Hurdy-Gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

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Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations by Piotr Marian Nowotnik

Submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Fine Arts (Contemporary Music)

The University of Melbourne Victorian College of the Arts and Melbourne Conservatory of Music

Cover photo by Hayden Golder (2012)

February 2016

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to expand existing literature concerning the hurdy-gurdy as a contemporary musical instrument. Notably, it addresses the lack of hurdy-gurdy literature in the context of contemporary composition and performance.

Research into this subject has been triggered by the author’s experience as a hurdy-gurdy performer and composer and the importance of investigating and documenting the hurdy-gurdy as an instrument capable of performing well outside the idioms of traditional music.

This thesis consists of a collection of new works for hurdy-gurdy and investigation of existing literature including reference to the author’s personal experience as a hurdy-gurdy composer and performer. It will catalogue and systematically document a selection of hurdy-gurdy techniques and extended performance techniques, and demonstrate these within the practical context of new music compositions created by the author.

This creative work and technique investigation and documentation is a valuable resource for those seeking deeper practical and academic understanding of the hurdy-gurdy within the context of contemporary music making.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Attestation

I understand the nature of plagiarism, and I am aware of the University’s policy on this.

I certify that this dissertation reports my original work while any external sources – such as quotations, pictures, rightful copyright owners of attached music materials – have been annotated accordingly to remain compliant with the practices of intellectual property and ownership.

Name and signature: Piotr Nowotnik

Date: February 2016

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the following individuals who assisted me in my work on this dissertation:

For methodological, linguistic and academic support: Associate Professor Mark Pollard Ade Vincent

For helping me to organise my workspace, schedule and continuous emotional support: Rachel Nowotnik

For building my hurdy-gurdy: Stanisław Wyżykowski

For providing me with encouragement, computing and library facilities: VCA/MCM Staff

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Contents

Abstract ...... 5 Attestation ...... 6 Acknowledgements ...... 7 Contents ...... 9

Part 1: The Instrument ...... 11

1.1 Research. Purpose, Scope and Limitations ...... 11 1.2 Sociohistorical Brief ...... 12 1.3 Observations ...... 14 1.4 Selected Hurdy-gurdy Literature...... 17

Part 2: New Articulations ...... 21

2.1 Introduction ...... 21 2.2 Basic Sound Characteristics ...... 23

2.2.1 The Wheel ...... 23 2.2.2 The Strings ...... 24 2.2.3 The Notation ...... 26 2.2.4 Summary (table) ...... 29

2.3 New Performance Techniques ...... 30

2.3.1 Chanters ...... 30 2.3.2 Drones ...... 45

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Part 3: Compositions ...... 53

3.1 Introduction ...... 53 3.2 Selected Pieces ...... 55

3.2.1 “Tok Jons” (trad.) ...... 55 3.2.2 “Mount Hekla” (orig.)...... 57 3.2.3 “The Marshy Alders” (orig.) ...... 59

3.3 Hurdy-gurdy and String Trio – “The Alder Grove” ...... 62

3.3.1 Introduction ...... 62 3.3.2 Program notes ...... 63 3.3.3 Performance notes ...... 63 3.3.4 Special techniques and points of interest (table) ...... 64

3.4 “Cerebrum” ...... 67

3.4.1 Introduction ...... 67 3.4.2 The Development ...... 68 3.4.3 The Structure and application of the new articulations ...... 69

3.5 “Magical”...... 75

3.5.1 Introduction ...... 75 3.5.2 The Use of New Hurdy-gurdy Articulation ...... 75

3.6 The Audio-visual Materials ...... 77

3.6.1 Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations (Main Segment)...... 77 3.6.5 “Cerebrum” – live performance recording ...... 78 3.6.7 “Magical” – audio/video reference ...... 78 3.6.8 Archival recordings of “Mt. Hekla”, “Marshy Alders” and “Tok Jons” ...... 78

Bibliography ...... 79

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Part 1: The Instrument

1.1 Research. Purpose, Scope and Limitations

This dissertation aims to expand knowledge of the hurdy-gurdy and provide practical insight into its possibilities as a capable contemporary instrument. By focusing on unorthodox approaches to hurdy-gurdy performance and composition through experimentation within a contemporary music context, this research will provide a better understanding of the sonic potential of the instrument. The educational and informational materials included here will focus on solo extended performance techniques and the compositional component will place these within an ensemble context. Following a logical progression from my previous work about the instrument – Hurdy-gurdy: Contemporary Destinations, 2012 – the following work will aim to extend traditional techniques with contemporary tonal and idiomatic flexibility.

The initial sonic experience of the hurdy-gurdy is often associated with the melodic and textural abilities nested within its historical context. In educational materials about the hurdy-gurdy, one witnesses an illumination of the instrument’s history and folkloristic references while its tonal abilities and experimental approaches are often overshadowed. In examining relatively recent methods, such as the one by Doreen Muskett (3rd edition released in 1998), one finds reference to the instrument’s playing technique similar to those found in baroque books by Boüin or Dupuits. However, though anchored in medieval and renaissance traditions, the instrument can idiomatically realise more experimental styles of contemporary music.

This thesis is divided into three main chapters: Part 1: The Instrument is dedicated to introducing the reader to the history and the cultural settings of the instrument, its literature and its place in various musical traditions; Part 2: New Articulations provides a systematic collection of playing techniques developed by contemporaries and non-canonical approaches to hurdy-gurdy performance; Part 3: Compositions explores a selection of original works (composed by the author) and showcases several examples of hurdy-gurdy being applied outside its traditional musical idioms.

The focus of this work is on the instrument tuned in the C/G convention, however, most of the technical information included here is equally applicable to instruments with a more historical tuning in the A/D setup. Pictures and detailed technical information reference the author’s own hurdy-gurdy which is a Polish hybrid between a traditional Hungarian Tekero, Ukrainian Lira and German Drehleier – tuned in the C/G convention. This instrument is equipped with an adjustable trompette bridge (accordingly with the string tuned in G), two melodic strings an octave apart (G), a bourdon drone in C and one higher drone string with flexible tuning between D and A.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

1.2 Sociohistorical Brief

The appeal of drone music seems to be centred on the primordial emotional response to the contrast between melody and static bass. Over time, this somewhat archaic aesthetic notion resulted in the invention of a range of musical instruments able to simultaneously produce energetic melody and sustained droning bass.1 It is believed that the earliest mechanical violas resembling the hurdy-gurdy were part of sacred music settings in the tenth century – The sculpture featuring two monks playing an organistrum (an early protoplast of hurdy-gurdy), found in the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral seems to be corroborating this theory.2

Figure 1 – ‘Santiago de Compostela’ cathedral, Spain. Photo by Ray Escámez Rivero

The organistrum – a protoplast of modern hurdy-gurdy – failed to provide enough volume for the expanding architectural settings of the medieval church, and after two centuries from its first depiction as a "sacral instrument" was replaced by the bigger and louder pipe organ.

The French hurdy-gurdy was considered a pinnacle of sophisticated luthiery at the French court. While recognised among aristocracy as much more than a novelty instrument, it was subjected to unfair scrutiny by the rising aesthetical hunger for counterpoint and increasing harmonic complexity (Green, 1995). After being replaced by the pipe organ, the instrument took on a more compact and portable form. As such, it found its place beside the most disadvantaged members of society including beggars, impoverished troubadours and blind poets.

1 Winternitz, Emanuel. Bagpipes and Hurdy-gurdies in Their Social Setting. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1943. 2 Palmer, Susann, and Samuel Palmer. The Hurdy-gurdy. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1980.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Unlike popular instruments designed and constructed to embrace tonal and harmonic flexibility – such as the piano or the saxophone – the musical features of the hurdy-gurdy were often subjected to ‘asymmetrical criticism’3 from musical scholars who viewed the instrument through a polyphonic lens. We can only speculate if French luthier – Henri Baton – who introduced the hurdy-gurdy to French court – was motivated by its circular note ability without 'the fuzz' of tuning the bagpipe. During its life in the French court, the Vielle (fr.) did indeed receive a royal treatment in the form of multiple compositions created by Philibert Delavigne (c. 1700–1750), Jacques Aubert (1689 – 1753) or Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689 – 1755).4

It was at the French Court during the Baroque era that the vielle became appreciated as a musical instrument again (Green, 1995). The vielle remained at the French Court for many years until the French Revolution ousted this nobleman’s instrument back to the countryside. This is where it remains today, perfectly preserved within a well- cultivated status quo. The presence of the hurdy-gurdy in the folklore of other European traditions (Hungarian, Ukrainian, Polish, German, Swedish and Spanish) has generally evolved alongside the instrument’s endemic roles across local musical landscapes. Naturally, within different traditions, there were slightly different approaches, sounds and methods of construction.

Nevertheless, the instrument’s name in English reflects a certain unjust treatment of it in popular culture. While countries where the hurdy-gurdy is part of a ‘living culture’ have their own unique names for the instrument – Lira, Tekero, Drehleier, Vielle – the English term “hurdy-gurdy” is shared with mechanical wind-up toys as well as the barrel organ. The term is most likely of onomatopoeic Old-English origin and as such, carries ironic and humorous connotations that surely have done a disservice to the instrument’s proper placement in Western musical tradition.5 Despite an almost thousand-year history of the instrument, my own research into the field of hurdy-gurdy practice and performance has brought me to the conclusion that knowledge about it is mostly endemic – focused around cultural and geographical nuclei. Before globalisation, the historical participation of hurdy-gurdy in the music of the world seems to have been defined by the geographical boundaries of modern Europe and – to a lesser degree – regions of its cultural influences. This could be explained by a relative separation of hurdy-gurdy traditions across European folk music with the very little cross-pollination of performing styles until the second half of the twentieth century.6 These traditions seem directly related to acoustic and expressive idioms dictated by the culture or genre from which the instrument derives. For example, the Hungarian Tekero emphasises a louder, rhythmical style which – if set in a traditional Hungarian folk ensemble – will compete for loudness with large drums, hammered dulcimer (cimbalom) and the fiddle.

3 Allmo, Per-Ulf, and Jan Winter. Lirans Hemligheter: En Studie I Nordisk Instrumenthistoria. Stockholm: Musikmuseet, 1985. 4 Green, Robert A. The Hurdy-gurdy in Eighteenth-century France. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995. 5 Randel, Don Michael. 1986. "Hurdy-Gurdy". The New Harvard Dictionary of Music. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 6 Hellerstedt, Kahren. Hurdy-gurdies from Hieronymus Bosch to Rembrandt. University of Pittsburgh, 1980.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

The French tradition of playing the vielle is focused around solo, duo or trio ensemble – with or without the inclusion of an accordion player or a vocalist; whereas a purist renaissance performer might focus on being harmonically and voluminously unified with the rest of the ensemble composed of hand drums, rattlers, recorders and lutes.7 Such variances appear to be dictated by the function of the hurdy-gurdy in an ensemble situation and vary to accommodate a wide spectrum of musical tasks to carry out by the instrument – namely harmonic, melodic, rhythmical, and a combination of all three in myriad ways. As textural, melodic, rhythmical and harmonic properties of traditional music exert differences between cultures, so does the style and function of each musical instrument engaged in an ensemble or soloist activity representing a specific tradition.

1.3 Observations

In the most recent decade of my work with the instrument, I have noticed that the occurrence of the hurdy-gurdy in the craft of contemporary composition is very modest and seems to exist mainly within the realm of recorded music. While theoretical and practical knowledge about the instrument – based on traditional sources – has gained more ground since the second half of the twentieth century, compositions that treat extended techniques as equally important for contemporary idioms, appear vastly undocumented. When researching contemporary performers such as Gregory Jolivet, Matthias Loibner, Alexis Vacher and Maciej Cierliński – one notices that some of them have already pushed the limits of our traditional understanding of the hurdy-gurdy’s possibilities. In observing their experiments, I have witnessed the emergence of new techniques. These – likely due to their lack of historic presence – are not tackled in the current field of hurdy-gurdy method teachings. These techniques are also addressed and described in this dissertation accordingly. One of my most striking observations in undertaking research into hurdy-gurdy literature is the limited major scholarly resources approaching the instrument from the point of view of contemporary music.

For the purpose of this work, I decided to define the term “contemporary music” as mainly based within the canon of art music created in the twentieth and twenty-first century, with flexible approach to constraints of functional tonality within its harmonic and melodic structures. Thus, contemporary music is apt to contain historically syncretic, diverse approaches and amalgamations of styles and form its own, independent aesthetic context. Considering this definition, the hurdy-gurdy can be seen to be perceived in a more progressive way in the second half of the twentieth century. The music of bands such as Lou Dalfin (1982) or Blowzabella (1978) might symbolise the natural pull of the hurdy-gurdy towards more open-ended classifications and a more flexible approach: while preserving traditional French, Italian and English folk traditions they modernised them throughout rock and pop instrumentations.

7 Mandel, Róbert, and András Hász. Hungarian Folk Instruments. Budapest: Kossuth Publishing, 2008.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

The “Golden Age” of contemporary hurdy-gurdy literature appears to extend from 1960 to 1980. It is no accident that this period correlates with a time when innovation and an experimental approach was taken to popular music. Furthermore, it coincides with the rise of the Neo-Folk genre – fuelled by the Folk Rock “renaissance” when Pop musicians started to absorb and reiterate traditional and folkloristic repertoires (“She Moves Through the Fair” by Peter Seeger – 1965, “Scarborough Fair" by Simon and Garfunkel – 1968 or folk-influenced “Mr Tambourine Man” by Bob Dylan – 1965 – are examples of this trend). During the Folk revival in the 70s, a new genre – Medieval Folk Rock – emerged. Medieval Folk Rock adopted several music devices from the 12th and 13th centuries, such as modality or drones, and while translating some elements directly into the modern, amplified line-up, it also incorporated many unaltered instrumental elements such as the use of bagpipes, hurdy-gurdies or medieval-style vocals.

During this revival, the instrument was reunited with its ancestral musical connotations – ‘applied’ rather than ‘adapted’. Bands such as Blowzabella (est. 1978, London) or Ad Vielle Que Pourra (est. 1986, Quebec) played hurdy- gurdy in its original instrumental settings (with bagpipes, lutes, fiddles) drawing from English, French and Breton folk music respectively. It was during this earlier period of the “revival” that the instrument started to emerge from centuries of obscurity. The second half of the twentieth century and the turn of the twenty-first century has brought forth a revaluation of the traditional approaches to the instrument. Its drones became appreciated textural mediums and even playable in a melodic manner, for example, Lira built by Leif Eriksson for Swedish band “Hedningarna” is equipped with drone keys and used by the band since late 1990’s. Naturally, the first treatises on the subject were intended to tackle its original application in music – bibliographically harboured in a sparse traditional repertoire. Most of the treatises and methods about the hurdy-gurdy are oriented to deliver traditional, stylistically and historically homogeneous knowledge directly rooted in pre-defined lore.

Considering the argument put forward in this dissertation, it is a meaningful fact that the most detailed treatises and methods on the subject were written in the eighteenth century. According to R. Green, “four methods entirely devoted to the vielle were published in eighteenth-century France”.8

8 Green, The Hurdy-gurdy (see page 13).

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Among the most known methods is “Principes pour toucher de la viele” by Baptiste Dupuits – describing then ground-breaking playing techniques. Written around the same time as Bouin’s “La Vielleuse habile”, Principes very likely remain a most-detailed instrumental method written for any instrument in the eighteenth century. Michel Corrette’s “La Belle vielleuse” treats us to condensed oeuvre of other eighteenth-century authors topped with author’s own insights into instrument tuning and potential tuning issues. When describing new, undocumented techniques, Dupuit’s work bears a particular significance. His method incorporated a unique technique of adding the left thumb to play keys – an approach as unorthodox as it was revolutionary. While it was not met with a lot of enthusiasm from Dupuit’s contemporaries, it did resurface in the twentieth century and continues to be used among many contemporary players.

In the following part, a selection of books and articles regarding the instrument is examined in relation to the following research.

Figure 2 - The author performing on Lira Korbowa (Polish hurdy-gurdy) (photo by: MY Media, Sydney; source: Marlo Music)

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

1.4 Selected Hurdy-gurdy Literature

The Hurdy-gurdy - Setup and Maintenance [Die Drehleier - Feinabstimmung und Wartung] By Philip Destrem and Volker Heidemann, 1993, published by Verlag der Spielleute, Germany.

This book, written in French, German and English is one of the main manuals providing proper instruction for the maintenance and setup of the hurdy-gurdy. The book contains numerous diagrams and drawings accompanied by specific technical information. Destrem and Heidemann’s book is not a stylistic guide or a repertoire brief by any means. It provides, however, an abundance of guidelines about the ergonomics of the hurdy-gurdy, its maintenance, tuning, cotton application, string selection and other essential processes required to play the instrument. Analysing the content from the point of view of extending the hurdy-gurdy’s technical capabilities, it becomes clear that to do so, certain specified guidance needs to be ignored or – at times – contradicted.

One of the main points that needs to be reconsidered by a performer with extended technique ambitions is the direction of wheel turning. Destrem and Heidemann clearly state that the only correct approach is to ensure the uppermost tip of the wheel is moving away from performer’s body. It will be further explained that certain techniques mentioned in this dissertation require rapid wheel oscillations in both directions. That said, the bulk of the material in Destrem and Heidemann’s book supports good practices in regard to instrument setup which is generally adherent to the techniques and practises mentioned in this paper.

Principe pour toucher de la Vielle By Jean-Baptiste Dupuits, 1741, Paris Modern editions: Minkoff, 1985, Geneve Robert Haynes Music, 2009, New York

Dupuit's "Principles of Hurdy-Gurdy Playing" is officially the first out of all the method treatises dedicated to the hurdy-gurdy. New edition of this work has complete parallel texts (French to English) and in-line musical examples transposed into modern clef and clearly laid out. The original includes 6 large sonatas which in Haynes’ edition is enriched with a movement by movement analysis of how the pieces are to be played. Haynes also has included thematic examples in the body of the translation in order that the best possible education can be gained from Dupuit's remarks. The provision of this context makes the remarks far easier to understand. The original text is prohibitively difficult to read due to primitive printing and fading ink.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Lirnik z Haczowa [The Hurdy-gurdy Man From Haczów] By Stanisław Wyżykowski, 2000, ISBN: 83911936679788391193662, in Polish, published by Wydawnictwo Nonparel, Krosno.

Stanisław Wyżykowski is the only living Lira Korbowa (Polish hurdy-gurdy) maker born before the Second World War. This position is partially an autobiography, a manual and a repertoire reflecting upon author’s almost a century-long journey of musical discovery, self-teaching and professional experience as an instrument maker and performer. In the late twentieth century, Wyżykowski acquired a few dedicated apprentices among whom Stanisław Nogaj is the currently most internationally prominent and recognised hurdy-gurdy maker in Poland.

Wyżykowski tells the story of his life as a Lirnik (Polish for a hurdy-gurdy player) – through his childhood memories; subsequent iconographical discoveries in the 60s; reconstruction of the Lira Korbowa for archival purposes and his community education effort to propagate Lira knowledge and tradition locally and nationally. In the book, which is relatively short (80 pages), Wyżykowski manages to describe the technical process of creating his designs based on original ideas and reflections. These chapters are richly illustrated and convey the idea of a multilayered approach to hurdy-gurdy performance: where technical, traditional and self-exploratory notions are equally important for a performer. While describing the best ways of stringing, tuning and maintaining the instrument, Wyżykowski avoids purporting “the only correct methods” of playing or preparing it. His repertoire is deeply rooted in rudimentary musical styles of Polish folk music from the XVII – XX centuries, however, his approach to thinking about the instrument technologically, exceeds the frame characteristic of Middle European Lira traditions of past centuries.

His own rudimentary and somewhat jovial performances present a contrast with his highly systematic approach to integrating new solutions to known problems of hurdy-gurdy performance. This dualism is probably best represented by other popular instruments built by Stanisław in the late twentieth century: a fiddle-walking stick (for elderly musicians – walking stick equipped with a wooden sheath and miniature resonating chamber, producing an amazingly loud sound and extremely portable) and a Viola da Gamba with an extended range and an additional bass strings.

One of the main improvements to the hurdy-gurdy which is directly related to the tonal flexibility of the instrument – after equipping the Lira of old with a chromatic keyboard – is the addition of the kapodaster – a device shortening the drones at a pre-defined pitch to adjust the pitch centre for a given ensemble situation. This has been described as an idea that came to the author after few initial sessions with other musicians playing clarinets, double basses and violins which prompted improved tonal flexibility of the instrument. Wyżykowski clearly prefers performing the traditional repertoire he is accustomed to, mostly compiled from folkloristic songs of the South-East Poland countryside.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Nevertheless, as an inventor and instrument maker, he prepares his instruments for much more advanced tonal and harmonic challenges paving the way for other aspiring players to expand the repertoire and to carry the tradition on to the twenty-first century.

The Hurdy-Gurdy in Eighteenth-Century France By Robert A. Green, 1995, ISBN 0-253-20942-0, Publications of the Early Music Institute, Indiana University Press, Bloomington and Indianapolis

Written in English, this is likely the most competent historical resource on the French vielle. Along with the musicological, ethnographical and sociological aspects of the instrument, it examines its cultural influences and the mechanisms that accompany the perception of the hurdy-gurdy today. It tackles the repertoire and performing styles of eighteenth-century performers and discusses the composers, luthiers and historical background that contributed to the presence of the hurdy-gurdy in culture and music. The included music listing focuses mainly on a baroque repertoire and the book contains an impressive bibliography and photos of the unique luthier instruments.

Green’s work treats the instrument mainly from the perspective of the past and viewing it as a “period music instrument”. While the author makes it clear that the publication is by no means a manual or a method, the insight into the baroque history of the instrument is a prolific source for the research of a stylistic evolution of hurdy-gurdy music.

Green’s book provides an invaluable insight into the background of living ethnomusicological traditions – considering the fact that after its post-baroque re-emergence, the vielle (the French hurdy-gurdy) remains among most active among hurdy-gurdy lores in Europe.

