The Hummel / Hommel

Subject: The Last German Hummel
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Jan 09 - 12:47 PM

Neat article with pictures of a very interesting relative of the mountain dulcimer: HERE. Anyone ever played one or know of any sound files of one?

Subject: RE: The Last German Hummel
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Jan 09 - 12:49 PM

Found one on youtube.

And, THIS ONE. Beautiful!!

Subject: RE: The Last German Hummel
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Jan 09 - 12:54 PM

Even neater, I'd love to have one of THESE!

Subject: RE: The Last German Hummel
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 19 Jan 09 - 01:48 PM

De Hummel isn't specifically German, it was widely spread across the Flemish countryside as well and another variant the 'epinette des Vosges' was found in Northern-Eastern France.


Hubert Boone, of the Musical instrument museum in Brussels, wrote an exhaustive study during the seventies : De Hommel in de Lage Landel (the Hummel in the low-countries). Hommel as used in Dutch and Flemish is the word for Bumble-bee: think buzzing drone strings.

Subject: RE: The Last German Hummel
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 19 Jan 09 - 01:53 PM

A Flemish Hommel can be seen here

Subject: RE: The Last German Hummel
From: Alice
Date: 19 Jan 09 - 02:05 PM

Peter, your link led me to this very nice you tube video, also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB2TMeUp5I8&feature=related

Subject: RE: The Last German Hummel
From: Ernest
Date: 19 Jan 09 - 02:17 PM

The last? The author of the article still builds them - website here

Best
Ernest

Subject: RE: The Last German Hummel
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Jan 09 - 02:52 PM

Thanks, Peter.

Ernest, I was just using his own title!:-) I will change it.

Subject: RE: The Hummel / Hommel
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 19 Jan 09 - 03:01 PM

Here's mine:

http://www.sedayne.co.uk/hummel.html

Subject: RE: The Hummel / Hommel
From: Nerd
Date: 20 Jan 09 - 01:16 AM

Re: the international distribution of the hummel, if you read the article linked to in the OP, it states that the builder of the "Last German Hummel" learned the instrument when in France during the Franco-Prussian war. It says he learned it from a "weaver's family," so presumably not from another German soldier. So it seems the last German hummel was a copy of a French hummel (or epinette).

Subject: RE: The Hummel / Hommel
From: Art Thieme
Date: 20 Jan 09 - 02:26 PM

Jean Ritchie, in her Oak Publications book on playing dulcimer, included this instrument as a forerunner to the mountain dulcimer she played and actually brought to the attention of the USA folk revival -- and then the world.

Jean, thanks so much.

Art

Subject: RE: The Hummel / Hommel
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 20 Jan 09 - 04:50 PM

A lot of pre-revival Mountain / Appalachian Dulcimers were more like hummels than the familiar shapes of today. Ross has a fine book full of fascinating pictures - not sure if there's any of these online.