Middle Ages.

The main predecessor of the hurdy-gurdy was a large guitar-like instrument (known as 'organistrum') that could have been maneuvered by two musicians. As such, it was heavier and a little bit more complex than the first well-established hurdy-gurdy prototypes.

Luckily, along with the cultural boom of the Renaissance, the organistrum was 'upgraded' (by the standards of the time) into the hurdy-gurdy proper, consequently becoming much lighter and significantly 'user-friendly', this time a sole musician being able to play it on his own. In the illustration below are depicted the main components of the hurdy-gurdy:

On through the time's passing, as much as 23 or 24 distinct types of hurdy-gurdies have been identified by devoted researchers and musicians. However, to this day, because of this tremendous diversity, there is no universally-accepted standard form for the hurdy-gurdy (and, perhaps, this is also an aspect which contributes to its uniqueness).

Below you can watch a short video which details the playing mechanisms of this instrument as well as its interesting history: