Wheeled lyre

Today we will talk about an ancient, ancient musical instrument called the wheeled lyre; with an explanation at the end of the article, which, in fact, is generally talking about.

Some of my acquaintances surmise that for 30 years now I have been studying folk culture - albeit not professionally; and during all this time I hardly used musical instruments. I have a certain prejudice towards them - as one famous folklorist says; "in order to save our folklore, all accordions must be burned." I extend this relationship to other instruments as well. :))) But there is one to whom the attitude is special. Back in the early 1980s, the Pokrovsky ensemble came to Nsk, where someone played the wheeled lyre and sang spiritual verses to it; I think it was Andrei Kotov, but I could be wrong. The lyre is a special instrument, and quite rare, so for all the years "in folklore" I didn’t really know what it was and where it came from, until I got into it to sort it out.

The history of this instrument goes back centuries. Its prototype appeared in ... X-XII century in Western Europe, and it was called then, or "organist". Two musicians played on it - one turned a knob with a drive on a wheel, which rubbed against the strings and produced sounds; and the other, in fact, output the melody by raising the necessary keys:

Unlike most instruments, the organistrum originally appeared as an instrument for ... worship, and was played in churches and monasteries; this in some way determined his entire future destiny.

In the 13-15th centuries, the instrument was improved, reduced in size, and since then one musician has played on it, and instead of the complex lifting of the keys, the keyboard is almost familiar to us, where the keys are pressed with fingers and return back under their own weight. The instrument was still used in monasteries, but the organ replaced it from divine services (after all, this is about Western Europe); and he went to the people. Even then it ceased to be called "organistrum", and in every country where it was distributed, it has its own name; in world culture, the English name hurdy-gurdy is most widespread.

Features of the instrument - the strings are stretched almost like in an ordinary stringed instrument, but the sound is produced not by an ordinary bow, but by a wooden wheel playing the role of an endless bow, so that the sound is like a bagpipe, just as boring and disgusting. Two (or more) strings do not change their pitch and hum constantly - this is called "bourdon"; and one (and more) strings, under the influence of the keys, change the length, and, therefore, the pitch is the voice string. In the most ancient version there were 2 bourdons + 1 voice, but then the musicians began to look for ways to increase the volume and the striking power of the instrument, and in modern herdy-gurdy there are more than a dozen strings, as well as all sorts of gadgets such as a "buzzing bridge" by changing the speed of rotation of the wheel.

In the 15-17 centuries (data vary), the instrument came to Russia, through the territory of Ukraine and Belarus, where it became most widespread. In those years in Europe, the instrument had already gone out of fashion, and it was mainly played by beggars and troubadours, performing spiritual verses under it. So in our country, it was mainly used by kaliki pedestrians, performing spiritual verses and (possibly) telling epics to it.

In the 18th century, the instrument experienced a new heyday, when the European elite suddenly became interested in rural life, and several classics were composed for the lyre. Perhaps at this time the lyre (more precisely, its European counterpart, herdi-girdi) became an exclusively secular instrument, and is still used by European musicians in ethno-music, both solo and in ensembles.

According to the author's assurances, apart from the hardy-girdy of the instruments, nothing was used

In Ukraine, the lyre (where it is called "snout") also flourished in the 18-19 centuries, and it was even believed that it would pick up the bandura, it was so popular. Whole artels of lyre players played at weddings, fairs and other festivities - the instrument is loud, it allows you to play for a long time without getting tired. The tradition of lyricism existed in our country until the 1930s, when, according to some versions, all lyre players were eliminated, and according to others, poverty as a class was abolished, and therefore the wandering musicians were all extinct.

Although lyres were mainly used in Ukraine and among the Don Cossacks (there they were called "Don rylya"), they are also in the Russian version. True, they did not get to our places - already in the Urals no one had heard of them (according to my information), what can we say for our Siberia. So for our places this is not really a traditional instrument (or not at all).

With the revival of folk culture "from above", from the cities, the lyre tradition began to revive - many ensembles introduce lyres into their repertoire throughout the country. This instrument is special, "spiritual", and it can and should be used in the performance of spiritual poems - for example, the well-known ensemble "Oktay" in Siberia does use the lyre. :)

Lire masters also appeared. One of the most famous - from under Myshkin; he has a whole video instruction on working with lyres on his website. :) Also makes lyres, Ulyanovsk-Moscow.

One of the most popular videos with the Russian wheel lyre in tytruba - over a million views.

And, actually, why am I writing all this:

It turns out that in Nske we have a master for the manufacture of wheeled lyres (as well as harps and other medieval instruments) - a 4-string (2 voices and 2 bourdons) chromatic lyre was found and mercilessly acquired from him - not the most ancient version, but also not some hardy-girdle about 10 strings with a bunch of whistles. :))) Moreover, I already managed to break one string, now it's ethnography, there are still half the buttons left to break off. :)))

Due to the peculiarities of the instrument, he does not know how to play quietly - if you turn the wheel too slowly, then the sound is simply not produced, or wheezes and stutters, so poor neighbors. :) One thing is good - for study, you can turn off all the strings, except for one voice, and select and train at 1/4 volume. :))) For a musician, playing the lyre is probably quite simple; but for me, as one who does not know musical notation in principle, so far everything is given with difficulty; it's only on the video, everything is simple, but try to pick up something sensible ... The most difficult thing, oddly enough, is to set up the instrument; in tuning the lyre is more difficult than a piano, and this is practically no joke - the difficulties here are not in stretching the notes, but in a heap of small subtleties, such as rosinizing the wheel, adjusting the height of the string tension, winding wool and so on and so forth. Nothing, let's break through. :) Soon, I hope I will find something to show.

Looks like a violin case. This instrument is also known as organistrum or hardy-hardy. The lyre must be kept on your knees when playing, and most of the strings are played simultaneously when playing. The musical instrument, popular since the X century, is not used so often today. But thanks to its amazing sound and original design, the lyre is still remembered to this day.

Sound features

The sound of a wheeled lyre is ensured by the work of most of the strings, when vibration occurs as a result of friction against the wheel. It is noteworthy that most of the strings are responsible only for the monotonous hum, and the melody is reproduced by playing one or two. The wheeled lyre sounds powerful, sad, monotonous, somewhat nasal. And to soften the sound, the strings have long been wrapped with linen or woolen fibers. The exact centering of the wheel also plays an important role - it must be smooth and greased.

Device

The three-stringed lyre has a deep wooden body in the shape of a figure eight, two flat decks that have bent sides. The upper part of the instrument is complemented by a head with wooden pegs, which allows tuning the strings. The wheeled lyre has a short peg box that often ends in a curl. Since the wheel rim protrudes slightly outward, it is hidden under a special bast guard in the shape of an arc.

The top deck has holes, on which there is a keyboard-nut mechanism with keys. These, in turn, are simple wooden planks with projections. When a musician pushes the keys, it is precisely the projections that touch the strings, making sounds. The protrusions are attached in such a way that they can be displaced in different directions, thereby leveling the sound row. The body of the instrument is designed in such a way that the string sound is amplified. The amplification of the sound occurs due to the vibrations of the strings, which are caused by the movement of the wheel.

Features of strings

The wheeled lyre is an instrument with three strand strings:

• melodic, which is called spivanitsa, or melody;
• two drums, which are called bass and pidbassok.

If the melodic string by design passes through the inner part of the box, then the bourdon string - on top of it. All strings are positioned to touch the wheel rim. It is rubbed with resin before work, so that the strings sound smooth and audible. The evenness of the sound is ensured by the smooth surface of the wheel and its precise centering. A melody is created or played by pressing the keys located in the side cutouts of the box.

Historically, strings were created from cores, although metal or nylon strings are increasingly popular today. To get the desired timbre and sound quality, the musicians wrapped the strings with cotton or other fiber, and there should be more on the bourdon cover. And if there is not enough cotton wool, the sound will be either too dull or too harsh, especially in the upper range.

How to play?

The wheeled lyre is a tool that is not easy to use. Lyra is put on her knees, and a belt is thrown over her shoulders. The tuner box should be located on the left side and slightly tilted, while the free keys should fall off the string. With his right hand, the musician evenly and slowly rotates the wheel by the handle, pressing the keys with his left hand. In its sound, the lyre resembles a bagpipe or a whistle, since drums sound in all three instruments. As for the sound quality, it depends primarily on the friction wheel, which is accurately centered and well lubricated. If the musician plays while standing, the lyre is suspended from a shoulder strap with a slight tilt to distribute the weight of the instrument.

How did the lyre come about?

The wheeled lyre is a musical instrument that has been known since the X century. Most often it was used in monasteries to perform church music. By the 15th century, the instrument had become not so popular, but it continued to be used by vagrants, blind, crippled, who walked the streets and performed songs, fairy tales to the unpretentious sound of the lyre.

In Russia, this musical instrument was known around the 17th century, and experts answer that it appeared in our country from Ukraine. It was here that even whole schools of lyre players existed, who wandered from village to village, played music and earned money. The lyre was also used at weddings, since it sounded loudly, and the repertoire for it could be chosen the most fun. The peculiarity of the wheeled lyre is that it was produced in different lengths. In some variations, even two of us had to play music on it, since the instrument was up to one and a half meters long.

Lyre Brotherhood

In Ukraine, the game on the wheeled lyre was taught in whole classes of 30 people. The elders got into practice, which involved visiting neighboring villages during bazaars and weddings, when the money earned was given to the mentor as tuition fees. After graduation, the musicians took exams.

During the Soviet years, the lyre underwent several changes. The photo shows that even outwardly the instrument has changed somewhat. Thanks to the improvement of the design, it became more original, there were 9 strings, and they were tuned in small thirds. Instead of a wooden wheel, a plastic transmission band was used, which made the sound smoother. The degree of pressure on the string was changed with a special device, therefore the sound intensity of the instrument was different. Note that improved samples of the lyre are still used in folk orchestras.

What today?

In Russia today, the wheeled lyre is rarely used. The musical instrument (the photo shows all its color) remained in the State Orchestra and People's Choir of Belarus. It is noteworthy that hardy-hardy was also used among rockers: the groups Led Zeppelin, In Extremo chose the instrument due to its unusual sound. Today, the instrument is practically forgotten, but some orchestras, for their unusual sound, leave the hardy-gardi as the highlight of their work.

Varieties of wheeled lyres

In European countries, there are many types of wheeled lyres, including Russian versions of the instrument. The wheeled lyre in Russia has never been used in professional music and existed only in the environment of everyday and amateur music-making. In Russia, there are three varieties of this instrument. Type No. 1: Great Russian wheeled lyre. It differs in a relatively small body type in the form of a viola, a narrow scale and a peculiar repertoire. View No. 2: Don snout. This instrument is common in the territory of the Don Army. It is an old type of instrument with an organistrum body. Type number 3: wheeled lyre of the Ukrainian type. Differs in the originality of design details, playing techniques and repertoire.

Wheel lyre tuning

There is no single established setting for the wheel lyre. The variety of designs of this instrument, as well as different musical traditions, often require different tuning methods. The tuning of the wheel lyre is carried out using a tuning block and a keyboard mechanism. By rotating the pegs, the required height of the strings is achieved, and by carefully bending the flags on the keys, the scale of the playing string is fine-tuned.

Setting option:

To achieve a beautiful melodic sound, wrap a small amount of ordinary cotton wool or soft wool around the part of the string where it mates with the game wheel. Rub generously with simple violin rosin to increase the friction on the strings. After all the preparatory procedures, start spinning the wheel and continue spinning continuously for 3-5 minutes, adjusting the cotton wool on the strings if necessary. Then take a breath. Everything, you can play.

