The hurdy-gurdy is a fascinating instrument which dates back to medieval times.

Here is a drawing of the earliest form of Hurdy Gurdy, an 'Organistrum' - a two man instrument:

This was carved in 1150 in the Cathedral at Santiago de Compostella in North West Spain.

"'Edward Turner' based his Organistrum on the twelfth-century carving above.

The reproduction displays a remarkable wealth of detail, including a carved griffin head, whose mouth opens onto the crank that activates the friction wheel.

The hurdy-gurdy was actually the first stringed instrument to which the keyboard principle was applied. The French name, Viella a Roue (wheel fiddle), describes the method by which sound is produced. By cranking the handle the wooden wheel, which is coated with resin, turns against the gut strings which vibrate & produce the music.

On the left is a Symphonia, the first one-man Hurdy Gurdy. Listen to it here:

"Angel with Symphonia" c.1360 - Italian Altarpieces and Religious Sculpture of the 1300s. "The Symfonia is a small rectangular Hurdy Gurdy & is depicted in numerous English miniatures. This is a closed instrument with a key box located on the top whose keys are fingered from the front.

It is played by one person."

Here is a modern version of the 'Bosch' Hurdy Gurdy, made by 'Chris Eaton' & designed in the style of the Hurdy Gurdy in the C16th painting by 'Hieronymus Bosch'.

Chris is one of the many fine English Hurdy Gurdy makers.

Another of Chris Eaton's fine Hurdy Gurdys is this Renaissance model.

"This style was common in the 16C & 17C and features in paintings of the period, being played in elegant surroundings by the aristocracy."

This Guitar bodied Hurdy Gurdy, the one I play, was made by 'Chris Allen & Sabina Kormylo'.

It was designed after the 'Colson' model of c1850.

A simple Hurdy Gurdy by maker Mike Gilpin & made from flamed maple and walnut, with a spruce soundboard.

The Lute bodied Hurdy Gurdy was first developed in the 18th century & has become the most popular shape today.

This is probably due to its powerful tone which makes it ideal for outdoor performance and dance accompaniment.

This beautiful instrument was made by 'Claire Dugue'

Helmut Gotschy describes his "Abraxas" Hurdy Gurdy as ".. the ideal hurdy gurdy for all Medevial Rock musicians.

Completely black with ebony keys, geared heads and adjustable pick-up system, she leaves no Phoenix desires unfulfilled."

The latest development is the Electro-Acoustic Hurdy Gurdy. The one on the left is designed by 'Neil Brook'.

"Essentially, the unit comprises two mixable piezo inputs with three band eq and an interior microphone with brightness control which can be added to the mix for greater acoustic accuracy.

There are then master volume and phase reversal controls."

Hurdy Gurdy Maintenance

For useful pages on 'Setting up your Hurdy Gurdy' & a 'Trompette Workshop' check out Neil Brook's excellent site.

Irish Music on the Hurdy Gurdy

Neil Brook has a page on his site with a list of some suitable Irish tunes for the Hurdy Gurdy.

He has also produced an excellent CD which demonstrates how he plays some of these tunes.

For details of this CD, check out Neils site at:

Listen to 4 tracks from this CD at Neil's 'MySpace':

Hurdy Gurdy Makers of the UK

Neil Brook:

Mike Gilpin

Chris Eaton:

Claire Dugue:

Chris Allan & Sabina Kormylo:

More Hurdy Gurdy Makers

Balázs Nagy (Budapest)

Reinier Staats (France)

Pascal Cranga (France)

Bernard Kerboeuf (France)

Dominique Engles (France)

Sergio Verna e Deiv (Italy)

Leif Eriksson (Sweden)

Billy Horne (Finland)

Jesus Reolid (Spain)

Helmut Gotschy (Germany)

Helmut Mossmann (Germany)

Wolfgang Weichselbaumer (Germany)

Matthew Szostak (U.S.A.)

Alden and Cali Hackmann (U.S.A.)

Oliver Seeler's excellent pages on the Hurdy Gurdy

N.B. with interesting sound clips on each page!

1 - How a Hurdy Gurdy Works

2 - The Melody Strings

3 - The Drone Strings - Bourdons & Mouche

4 - The Trompette

5 - Miscellaneous – Sympathetic Strings etc

More Hurdy Gurdy Links

'Dragonsfly'

'Blowzabella'

'Le Vent du Nord '

The Hurdy Gurdy Girls:

Source for Hurdy Gurdy Strings:

Richard York - Player & Educator:

Astra Thor's History of the Hurdy Gurdy:

The historical development of the Hurdy Gurdy:

Jon Hall's photo. diary of a Hurdy Gurdy being built

St. Chartier - The World's No 1 Hurdy Gurdy Festival:

A Musical History of the Hurdy Gurdy by 'Ethan James':

Listen to the sound of the Hurdy Gurdy

Cyser:

Nuada:

The Maud

Metheglin

Felicia Dale

Hedningarna:

Hurdy Gurdy:

Ben Grossman:

Hurdy Gurdy Boy:

Neil Brook's 'Irish Music':

Neil Brook's "Franglais" style:

The Galician 'SoldeSeu' Orchestra with Hurdy Gurdies

‘SondeSeu’ was developed at the Conservatory of Traditional Music in the School of Arts, Vigo, Spain.

Teachers & Students organize the first folk orchestra in Galicia.

Listen to another track from this wonderful Orchestras

'Over The Water Hurdy-Gurdy Association'

"The main organization in North America is the 'Over The Water Hurdy-Gurdy Association' which sponsers an annual festival in September, with instruction for all levels of play."

The group photo on the left is from their 2004 event