La Vielleuse Habile By J. François Boüin, 1761, Paris. Modern editions: Robert Haynes Music, 2009, New York

Bouin‘s method is considered the most detailed and comprehensive method for the hurdy-gurdy produced in the eighteenth century. It was originally published in 1761 in Paris. Haynes’ edition is a complete translation (French to English) of the major educational section and its musical examples. New editions also accommodated the musical examples within the body of the text, making it more accessible and practical. The original text contains pedagogical text, 44 lessons and two musical compositions in C and G which sums up to around 70 pieces of music.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

"For the hurdy-gurdy player interested in eighteenth-century music, the methods of Bouin and Dupuits are required reading. For many, the language problem is almost insurmountable, especially in the case of Dupuits, whose prolix prose is a challenge even for native speakers. For these reasons, these English-language versions are especially welcome and should be of great assistance in exploring period interpretation." ~ Robert Green

Method Book for the Vielle or Hurdy-Gurdy By Doreen Muskett; 3rd edition in 1998, edited by Michael Muskett, ISBN 0-9946993-07-6; First edition in 1979, ISBN 0-946993-00-9; published by Michael and Doreen Muskett, Dorchester, Dorset, UK.

This is the only method written entirely in English. It tackles mainly the standard instrument in C/G tuning and provides a series of lessons, exercises and a historical brief of the hurdy-gurdy. The third edition is extended through the additional lessons, discography and detailed chapters on the maintenance of the instrument.

While being the most popular English source of traditional methods of playing the hurdy-gurdy, it makes no mention of any possible techniques apart from those required to perform in medieval and folk musical idioms.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Part 2: New Articulations

2.1 Introduction

This part illustrates systematically how new techniques and new functional approaches are incorporated into the existing breadth of the hurdy-gurdy practice. It aims to create and define a pool of compositional techniques.

The outcome of this part will provide an aspiring hurdy-gurdy player with a reliable source of information about the new possibilities and techniques mostly omitted in traditional sources of knowledge for the instrument. It tackles new ways of thinking about the role of right-hand technique and expands on its possibilities. It also addresses problems directly related to left-hand performance. It provides a series of exercises and etudes meant to reinforce the most efficient and ergonomic approaches to developing performers’ own style of playing.

The chapter will deliver a technical explanation, visual aids, examples and etudes for the development and consolidation of the selected range of new techniques, articulations and experimental playing methods. The techniques described here should serve as an extension of traditional playing and their practice should be attempted only after the performer has already possessed basic knowledge about the instrument and its most essential technicalities. Mentioned etudes and exercises will encourage the use of a ‘pinkie’ finger, which is often avoided by some players considering its inhibitory physical attributes.

The way in which the hurdy-gurdy produces its sound vibrations suggests its classification as a bowed stringed instrument, henceforth many of accepted techniques for violin or cello – including diacritical markings and notations – could be adapted for hurdy-gurdy without any substantial logical shifts. As written by Francois Bouin in his 1761 work – “La Vielleuse Habile”: “The wheel is to the vielle what the bow is to the violin. It is the wheel which gives the instrument its soul and its diversity. It is the wheel which determines the character of a piece and which distinguishes one phrase or part from another by the different turns given for that purpose…”

Thus, considering the limited dynamic and expressive range of traditional hurdy-gurdy, it is the wheel technique which is pivotal in a development and implementation of new technical ideas into the repertoire and performance practice.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

As described in "The Hurdy-gurdy adjustment and maintenance" (Destrem & Heidemann), turning the wheel in the opposite direction untightens the cotton grip around the string and subsequently distorts the sound and affect the tuning. As such, any technique that requires bi-directional wheel rotation would be considered against the rules and ‘incorrect’.

Nevertheless, most of the techniques described below are not only utilising bidirectional wheel rotation in a manner that allows to expand expressive possibilities of the instrument but also demonstrates that more conservative styles or performance are in no conflict with the experimental applications even in a context of a single piece of music.

The notion of “extended techniques” in relation to hurdy-gurdy bears slightly different connotations than those used in regard to other musical instruments. For the purpose of this paper, I decided to apply the meaning “extended techniques” to all the methods of producing a sound which is different from traditionally accepted hurdy- gurdy routine. These techniques may consist of (but are not limited to) rotating the wheel in both directions, stopping the string, applying uneven pressure, plucking, shortening the string with fingertips, etc.

From a traditional perspective, the hurdy-gurdy player has only one variable element available – the speed of the wheel – which at first can appear as a significant expressive limitation (if compared with a free bow held by hand). The sole purpose of the wheel is to provide an unending sustained tone thus is in the instrument’s nature to maintain a steady and uninterrupted rotation. This principle is in the opposition to some of the techniques described in this paper: in order to execute them, the wheel not only needs to be controllably stopped but also induce the string while turning in the opposite direction.

As it is clearly shown in further paragraphs, the idea of controlled stops and directional changes of the wheel is a substantial aspect of the majority of the articulations and techniques presented here.

Akin to all the keyboard instruments, hurdy-gurdy technique is vastly reliant on the agility and stamina of wrist, palm and fingers. However, unlike a piano or celesta, the focus is on the left hand - directly responsible for manning the melodic keyboard (this is sometimes reversed for rare instruments created specifically for left-handed players).

Certain techniques described in this paper – for example, arpeggio or pedal note ostinato – involves extended spacing of the left-hand fingers while maintaining steady control of the key action.

