Nyckelharpa

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21 members| 2 shouts

Leader: xgeorgx
Join Policy: Open
Created on: 14 Jun 2010
Description:
A group for Nyckelharpa players & friends of the unique sound of this beautiful instrument!



A nyckelharpa (literally "key harp", plural nyckelharpor or sometimes keyed fiddle) is a traditional Swedish musical instrument. It is a string instrument or chordophone. Its keys are attached to tangents which, when a key is depressed, serve as frets to change the pitch of the string.

The nyckelharpa is similar in appearance to a fiddle or the bowed Byzantine lira. Structurally, it is more closely related to the hurdy gurdy, both having key actuated tangents used to change the pitch.

A depiction of two instruments, possibly but not confirmed nyckelharpas, can be found on a relief dating from 1350 in one of the gates to Källunge church on Gotland. Early church paintings are found in Siena, Italy, 1408 and in different churches in Denmark and Sweden, i.e. Tolfta church, Sweden, 1460-1525. Other very early pictures are to be found in Hildesheim, Germany, from 1590. Also during the 16th and 17th centuries, the ’Schlüsselfidel’, or "nyckelharpa", was known in Germany: the instrument is mentioned in "Theatrum Instrumentorum", a famous work written in 1620 by the German organist Michael Praetorius (1571-1621). The Swedish province of Uppland has been a stronghold for nyckelharpa music since the late 16th century, including the 1970s revival which drew on musicians like Byss-Calle (1783–1847) from Älvkarleby.

Changes by August Bohlin (1877–1949) in 1929/1930 made the nyckelharpa chromatic and straight, making it a more violin-like and not a bourdon instrument any longer. Composer, player and maker of nyckelharpas Eric Sahlström (1912–1986) helped re-popularize the instrument in the mid 20th century by featuring it in his own songwriting. In spite of this, the nyckelharpa's popularity declined until the 1960s roots revival. The '60s and '70s saw a resurgence in the popularity of the nyckelharpa, with notable artists such as Marco Ambrosini (Italy, Germany), Sture Sahlström, Hasse Gille, and Nils Nordström including the nyckelharpa in both early music and contemporary music offerings. Continued refinement of the instrument also contributed to the increase in popularity, with instrument builders like Jean-Claude Condi and Annette Osann bringing innovation to the bow and body.

In 1990s, the nyckelharpa was recognized as one of the instruments available for study at the folk music department of the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (Kungliga Musikhögskolan).

The nyckelharpa has been a prominent part of several revival groups in the later part of the century, including work from the trio Väsen, the more contemporary group Hedningarna, the Finnish folk music group Hyperborea and the Swedish folk music group Dråm.

http://www.nyckelharpa.org/

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