As mentioned above, the hurdy-gurdy was first used primarily for religious forms of music. It’s simple drone and melody made it a prime accompaniment for choral music, in both moastic culture and in more public community ceremonies like Catholic Mass. At this time the instrument was much akin to the modern pipe organ in use, an institutional instrument who’s size, cost, and cultural use made it’s appearance in the private sector less then frequent. However, during the 14th and 16th centuries, music went through many different changes. “With the growth and development of harmony with its vertical chord sequences, the inflexible hurdy-gurdy with its constant drone found itself obsolete, and it had no place in the art music of the renaissance.”(www.hurdy-gurdy.org.uk/history.html)
Though it’s place among more classical and “artful” music at the time decreased, the instrument, accompanied by it’s decreasing in size, which made it a more easily acquired commodity as well as simplified operation, became more of an instrument for the masses. Images of the instrument during this time usually include bagpipes, another instrument more commonly associated with folk musicians and peasantry. In general the instrument was downgraded in social class, and in some places even looked down upon as a “lower class” peasant’s instrument. It is for this reason that though the instrument was primarily cast out of the upper class during the Renaissance, it was also during this time that it’s overall popularity grew and it began to spread to different parts of the world. Several different names and forms exist due to this spread through Europe on into the East. The social mobility of the instrument remained in a constant state of flux throughout the middle ages, only stabilizing in more recent times as being generally accepted by all classes, partially due to the growing acceptance and interest in folk music and also due to it’s esteem as an exotic and rare instrument.
No comments:
Post a Comment