Lute

Colson Lute Hurdy-Gurdy

Mirecourt, France
Western Europe

Rosewood, Maple, Fruitwood, Ivory, Ebony, and Gut Strings
ca 1820

Total length 66 cm
A Lute Hurdy-Gurdy bearing the original stamp: Colson, Mirecourt

This French hurdy gurdy lute form (Vielle à roue)is still the favorite and most wide spread type for baroque music and especially for French dance music. The lute bodied hurdy-gurdies, also known as a "wheeled fiddle," developed in the 18th century. Their popularity was probably due to their powerful tone which makes it ideal for outdoor performance and dance accompaniment. The large body, for example gives the drones a large base. The instrument is played by turning a wheel with the crank located at the end. This causes a rosined wheel to act like a violin bow as strings pass over. Melodies are played on a keyboard that presses tangents (small wooden wedges) against the string to change pitch. The body of this lute form consists of 9 alternate ribs of rosewood and maple. The table is made of spruce pierced with 2 stylized 'C'-holes both side of the tail piece and edged in ebony and ivory. The keyboard is of ebony and ivory. The wheel cover, box lid, and tail piece are decorated with inlaid fruitwood. The peg box, with star and trellis decoration, terminates in a carved man's head. All original wheel handle, ebony pegs, and ivory string tuner on the tail piece.

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© Hartenberger World Music Collection