Certain techniques described in this work require an alternative approach to the typical “ergonomic” aspects of the hurdy-gurdy. Adopting new ways of positioning the instrument in relation to player’s body may be also helpful in attaining most efficient performance of the new techniques. Finding most ergonomic ways of re-positioning the wrist while changing between sustained notes and staccato – all these are directly related to player’s preferences, size and type of the instrument.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

2.2 Basic Sound Characteristics

2.2.1 The Wheel

The taxonomy of a mechanism which causes a string vibration through the means of friction locates the hurdy-gurdy in the bowed string family. The wheel is a functional equivalent of a bow, and as such it produces the sound by moving across the string. The instrument incorporates the apparatus transmitting the movement through basic mechanical means (crank, wheel and keyboard), thus it is also a member of a rare mechanical bowed string category.

In most of the bowed string instruments, a bow is not an integral part of the construction and the physical variables affecting the quality, colour and velocity of sound are fully controlled in a three-dimensional space by the player. The wheel operates only in one dimension, remaining in a constant contact with a string and the typical control parameters of the bowing mechanics – such as attack, bow acceleration, bow-bridge distance and bow force – remains constant and under a limited level of control.

The actual lack of ‘bow acceleration’ – one of the properties required to attain “perfect” attack and subsequent “brilliant” tone as per Guettler’s diagrams9 – results in so-called ‘raucous motion’ of a string and relates directly to the typical hurdy-gurdy sound. Raucous motion is one three different types of string motions according to Helmholtz string theory.

Figure 3 - Types of string motion (string velocities at the bowing point): (a) "perfect" Helmholtz motion, (b) multiple slipping, (c) raucous motion (source: Schoonderwaldt, Mechanics and Acoustics, 2009)

9 Schoonderwaldt, Erwin. Mechanics and Acoustics of Violin Bowing: Freedom, Constraints and Control in Performance. Stockholm: Datavetenskap Och Kommunikation, Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, 2009.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Fixed position of a wheel and the limits this fact imposes on "bowing" dynamics, leaves a performer with fewer options of controlling the sound of the instrument. The sustained character of most of the hurdy-gurdy’s repertoire remains unchallenged for centuries yet the limitations imposed by this approach present us with an opportunity to re-discover possibilities of the hurdy-gurdy anew.

Thou Boüin himself, often addressed the importance of the wheel technique and its effect on the sound of the instrument, the topic seemed to stay away from in-depth explorations and self-contained methodology. An effort to create a detailed notation of a piece of music for a hurdy-gurdy would miss the point when music is to be performed on two discrepant models with several technical variants.

While the idea of a plucked string has travelled afar and transformed through the centuries profoundly - turning harps into spinets, spinets into harpsichords and harpsichords into grand pianos - the humble wheel, crank and buttons have remained mostly unaltered in its principal design. It profited, however, from "rudimentary ameliorations" such as new materials, more precise construction tools, more compact dimensions and further improvements of existing physical and tonal qualities – which is not without importance when considering new performance techniques.

New construction methods seemed to also address one of the most common problems of the traditional hurdy- gurdy construction and alleviate the amount of unwanted non-musical and para-musical sounds that accompanies the instrument from its earliest days.

2.2.2 The Strings

There are traditionally two types of strings on the hurdy-gurdy classified accordingly to their function: drones and chanters. Similar to other drone instruments, a drone is tuned to the constant pitch – often reflecting the root tonality of a particular piece, while the chanter is responsible for carrying a melody line.

Such traditional role assignment clearly illustrates historic homophonic and harmonically functional nature of the instrument – anchored in a specific tonal Figure 4 - Swedish Groddalira built by Leif Eriksson centre with pre-set melodic parameters.

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When listening to traditional hurdy-gurdy music – performed with drone strings engaged and musical material based solely on sustained sounds – one may notice that the most characteristic feature of its sound is a virtual lack of sound decay phase. As strings are subjected to constant friction, the acoustic features of the construction seem to have lesser effect on the sound itself in comparison with audible note decay instruments, such as guitar or violin. Experiments with the type of strings and the minuscule details of cotton and rosin balance seems to have most profound effect on the primary timbre and colour of the instrument’s sound – while the construction, materials used and overall technical concept of its structure mainly affects the resonance and secondary overtones (those induced by the cross-interference of soundwaves).

The material used for traditional hurdy-gurdy strings is made of an organic matter obtained by stretching and drying animal intestines. As this kind of strings became increasingly hard to find, it is not uncommon to see violin, viola and even cello strings being used. As a performer, I experimented successfully with lowest nylon guitar strings (E, A, D) being used for bourdons. Nylon guitar strings are generally not recommended for traditional repertoire, nevertheless, I found their low tension and rich overtones to be suitable for a tonal experimentation with natural harmonics, glissandi, percussive effects and plucking.10

One of the main solutions allowing a hurdy-gurdy to ascend the restraint of pre-set tonality is a mechanical contrivance disengaging single string from a wheel. In Lira by S. Wyżykowski (see Fig. 4) this functionality is achieved by using two "L-shaped" levers attached to the tangent box and serving a single chanter string each. Also, the facilitation of switchable drones is particularly appealing to the contemporary musician from the point of view of tonal freedom. Drones usually require less elaborate mechanical solutions and the majority of makers simply provide their bridges with additional grooves carved further from the surface of a wheel where a string is being set when 'disengaged'.

The trompette string – since its bridge is usually too complex and fragile to provide additional grooves – is often accompanied by a peg or a bolt protruding from the box on the tangent box side of the wheel and providing an anchor for a disengaged string without affecting the delicate mechanism of a 'buzz bridge'.11

This subtle shift of functional character of the instrument seems to be much more prolific than just a toggle between monophonic and polyphonic instrument. The polyphony of hurdy-gurdy is often considered dubious as the actual range and harmonic possibilities are restricted to the current drone settings and its tonal implications.

