Aleyn's Organistrum

12th century organistrum made by Aleyn Wykington based on existent iconography.
This was a wonderful challenge to make and is not finished yet as there are changes I will be making to test why different organistrums had different configurations.
The organistrum is the gigantic ancestor of the modern hurdy-gurdy. It plays by a rosined wheel rubbing the strings as it turns.
The tune is Orientis Partibus.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• early music
• organistrum
• hurdy gurdy
• medieval
• sca

[darsnordham]

Clermont1348 , I really need to get around to doing that. I keep so busy researching my next build or actually building, I tend to forget. I will try get to it.

[221Dw]

Nasty squeeky wheel =/

[darsnordham]

@221Dw If you look a couple of comments down you will see that was fixed some time ago. I originally made it with wood bearings, ball bearings not really being available in the middle ages. :) Lots of other changes since then, wheel moved, new bridge and more.

One day I'll have to make a new video of it.

[ferociousgumby]

Sounds like JImi Hendrix playing the Star-Spangled Banner at Woodstock. Is this an electric organistrum?

[darsnordham]

@ferociousgumby :) I've actually had folks comment it sounds like an old stratocaster attached to a bad fuzz box. This is purely acoustic. What a weird and wild sound this must have been in its natural setting of a monastery playing along with chant. Last summer I found it does a not bad "Smoke on the water," btw.

[darsnordham]

This is my mark one, since then I made a new wheel, moved it to the later period location between the bouts in the center of the instrument, new bridge, new bearings (that was the squeak) and a new soundboard. Works much better. I really should make a new video of it and the dozen or so instrument types I've made.

[Clermont1348]

Do you have a video of the improvements?

[mdeonx16]

weird instruments are awesome

[RpOutOfTime]

Thanx for the pleasure hearing these sounds. Guess this comes near the origin of medieval sounds of an organistrum.

[ferociousgumby]

This is like nothing I have ever seen before. Fascinating.