Hurdy Gurdy Music

Subject: Hurdy Gurdy Music
From: Hutch
Date: 02 Jun 97 - 11:29 AM

As an aspiring hurdy-gurdy player (i.e. I'd like to be able to play it well enough so as not to inflict pain on my neighbours), I'm trying despirately to find songs suitable for accompianment by the instrument. Any one got any ideas.

They should be preferably pre 20th century (anything medieval would be great), lighthearted, and available in standard notation. Books, repro's, etc.

I think I've checked out all the gurdy sites, nothing in the way of actual music. Richard robinson's Tunebook is good, but has no words.

Subject: RE: Hurdy Gurdy Music
From: BillD
Date: 02 Jun 97 - 05:13 PM

try any record by Jake Walton....There is an old one by Roger Nicholson & Jake Walton, but I;m not sure it is still available...

Subject: RE: Hurdy Gurdy Music
From: BillD
Date: 02 Jun 97 - 05:15 PM

try any record by Jake Walton....There is an old one by Roger Nicholson & Jake Walton, but I;m not sure it is still available...

Subject: RE: Hurdy Gurdy Music
From: Hutch
Date: 03 Jun 97 - 04:40 AM

Please excuse my ignorance, but I'm only just getting into the nitty gritty of folk performance - who is Jake Walton? Is he English. Could you suggest a good record?

Subject: RE: Hurdy Gurdy Music
From: Hutch
Date: 03 Jun 97 - 09:50 AM

Please excuse my ignorance, but I'm only just getting into the nitty gritty of folk performance - who is Jake Walton? Is he English. Could you suggest a good record?

Subject: RE: Hurdy Gurdy Music
From:
Date: 03 Jun 97 - 06:45 PM

Jake is an English musician who doesn't get a lot of attention...he has at least2 solo albums..

"the Gloaming Grey" from 'Plant life' Records..PLR021 (old..1979)

"Sunlight & Shade" from 'Folkfreak' records..FF4012 (1982)

I know...thats pretty old...but maybe someone has a tape or CD re-issued....He plays some Hurdy-Gurdy on both of these

you might try the rec.music.folk or the uk.music.folk newsgroups ...someone there is bound to know where he is or if he has new stuff out..

If I think of anything else, I'll add to this...

Subject: RE: Hurdy Gurdy Music
From: Hutch
Date: 04 Jun 97 - 05:08 AM

Thanks

Subject: RE: Hurdy Gurdy Music
From: LaMarca
Date: 04 Jun 97 - 10:39 AM

Jake Walton also did a nice album with Jez Lowe, (a wonderful Durham, England singer/songwriter) called "Two a' Roue" on the English Fellside label.

The hurdy gurdy is called "vielle a' roue" in French (although my spelling is probably off). Another really great example of hurdy gurdy in an ensemble is the French folk-rock group Malicorne; I think the wife of the group's leader, Gabriel Yacoub, was the hurdy-gurdy player. They recorded on the French label "Hexagon" in the 70's; some of their albums have been re-released on CD but are French imports and very expensive.

I also vaguely remember that the Seattle musicians William Pint and Felicia Dale were using hurdy-gurdy in some of their numbers, but I don't have any of their recordings.

Happy hunting!

Subject: RE: Hurdy Gurdy Music
From: Catfeet
Date: 04 Jun 97 - 11:25 PM

The absolute best hurdy-gurdy player I have ever heard is a man named John Bromka, who with his wife have formed and early and ancient music group called Bells & Motley. John is Julliard trained, and went into making music and instruments in the late seventies. He makes instruments to order. The group has 3 recordings availible, and if you are learning hurdy gurdy, this is an absolute must listen. Their album Branslez has hurdy gurdy on almost every track. They also provide printed music for ancient and folk instruments, and if they don't have what you want, they can probably direct you to other sources. They are availible at Millefolia Music, John & Sondra Bromka, 2 North St., Marcellus, NY, 13108. Phone [phone]. Good luck.

Subject: RE: Hurdy Gurdy Music
From: Mountain Dog
Date: 05 Jun 97 - 01:58 PM

Dear Hutch,

Also be sure to check out Nigel Eaton, a young Englishman who's a hurdy-gurdy adept. He plays medieval, Elizabethan and other "oldies", plus his own compositions which have a nicely aged patina to them. I have a CD of his work from Classical Music Society (a mail-order CD club headquartered in Rhode Island), titled "Music of the Hurdy-Gurdy". I'll get further discographical info soon and post it. Check this lad out!

Subject: RE: Hurdy Gurdy Music
From:
Date: 06 Jun 97 - 12:18 PM

For medieval music, you can do anything by the troubadours, minnisangers, Cantigas de Santa Maria, etc. It's not that well represented on the Web, but a good music library should have a lot of it.

-- g

Subject: RE: Hurdy Gurdy Music
From: Hutch
Date: 09 Jun 97 - 04:13 AM

Thankyou all. Catfeet, I'll write to that address and see if I can get a catalogue. It's the stuff on paper I really need as I can learn and transcribe a tune if I hear it a few times but writing out words is a problem.

Mountain Dog - yes, I have heard Nigel Eaton, my gurdy teacher knows him. His dad makes the BEST gurdies!!

lindahl - can you recomend any "good music libraries" in the south of England. Our county library can cope with the odd Baroque ensemble, but when it comes to early stuff it is sadly lacking. Who/what are "Cantigas de Santa Maria" by the way?

Subject: RE: Hurdy Gurdy Music
From:
Date: 09 Jun 97 - 01:05 PM

I wouldn't know about libraries in the south of England, I'm in Virginia. The Cantigas de Santa Maria are 13th century spanish songs written during the reign of Alphonso X. Books on them are a bit rarer than books on the Troubadors, so if your library is limited, try for the Troubadors first.

-- greg

Subject: RE: Hurdy Gurdy Music
From:
Date: 05 Jul 97 - 05:13 PM

Have you seen the Hurdy Gurdy Web Page?

at http://www.hurdygurdy.com/hg/hghome.html

Subject: RE: Hurdy Gurdy Music
From: hartley
Date: 05 Jul 97 - 07:43 PM

It has been several years since I played with a hurdy-gurdy player, but I remember his fingering was a lot like a mt. dulcimer, a diatonic fret board. If so, you might try some mt. dulcimer music. There are several books on 17th century music and for that matter just about any kind of music. Hope I am not adding confusion.

Subject: RE: Hurdy Gurdy Music
From: Hutch
Date: 10 Jul 97 - 06:24 AM

I've looked through the gurdy pages and found nothing as regards music but adverts for reacordings. But thank's anyway.

Hartly - tell me more about your friends gurdy. Mine has a straight forward chromatric keyboard!

Subject: RE: Hurdy Gurdy Music
From: hartley
Date: 10 Jul 97 - 07:45 AM

I really don't remember much other than looking at his hands as he fingered the tune and his fret broad and making the comment it was like my mt. dulcimer. I had no trouble chording behind him tuned to the key of D with my strings at d-a-d. If so, the frets would be positioned in a spacing of 1-1-1/2-1-1-1/2-1 with two drone strings. Sorry I can't be of more help.