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Features of the care of the wheel lyre

The wheeled lyre is a peculiar instrument that requires active attention. The most subtle point is pairing the strings with the game wheel. Always carry a piece of cotton or wool with you and learn how to wind it correctly. Protect the wheeled lyre from rain and moisture. During operation, dirt appears on the surface of the lyre. If your instrument has begun to lose its presentable appearance, we recommend using special products in the form of polishes and cleaning products for the care of musical instruments. Be sure to use a cover to store the wheel lira.

Wheeled lyre strings

The choice of strings for a wheel lyre is largely individual. Balalaiker recommends using a set of playing nylon strings and metal-braided bourdon strings. This option allows the lyre to sound bright, rich and balanced.

The history of the wheeled lyre

brief historical background

The wheeled lyre is an ancient musical instrument of European origin. The first mentions of it are found in historical sources of the 9th-10th centuries. At first, the wheeled lyre was used mainly to accompany church services, but already in the Middle Ages it spread in many European countries as an instrument for the widest repertoire.
On the territory of the Moscow kingdom, the wheeled lyre appeared at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries. The instrument penetrated into the Russian lands through the Ukrainian and Belarusian territories along with settlers, merchants, interventionists and other active population. The wheeled lyre was firmly entrenched and remained until recently in the traditions of some regions of Russia - Bryansk, Oryol, Kursk, Rostov and some others. It is interesting that back in the 1920s, wandering lyre players could be found even in the streets and bazaars of Moscow. The famous connoisseur of folk music Mitrofan Pyatnitsky also had its own wheeled lyre.
The Russian wheeled lyre, in contrast to its European relative, was an instrument for the most part folk, little known to the noble and professional musical circles. The Russian lyre was distinguished by its simplicity of production, a relatively small scale, a small number of strings (2-4 pieces) and an original repertoire. The lyre found the widest application among vagrants and professional beggars, for whom it was a professional tool for earning money. They could be found in crowded places performing spiritual verses and psalms. However, in some regions, playing the lyre also acted as an accompaniment to lingering songs. For example, in the traditions of the Don Cossacks, the lyre (the local name is snout) was used to accompany songs and was preserved until the first third of the 20th century. They played on the wheeled lyre to dance, and to dances, and to ditties, and even to romances. One of the last Russian lyre players, Klimenty Feoktistovich Shmatov, lived until the 50s of the 20th century in the Starodubsky district of the Bryansk region and played in rural bazaars until the last days. The wheeled lyre, bought from him in 1953, is now kept in the Moscow Conservatory.
Nowadays, the wheeled lyre again attracts the attention of the public. She is increasingly appearing on the horizon, participating in the programs of folk musicians, experimenters and performers of sacred music.

Wheeled lyre. Hurdy gurdy (hardy-hardy). Organistrum

Ogranistrum - under this name the wheeled lyre appeared in Europe about a thousand years ago. This folk musical instrument is rightfully considered the predecessor of the nickelharpa (nickelharpa is a Swedish folk musical instrument). Hurdy-gurdy (hardy-gurdy) - they call her in England, vielle a roue - in France, nin? Ra kolovratec - in the Czech Republic. Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians began to call it a snout or a lyre.
Until the XIV century, the wheeled lyre was very bulky (up to two meters) and to play it, the musician needed an assistant who rotated the handle.
The instrument was used in monasteries, church music was performed on it. By the 15th century, the wheeled lyre had lost its popularity and became an instrument of beggars and vagabonds, often blind and crippled, who sang songs, poems, fairy tales to an unpretentious accompaniment.

Georges de la Tour. "Who plays the wheeled lyre with a ribbon." 1640 g.

David Vinckboons. "The Blind Hurdy-Gurdy Player".