10 Destrem, Philippe, and Volker Heidemann. Die Drehleier: Feinabstimmung Und Wartung = The Hurdy-gurdy: Setup and Maintenance. Ryom, Fr.: Amta, 1993. 11 Wyżkowski, Stanisław. Lirnik Z Haczowa. Krosno: Wydaw. Nonparel, 2000.

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Figure 5 – trompette and string-engaging mechanisms: a) trompette anchor; b) trompette string; c) trompette bridge; d) melodic strings levers; e) melodic strings

2.2.3 The Notation

Examination of the existing literature and scores available for the hurdy-gurdy reveals a tendency of applying traditional written notation mainly to the melodic function of the instrument. Folkloristic derivation of the instrument – where melodic progression is of a central value most of the time – had but very few historic opportunities to influence streams and genres other than the ones it was initially associated with.

'Drehleier spielen' (‘Hurdy-gurdy Playing’) by R. Delfino and M. Loibner12 approaches the notation for hurdy-gurdy from a surprisingly unexplored angle of the instrument – while theoretically being of bowed stringed family – is of its own unique design unlike any other sound-producing mechanism out there. Thus, the symbols and engraving used for strings are applied in hurdy-gurdy notations through the book.

What XVIII c. contemporaries of Boüin (author of “La Vielleuse Habile”) treated respectfully yet with mawkish tolerance as another addition to the chamber music line-up, has been become a self-sufficient device of idiomatically cohesive musical material – including dedicated notation and embracement for quirks and quips of the instrument.

12 Delfino, Riccardo, and Matthias Loibner. Drehleier Spielen: Grundlagen Und Hintergründe: Verlag Der Spielleute, 2006.

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The wheel was no longer merely a novelty bow replacement generously entrusted with the additional task of inducing the rhythmical sounds by an addition of trompette and composers often decided to add a rhythmical instruction to their scores. While most of the technical gestures that refer directly to the manner in which wheel causes strings to vibrate can be related to the known notation for other string instruments – especially bowed ones – most unique and characteristic possibilities of hurdy-gurdy remained unexplored and unannotated for almost entire periods of instrument’s ‘golden times’.

Drehleier scores of Matthias Loibner contain known markings of bowing direction, relayed here to wheel rotation, ‘breathing’ marks suggesting rotation pauses and ‘crank shake’ effects, among other new ways of describing the sonic potential of the hurdy-gurdy.

Thoughts have been given as to how hurdy-gurdy wheel rotation should be notated with one of the suggestions pointing at arrows. Nevertheless, considering the practical application of contemporary art music settings and hurdy-gurdy being a relatively new addition to the troupe, the more familiar and logically compatible with existing canon of string notation is preferred by the author. Certain techniques and articulations – for example, staccato and spiccato – on hurdy-gurdy are brought on by a short but decisive turn of the wheel in each direction – then sudden stop of its rotation. It is analogous to the staccato technique of other instruments of the stringed-bowed family so the notation should reflect that similarity while making the music more accessible for other instrumentalists and conductors, especially if hurdy-gurdy is to attain its place in ensemble situations.

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Left hand technique for hurdy-gurdy bears similarity to those of both piano and guitar approach. Top side of a palm faces upwards allowing fingers to manipulate the keyboard. The manner of using the keyboard has a clearly defined horizontal vector where proficiency is required not only through means of strengthening each finger but also requires efficient transitions between different positioning of the left hand.

Throughout this work and subsequently – its creative component – a certain degree of notational unification has been introduced to keep the score clear and

Figure 6 – fingering numeration (photo by the author) understandable:

 Where fingering indication is required or recommended, I use familiar guitar-style fingering scheme: (T) – thumb; (1) – index finger; (2) – middle finger; (3) – ring finger; (4) – little finger;  ‘Zero’ symbol (0) – indicates an open string with no keys pressed. In the context of this paper thus the instrument it is based on, open string will be either a ‘G’ below middle ‘C’ (lower chanter) or ‘G’ above middle ‘C’;  To address correct chanter string if change is required, ‘G3’ indicates a change to a lower chanter (engaging the string and disengaging the previous/current one), and ‘G4’ prompts for a higher chanter string respectively;  Suggested trompette rhythmical patterns are notated using an ‘X’ note head and single staff line;  Drones are notated on a cue-sized staff below the trompette line.

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2.2.4 Summary (table)

2.2.4.1 Chanters

Configuration Notation

Higher chanter in ‘G’ (G4) – highest notes are most volatile and require careful preparation of the instrument

Lower chanter in ‘G’ (G3)

Both chanters in ‘G’ engaged.

2.2.4.2 Drones

Configuration Notation

Trompette in (G) – notated using ‘X-shaped’ note heads and single line

Diagram of available drone strings in C/G instrument. D drone is available for quick retuning up to the fourth above and below. Drone in C and trompette are usually paired for compositions fitting in C/G tonality while G drone and D drone are paired for G/D accordingly.

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2.3 New Performance Techniques

2.3.1 Chanters

2.3.1.1 Staccato

Staccato is a relatively new technique and is rare in a traditional medieval, baroque and folk repertoire. One of the earliest recorded applications of staccato on hurdy-gurdy are pieces by Nigel Eaton and Blowzabella (1987). More recently and noticeably used by Alexis Vacher and Matthias Loibner who – by the means of live electronic loops – utilised its potential more thoroughly as both harmonic and rhythmical devices. This articulation is attained by a short, controlled movements of the wheel. Playing a passage of staccato notes requires movements in both directions hence it is contradictory to most of the traditional methods advising against turning the wheel anti- clockwise (when looking from the “crank-side” – the bottom of the instrument).

