About the Scandinavian Viking-age instruments used in my music.
I occasionally receive messages or read comments online from people mentioning that we know nothing about Viking-age instruments.
That is not quite true, and after some of my latest research, I decided to create this page with some of the important findings and perhaps lesser-known facts about these interesting Scandinavian instruments.
1. Lyre (Denmark&#;s oldest stringed instrument found in Ribe)
(on the pictures, top part of the instrument excavated in in Denmark) (photo 𝐛𝐲 𝐒ø𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐛æ𝐤)
The Ribe Lyre was excavated in the old Viking village in Ribe, Denmark in , and is dated to around the year
(late iron-age/early Viking period) It is currently in conservation.
I got in touch with Søren Sindbæk, a professor of medieval archeology at Aarhus University and got the following update:
𝑊𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑢𝑝𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑓𝑒𝑤 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑠 𝑎𝑔𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑓𝑒𝑤 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒.
𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑛𝑜 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜
1
This small Harpsichord is a Bentside Spinet made by Sperrhake who lives in Passau in Germany Europe. (photo 1)
The spinet is a copy after the instrument, 'the bentside spinet', made by Johann Heinrich Silbermann ( * - + son of Andreas Silbermann the famous organbuilder) who lived in Strassbourg (Elzas), construction years: approx - (photo 2)
2
J.H. Silbermann made several instruments in this particular form, mostly it had 3 legs (like this Sperrhake copy) and some had four, on the right side there were two legs. (photo 3)
3
Originals of this instrument are found in Belguim, The Netherlands, France and instruments were built for home use, they are relatively small and light compared with full size harpsichords, the legs are removable. The sound is warm, but thin and delicate. You can lower the loudness of the instrument by closing the top lid. The docks by Sperrhake are partly made of modern materials, to lower the influence of temperature and humidity on mechanics and the touché. Playing techniques are very different compared to the instrument is made somewere in theN�cken Kv�llens gullmoln f�stet kransa �lvorna p� �ngen dansa, Och den bladbekr�nta N�cken Gigan r�r i silverb�cken Liten pilt bland strandens pilar I violens �nga vilar, Klangen h�r fr�n k�llans vatten, Ropar i den stilla natten: "Arma Gubbe! varf�r spela? Kan det sm�rtorna f�rdela? Fritt du skog och mark m� liva, Skall Guds barn dock aldrig bliva! Paradisets m�nskensn�tter, Edens blomsterkr�nta sl�tter, Ljusets �nglar i det h�ga - Aldrig sk�dar dem ditt �ga." T�rar Gubbens anlet sk�lja, Ned han dyker i sin b�lja. Gigan tystnar. Aldrig N�cken Spelar mer i silverb�cken. An English translation: The evening is festooned with golden clouds the fairies dance in the meadow and the leaf-crowned N�cken plays his fiddle in the silvery brook. Little boy in the brush on the bank resting in the violet vapor hears the noise from the chilly water calls out in the still night. "Poor old fellow, why do you play? will it take the pain away? you bring the woods and the fields to life but you'll never be a child of God. Paradise's moonlit nights eden's flower-crowned plains angels of the light on high-- never to be beheld by your eye." Tears stream down the old man'by
Erik Johan Stagnelius'.
.