A wheeled lyre is a musical plucked string instrument that looks like a violin case. This tool is also known as organistrum, or hardy-hardy. When playing, the lyre needs to be kept on its knees, and during the game, most strings play at the same time. Popular since the 10th century, a musical instrument is not used today so often. But thanks to the amazing sound, the original design, the lyre is still remembered.
Sound features
The sound of the wheel lyre is ensured by the operation of most of the strings, when vibration occurs as a result of their friction against the wheel. It is noteworthy that most strings are responsible only for a monotonous buzz, and the melody is reproduced by playing one or two. The wheel lyre sounds powerful, sad, monotonous, somewhat nasal. And to soften the sound, the strings have long been wrapped with linen or wool fibers. An important role is played by the exact alignment of the wheel - it should be smooth and rooted.
Device
The three-stringed lyre has a deep wooden figure-eight body, two flat decks that have bent shells. The upper part of the instrument is complemented by a head with wooden pegs, which allows you to tune the strings. The wheel lyre has a short ring box, which often ends with a curl. Since the wheel rim protrudes somewhat outward, it hides under a special bast fuse in the shape of an arc.
The upper deck has openings, on it is located the key-sill mechanism with keys. They, in turn, are simple wooden planks with protrusions. When a musician presses the keys, just the protrusions are in contact with the strings, making sounds. The protrusions are mounted in such a way that they can be shifted in different directions, thereby aligning the sound range. The instrument body is designed in such a way that the string sound is amplified. The sound is amplified due to the vibrations of the strings that are caused by the movement of the wheel.
String features
Wheel lyre - an instrument with three vein strings:
- melodic, which is called spivanitsa, or melody;
- two bourdon, which are called bass and kick bass.
If the melodic string by design passes through the inside of the box, then the bourdon strings go over it. All strings are positioned so that they are in contact with the wheel rim. It is rubbed with resin before work, so that the strings sound smoothly and audibly. Evenness of sound is guaranteed by the smooth surface of the wheel and its exact centering. A melody is created or performed by pressing the keys located in the side cutouts of the box.
Historically, strings were created on the basis of cores, although today strings made of metal or nylon are increasingly popular. To get the right timbre and sound quality, the musicians wrapped the strings with cotton or other fiber, and there should have been more bourdon coverings. And if there is not enough cotton, the sound will be either too dull or too harsh, especially in the upper range.
How to play?
Wheel lyre is a tool that is not easy to use. Lira is placed on her knees, and a belt is thrown over her shoulders. The ring box should be located on the left side and slightly inclined, while the free keys should fall off the string. With his right hand, the musician evenly and slowly rotates the wheel by the handle, pressing the keys with his left hand. In its sound, the lyre resembles a bagpipe or a hoot, since bourdons sound in all three instruments. As for the sound quality, it primarily depends on the friction wheel, which has precise centering and is well lubricated. If the musician is playing while standing, the lyre is hung on a shoulder strap with a slight tilt to distribute the weight of the instrument.
How did the lyre appear?
Lira wheeled is a musical instrument that has been known since the 10th century. Most often, it was used in monasteries to perform church music. By the XV century, the instrument became not so popular, but continued to be used by tramps, blind, crippled, who walked the streets and performed songs, fairy tales to the unpretentious sound of the lyre.
In Russia, this musical instrument was known around the 17th century, and experts say that it appeared in our country from Ukraine. It was here that there were even whole schools of lyre writers who wandered from village to village, performed music and earned money. The lyre was also used at weddings, as it sounded loud, and the repertoire for it could be chosen the most fun. The peculiarity of the wheel lyre is that it was produced in different lengths. In some variations, even two people had to play music on it, since the instrument had a length of up to one and a half meters.
Brotherhood of Lyre
In Ukraine, playing the wheeled lyre taught entire classes of 30 people. The elders fell into practice, which involved visiting neighboring villages during bazaars and weddings, when the money earned was given to the mentor as tuition fees. After graduation, the musicians passed exams.
In the Soviet years, several changes were made to the wheel lyre. The photo shows that even the appearance of the instrument has changed somewhat. Thanks to the improvement of the design, it became more original, there were 9 strings, and they were tuned according to small thirds. Instead of a wooden wheel, a plastic transmission tape was used, making the sound more even. The degree of pressure on the string changed with a special device, therefore, the sound power of the instrument was different. Note that advanced lyre samples are still used in folk art orchestras.
What today?
In Russia, the wheel lyre is rarely used today. The musical instrument (the photo shows all its flavor) remained in the State Orchestra and the People's Choir of Belarus. It is noteworthy that hardy-hardy was also used among rockers: the bands Led Zeppelin, In Extremo chose the instrument due to the unusual sound. Today, the instrument is almost forgotten, but some orchestras for their unusual sounding leave hardy-hardy as a highlight of their work.