File:Musical instruments (1908) (14772631352).jpg

Identifier: musicalinstrumen00enge (find matches)
Title: Musical instruments
Year: 1908 (1900s)
Authors: Engel, Carl, 1818-1882
Subjects: Musical instruments
Publisher: London : Printed for H. M. Stationery off., by Wyman and sons, limited
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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Text Appearing Before Image:
France, who call it rebck. TheBretons, it will be remembered, arc close kinsmen of the Welsh.A player on the crwth or crowd (a crowder) from a bas-relief on the under part of the seats of the choir in Worcestercathedral dates from the latter part of the fourteenth century.*It was probably identical with the rotta of the same centuryon the continent. An interesting drawing of an Anglo-Saxon fiddle—orfithele, as it was called—is given in a manuscript of theeleventh century in the British Museum (Cotton, Tiberius,c. 6). The instrument is of a pear shape, with four strings,and the l)ridgc is not indicated. A German fiddle of theninth century, called lyra, copied by Gerbert from the manu-scripts of St. Blasius, has only one string. Other records ofthe employment of the fiddle-bow in Germany in the twelfthand thirteenth centuries are not wanting. For instance, inthe famous Nibelungenlied Volker is described as wielding♦ See E Aldis, Carvings and Sculptures of Worcester Cathedral (IV).
Text Appearing After Image:
l-ic. 5(>—Ckwi II. Wclsli 1-ih ciMitiiiy. I,. .■-■ in, W. cj^ in.\ic;()iia ami .Mbcrt Miis uiii. EUROPEAN: 77//: MIDDLE AGES. 91 the fiddle-bow not less dexterously than the sword. And inChronicon picturatum Rrunswicense of the year 1203,the following miraculous sign is recorded as having occurredin the village of Ossemer : On Wednesday in \\hitsun-week, while the parson was fiddling to his peasants who weredancing, there came a flash of lightning and struck the par-sons arm which held the fiddle-bow, and killed twenty-fourpeople on the spot. Among the oldest representations of performers on instru-ments of the violin kind found in England those deserve tobe noticed which are painted on the interior of the roof ofPeterborough Cathedral. They are said to date from thetwelfth centurv. One of these figures is particularl\- in-teresting on account of the surprising resemblance which Insinstrument bears to our present violin. Not only the incur-vations on the sides of the Ixjdy bu

Note About Images

Fig. 30.--Crwth.  Welsh.  18th century.  L. 22 in., W. 9½ in.
                       No. 175-'82.
               Victoria and Albert Museum.