Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Fast Facts About Medieval Instruments

By Douglas Etri


Got nothing to do? There are many ways to wake the excitement within you. But are you willing to use the right side of your brain (creative side) instead of choosing to sit there for hours in front of your pc or television? It would actually do us greater good to think about other interesting things that will make our free hours worth enjoying. Why not try to learn some things about medieval instruments?

You may say that these medieval instruments are of no way interesting in this day and times. You are right, these "long forgotten" stuff seem to be too out-of-place and rather unremarkable in the time where electronic instruments and voice digital editing seem to be widespread. If you are following the same line of thought then you are certainly wrong. Even today, there are still many instruments dating back from the medieval times that are played along with the modern instruments. The tambourine for example, or the cymbals. Or even the fiddle which is more or less always present on medieval-themed films.

Learning how to play these old-timer musical instruments would also be more fun if you can learn some little-known tidbits regarding the dark ages. Indeed, the emotional charge when you pluck the harp would be deeper knowing that these harps might have the very same ones played in the Roman catholic churches. Through this, music appreciation including the advocacy to spread the magic of the medieval music even to these modern times will be realized.

Fun tidbit number one: Did you know that the human voice is well-known to be the oldest medieval musical instrument in musical history? This would be due to the fact that our forefather did not have the time for merrymaking, as they were occupied tending to their lands. Thus there was no need for music. According to known annals, Christian monks used the human voice as a tool to promulgate their religion, and it is in this manner that Gregorian chants and hymns were propagated all throughout the Christendom.

Fun tidbit number two: Who do we owe the romantic ballads and tales of gallantry to? The answer: to the troubadours and the minstrels. The troubadours are known composers and performers of lyrical poetry. Their female counterparts are called trobairitz. While the minstrels are servants meant to entertain the high court. In a way they are what we call "great story tellers" for they told about chivalric pursuits and courtly love, true or not.

Interesting fact number three: The oldest church organ is said to be used to as back as the 8th century. Just think about this fact: without these trailblazers that we call medieval instruments, we will not have classical music, then modern music afterwards that we enjoy at the moment. Deciding to learn more about them as well as to learn how to make songs with them assures us of a imperishable appreciation of these "pioneers." When buying see to it that you can get them from a trusted outlet so you can have parts or repair for maintenance value whenever you need them.




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