During the Baroque era, the instrument flourished again. In the 18th century, the wheeled lyre became a fashionable toy for French aristocrats who were fond of rural life.

Pieter Bruegel Jr., " Hurdy-Gurdy Player"1608

With the adoption of the wheeled lyre as accompaniment to dancing, the bulky instrument was replaced by the more portable one. There are modifications of this instrument - an instrument with a regular bow instead of a wheel (Nykelharpа in Sweden and Norway), or with a wheel, but without keys, with ordinary violin fingering (Bauern Lyre).

Nickelharpa - Swedish folk musical instrument.

In Russia, the wheeled lyre became widespread in the 17th century. The instrument was mastered by beggars and blind tramps, "kaliki pedestrian". In order not to "incur the wrath of the king and God," they sang spiritual verses to the sound of their lyres.

Teodor Aksentovich. "Lirnik and Girl". 1900 g.

Kazimir Pokhvalsky. "Lirnik in front of the hut"... 1887 g.

Vasily Navozov. "Song of the Lyre".

Sound playback process

Above the body (which has a boat-shaped or eight-shaped) stretched three strings of various settings, placed in a special box. A small keyboard with 8-11 keys is attached to the side of the drawer. That is, the wheeled lyre is the first stringed instrument in which a keyboard is used.
The performer holds the lyre on his knees, presses the keys with his left hand, and turns the handle with his right hand, which sets in motion a special wheel covered with hair, leather and rubbed with rosin. The wheel rubs against the strings through the hole in the deck and makes them sound.
Most of her strings (3-11) sound simultaneously, vibrating as a result of friction against a wheel rotated by her right hand. One to four separate strings play the melody, while the other strings emit a monotonous hum (called bourdon).
The sound of a wheeled lyre is powerful, sad, monotonous, with a slight nasal tinge. To soften the sound, the strings were wrapped in flax or wool fibers at the point of contact with the wheel rim. The sound quality of the instrument also depended on the exact centering of the wheel; besides, it had to be smooth and well-knit.

Kazimir Pokhvalsky. "Lirnik". 1885 g.

In the nineteenth century in Ukraine there were special lyre schools, which were very popular among the population of that time. The older students of such schools did their practice, playing in neighboring villages at weddings and bazaars. The income received - money and products as payment for training and maintenance - was given to the mentor. Upon graduation, the musician was examined for knowledge of the repertoire and mastery of the instrument. Old, experienced lyre players - "grandfathers" took part in the testing ceremony. The teacher who successfully passed the exam gave the newly made lyricist a "vizvilka" (probably from the word "vizvil" - "liberation") - the right to play and instrument independently. At the same time, in the process of initiation into the lyre books, the lyre intended as a reward for the student was hung by the teacher around his neck, the student covered it with his scroll. Then the belt of the instrument, into the resonator slot of the body of which a coin was dropped (probably for luck), was thrown over the student's neck.

Jules Richomme. "The Hurdy-Gurdy Girl".

During the years of Soviet power, the lyre was significantly improved. For example, an instrument designed by Ivan Mikhailovich Sklyar has nine strings tuned in minor thirds and a button accordion-type keyboard mechanism. The wooden wheel was replaced with a plastic transmission band, as a result of which the lyre received a smoother sound. The degree of pressure of the tape on the string is changed with the help of a special device, which gives a change in the strength of the sound of the instrument.
Currently, the lyre has practically disappeared from folk music, but some musicians have not consigned the instrument to oblivion. The wheeled lyre is a member of the Belarusian State Orchestra and the orchestral group of the State Folk Choir of Belarus. The musicians of the Pesnyary ensemble also use the wheeled lyre in their performances.

Ensemble "Pesnyary".

In Russia, the wheel lyre is played by the multi-instrumentalist Mitya Kuznetsov (Ethno-Kuznya), musician and composer Andrei Vinogradov, the Raznotravie group, and others.

Group "Forbs"

Mitya Kuznetsov - folk musician, composer, multi-instrumentalist performer.