River of Red - music by Hildegard of Bingen
Purchase | Download | Track list | Artists' Biographies | Background | Instruments | Texts and translationsThe Instruments
No original instruments from the Middle Ages exist today. Contemporary musicians use copies of medieval instruments. We must work with instrument makers to reconstruct the way we think the instruments might have been made. We look at paintings and sculptures and study what few source materials there are about the instruments. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that medieval painters rarely were concerned with accuracy. Their goal was to illustrate and illuminate, not to make a record. Moreover, perspective hadn’t been invented yet!
The vielle, or the medieval fiddle, has as many different shapes as there are paintings. The number of strings also varies, from three to six; they are made of sheep gut. We have very little information about the instrument’s tuning. The few sources that talk about it all mention tunings that combine fourths and fifths. This allows the player to make use of drones to accompany him/herself.
The vielle can be played on the shoulder, like the violin, or between the legs, like the cello. The choice between playing on the shoulder or between the legs has a lot to do with practicalities: if one is to accompany a dance, one must be mobile, so playing on the shoulder is better. It is also easier to be seen in a crowd that way. On the other hand, being seated and holding the instrument on or between the legs was seen as a more noble way to play. With a larger instrument it was often the only way, although according to pictures and sculptures, most vielles seem to have been about the size of a viola, some a bit smaller, some a bit larger.
The medieval harp is much smaller than a modern harp. It could have had anywhere from 14 to 21 strings, also made from sheep gut. Like most harps used in folk music, it is tuned diatonically. This means that there are no separate strings for f and f-sharp, for example. The same string is retuned when one or the other is needed.
The recorder is essentially the same as the contemporary version–a wooden pipe, with holes to produce different pitches.
The percussion instruments used in sacred music are bells and bell-like instruments. Peggy Monroe will have hand-bells, a bell tree, and a ‘rota’, a wheel with various bells attached to it. For dance music she might use a drum, a tambourine, or various clackers. Many medieval percussion instruments were used in their original form–pieces of wood but also shells, and even bones.
˜ Margriet Tindemans