Trossingen Lyre (6th century Germanic Lyre)

This video shows Corwen Broch playing his reconstruction of the lyre found recently at Trossingen in Germany. The lyre has six nylgut strings (gut can be substituted on request), a body carved from oak and (unlike the original which had an oak soundboard) a maple soundboard for extra volume. Unlike Anglo-Saxon lyres the Germanic lyres have a one piece body without a separate yoke.

These instruments are for sale at www.ancientmusic.co.uk

Category:

Music

Tags:

• lyre
• anglo-saxon lyre
• germanic lyre
• trossingem
• Corwen Broch
• kate fletcher
• kate & corwen
• ancient music
• ancient instruments

[CleverAssessment]

How does one acquire such an instrument?

[KateCorwen]

@CleverAssessment I make them to sell, Youtube won't let me put a link here but if you google Ancient Music Corwen you'll find our website, or its ancientmusic (dot) co (dot) uk

[johnsshipp]

Are the strings all the same thickness or are they note-specific like a guitar's strings? 

[KateCorwen]

@johnsshipp there are two each of three different thicknesses- Aquila nylgut baritone ukelele strings. It takes two packets to string one lyre, with two strings left over.

[stragin]

Very nice lyre. I am a builder in Canada that also makes these. What is your tunning? I love the way you play.

[KateCorwen]

@stragin It can be tuned a variety of ways, but in the film it is simply tuned to the first six notes of a major scale. That way when the highest pitched string is left as a drone you can play in the minor with a leading note very easily, or switch to the major by letting the second highest be the drone.

[JonFrumTheFirst]

Very nice.

[Oswulf1]

The basic shape resembles that of the reconstruction of the Sutton Hoo 'harp' or lyre unearthed in England in 1939, although that seems to have been much shorter. I suspect Anglo-Saxon and Old High German poetry were chanted to the accompaniment of such instruments.

[stragin]

@KateCorwen sweet! I am working on a birch body right now. I will have to give that tunning a try.

[deviantcreep]

Fuck yeah I am totally getting one of these for a neofolk band.

[stragin]

@KateCorwen Thank you very much, I will be trying that tunning on the birch one I am building right now.