The Hurdy gurdy ( wheel fiddle )

My niece came back from France with 2 memory cards full of pictures and video. I offered her to arrange it all on DVD with my Roxio program. I am working on this project since 4 months now, finally ... not all of the time, but I will be very happy to finish it. This will be his Christmas gift.

She stayed at a friend in the countryside of Burgundy, and I found on her memory card an amazing video showing a guy playing a strange music instrument. He was playing folkloric music and the dynamic sound seemed to come from another era.

- What is this?
- I think it a kind of a vielle. He's Mic's friend and he plays mostly at festivals.

Long life to the internet.....................

I find this instrument, I must say, quite impressive in its mechanical design. Work of a luthier, the hurdy-gurdy has evolved and today it includes over 200 pieces.

It appeared in the Middle Ages, around the ninth century, after the invention of the manievelle and it's in the 12 th century that we found the first representations of this instrument, the organistrum. It was used mainly in churches and abbeys, to accompany choral music, and it was played by two people.

In the 13th century appeared an ancestor of the hurdy-gurdy, the symphonia. From a form almost square, the wheel was under the housing cover. At that time, the troubadours were using it to accompany their songs across Europe, both in village squares and in castles.

In the 15th century appeared the renaissance style hurdy-gurdy. The instrument began to feature in courtly amusements, Bâton, Vivaldi and Leopold Mozart, father of Wolfgang Amadeus, have composed several songs for it. And the old hurdy-gurdy was dethroned by the pianoforte. The French Revolution will cause a profound change in practice and in the century which followed the instrument enjoyed much favour in big city wine bars, and rural dance places.

In the 1970s, the "folk" movement appropriates it and groups called "celtic" are formed. Today, the instrument continues to evolve, violin makers refines it, they are looking for a pure and accurate sound and still further the quality of the hurdy-gurdy.

This instrument has a sound often compared to the bagpipes. The musician actuates a crank with his right hand, which turns a wheel that rubs on a rope "Bourdon" continuously, and a continuous sound is heard until the song stops.

From the left hand, the musician presses keys similar to the piano ones to play the melody. The keybox is located on the body, part of the instrument that makes the sound resonate. The keys are connected to a mechanism called tangents that come in contact with the strings when you press the keys.

In addition to strings, which give the melody, is added percussion! And yes, the hurdy-gurdy are also contained it's own drummer! By cranking the wheel harder, one of the drones can be made to vibrate rhythmically and a rap beat is heard .

On this smal youtube clip, listen to Arnaud Lachambre playing a folk air
"le Branle des Chevaulx" on a nice Hurdy gurdy, Renaissance style
made by Chris Allen (an U.K. violin maker).

Sources and some links:

Wikipedia

The Hurdy-Gurdy symphonia

Note Books

Arnaud Lachambre, hurdy gurdy player

Music Aloud.com
Olympic Musical Instruments
Earthly Delights Historic Dance Academy
Interesting thing of the day by ITotD

The Red Marbles

Everyone leaves a legacy, but not every legacy is worth receiving. A former Idaho resident tells us this beautiful story and demonstrates the value of a life well lived :

I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily appraising a basket of freshly picked green peas.

I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.

'Hello Barry, how are you today?'

'H'lo , Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. They sure look
good.'

'They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?'

'Fine.. Gittin' stronger alla' time.'

'Good. Anything I can help you with?'

'No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas.'

'Would you like to take some home ?' asked Mr.. Miller.

'No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with.'

'Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?'

'All I got's my prize marble here.'

'Is that right? Let me see it' said Miller..

'Here 'tis. She's a dandy.'

'I can see that. Hmmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home ?' the store owner asked.

'Not zackley but almost..'

'Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble'.. Mr. Miller told the boy.

'Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller.'

Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me.. With a smile she said, 'There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store..'

I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado , but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.

Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr.. Miller had died.

They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.

Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts...all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her, and moved on to the casket.

Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one; each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.

Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.

'Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded' them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size.....they came to pay their debt.'

'We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world,' she confided, 'but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho.'

With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.



Conclusion: At the end, people will not remember our words but our good deeds ... Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that make us catch our breath...
Today I wish you a day filled with these little pleasures - Fresh coffee you did not prepare yourself ... A phone call from an old friend ... The green lights on your way to get to work ... The fastest line at the grocery store ... A good song on the radio ... Your keys found in the same place that you have left.

I got the swine flu shot

That's it, I got the swine flu shot, and I noticed some side effects.

• The jimmylegs : I had to wait 15 mins before they let me go
• Undue fear: I would not ride on the Grand Boulevard in case I find myself ill.
• Flatulence: A true slut, it's probably why it is called swine flu. It was really unpleasant and also smelled the skunk.


• Will I turn into a ...... ?

WE'LL SEE IN A FEW DAYS IF I'M STILL HERE