This part of the website is an English translation of the definitive hurdy-gurdy reference book Die Drehleier (The Hurdy-gurdy), written by Marianne Bröcker. For general information about this translation please see the Index Page.
This material is covered by copyright and may not be used without permission. Please see the Index Page for more information about distribution.
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Title Page and Table of Contents
A. The Hurdy-gurdy Wheel
B. The Wheel as an Infinite Bow
C. Producing an Enduring Tone with Wind Instruments
D. The Enduring Tone and the Drone
E. The Wheel and Hurdy-gurdy in the Middle East
F. The Application of the Wheel in the Middle East
G. The Hurdy-gurdy's Path to Europe
H. The Earliest Representations of the Hurdy-gurdy
I. Medieval Drone Practices in Europe
J. The Hurdy-gurdy's Drone Strings
K. The Trompette String
L. Re-tuning and Removing the Drone StringsA. The Origin of the Keys
B. The Rotating Keys
C. Hurdy-gurdies Without Keys
D. Pull Keys
E. Push Keys
F. Sliding Keys
G. Key Mechanisms and Tonal RangeChapter 4: The Forms of the Body
A. The Guitar or Figure-Eight Form and its Variations
B. Hurdy-gurdies With Two- or Three-Part Crank Ends
C. Uncommon Shapes
D. The "Vielle en luth"Chapter 5: Curious Developments
A. The Nyckelharpa
B. The Organized Hurdy-gurdy and other 18th and 19th Century Curiosities
C. The StreichklavierChapter 6: The Names of the Hurdy-gurdy
A. Organistrum
B. Symphonia
C. Is "Armonie" a Symphonie ?
D. Gaita
E. Hurdy-gurdy
F. Vielle
G. LeierChapter 7: The Uses of the Hurdy-gurdy in the Middle Ages
A. Its Position in the Medieval Instrumentarium
B. The Tuning of the Hurdy-gurdy
C. Early Polyphony and Instrumental Practice
D. The Hurdy-gurdy in Church Music
E. The Hurdy-gurdy in Medieval Secular MusicChapter 8: The Modern Repertoire
A. The Use of the Hurdy-gurdy in Modern Times
B. The Hurdy-gurdy Compositions Which Have Been Preserved
C. The French Hurdy-gurdy Methods
D. The After-effects of the Hurdy-gurdy Vogue
E. The Use of the Hurdy-gurdy in Recent TimesChapter 9: The Social Position of the Hurdy-gurdy
A. The Judgement of the Sound of the Hurdy-gurdy
B. The Varying Image of the Hurdy-gurdy
C. The Hurdy-gurdy as a Church Instrument
D. The Instrument of the Minstrels
E. The Hurdy-gurdy of the Beggars
F. Women and the Hurdy-gurdy
G. The Fashionable Instrument of the French Aristocracy
H. The Hurdy-gurdy as a Folk Music Instrument
Supplemental chapters
Chapter 11: Notes on Building and Playing Technique
Chapter 12: More on the Position and Construction
Chapter 13: Additions to the Story of the Hurdy-gurdy
Chapter 14: Brief Final Remarks
References
Music sources
Illustration sources
Musical references
Bibliographical references
Museum catalogs
Name index
Subject indexIllustrations
Musical examples
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Alden and Cali Hackmann
Olympic Musical Instruments
© Original text in German copyright 1977, Verlag für systematische
Musikwissenschaft GmbH
© Translation copyright 2005, Olympic Musical Instruments
and the Bröcker Tranlation Group