Staccato on hurdy-gurdy produces short notes of average loudness (ranging between piano and mezzo-forte depending on the instrument and the amount of rosin applied) resembling that of a viola.

Figure 7 - "Staccato" grip: pivotal point of a wrist rests closer to the axis of the wheel. Notice the thumb and index finger are controlling the movement through the shaft rather than through using the handle.

Transition from a regular wheel rotation to staccato requires alteration of right hand positioning. Instead of holding a handle, the palm should hold an arm of the crank, naturally aligning the axis of the wheel with that of hand’s radius bone. This is to reduce the number of pivotal points between wrist and the wheel as well as minimising accidental transmission points which would consequently lead to delaying the momentum between the right hand and the wheel.

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The crank itself should be pointing between 1 and 2 o’clock of the wheel to maintain a desirable level of control over its inertia. The right palm should be resting comfortably along the arch of the crank allowing unrestrained moves of around 15-20 degrees of the wheel’s circumference each direction.

Figure 8 - Bidirectional Staccato

There is a certain amount of grip tension applied to the shaft of the crank that is recommended when performing more intense staccato fragments. Performing on a slower pace thus leaving more time between staccato notes allows right hand to relax the grip slightly. It is important to maintain constant control over the crank’s position. Releasing the grip entirely will return the crank to the bottom point of our rotational circumference – most likely producing unwanted sound. The movement of the wrist should be focused on controlling the part of the crank between its axis and halfway through its arm. The handle itself can act as rest for fingers but it is not recommended to use it as a pressure point when playing staccato.

The rule of thumb is to find a ‘sweet spot’ of support which guarantees an ergonomically founded point of control of bidirectional movement yet it requires minimal or no movement of the wrist away from the wheel axis. Movements should be long enough to induce friction yet giving the wrist enough room for a comfortable counter-movement. It is practically impossible to perform more than 5-6 staccato notes in one direction without changing right-hand position.

Notation-wise, a staccato note on the hurdy-gurdy doesn’t have minimal notated values as this is based solely on the individual instrument preparation: amount of rosin applied, type of strings used etc. – the elements which determine the length of a stroke require to induce functional timbral friction. Staccato notes are marked with traditional staccato dots (Figure 1) supported by either “bowing” instructions – indicating bidirectional approach – or a lack of thereof – played as desired by performer.

Figure 9- Unidirectional Staccato with "bowing" indications.

If these are omitted, the direction is up to performer.

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Considering the relatively small amplitude of wheel movements, staccato bears lesser risk of unwinding the cotton than spiccato, where movements are significantly longer. Nevertheless, the pitch accuracy is of utter importance and extremely short attack time might significantly reduce the time allowed for a string to engage sufficiently. For that reason, staccato might not resonate properly in instruments with lowered tuning, retuned to lower keys than those it is designed for, experimental bass instruments and those with alternative string implementation (using cello strings or other of extended length).

Figure 10 - Staccato exercise I: numbers above the system indicates left-hand fingering. Arrows between them suggest position shift. Notice the last note in the score marked as 'tenuto' - it is meant to be played as 'spiccato'.

2.3.1.2 Spiccato

Hurdy-gurdy spiccato – in comparison with its staccato articulation – is distinct by two main features: duration and right hand position. While the staccato bears some qualities of a ‘punctuation’ or a ‘pulse’, the spiccato is logically aiming at separation between notes by changing the direction of wheel rotation – clearly referring to the root meaning of word spiccare (it.): “separate”13

While most bowed string instruments can perform clearly measured spiccato notes, thus adding a quantitative option to the compositional pallet, the duration of spiccato on hurdy-gurdy is highly dependent on the instrument itself – including the quality of rosin, its amount, wheel material, string tension and material used. In simple terms, spiccato on the instrument is produced by a finite, directional wheel turns, roughly between 45° and indeterminate smaller subdivision of the entire circumference.

13 Guettler, Knut. On the Kinematics of Spiccato Bowing. Stockholm: Royal Institute of Technology, 1997.

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The amplitude of a movement required to attain longer attack and note duration would be ergonomically impractical when using the ‘staccato grip’ near the wheel’s rotation axis.

For spiccato, the aim is to control wheel inertia rather than attaining a smooth, seamless rotation, but with the bigger movement amplitude grip shouldn’t move away from the handle. Rather it is the heel of the palm that provides more control over attacks and decays of the rotation by aligning with the shaft of the crank. Figure 5 depicts the traditional way of holding the crank, while the subsequent Figure 6 is the hand position used when playing spiccato.

Figure 11 - traditional grip used to play sustained notes on hurdy-gurdy. This grip gives a control over wheel movement and hand's position aims at assuring most relaxed thus seamless rotation.

Figure 12 - Changes of wheel rotation in spiccato suggest that player's hand should have more control over wheel's inertia. Notice the palm's heel being moved toward the shaft.

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On most string instruments, spiccato and staccatoare articulations directly dependant on a bow stroke technique. Certain techniques known from violin or viola – i.e. Sautillé – can be translated to hurdy-gurdy playing styles. Since Sautillé in its original meaning relies on bouncing movement of the bow – natural mechanics caused by increasing speed of spiccato – only the resulting sonic effect can be associated with hurdy-gurdy style.

Figure 13 - Various types of spiccato notation. The most basic one is basically an addition of bowing directions.

Spiccato notation for hurdy-gurdy is more contextual rather than indicative. In its simplest form, the sole presence of bowing marks and the absence of staccato dots is sufficient to declare a spiccato passage. In broad terms, the difference between spiccato and staccatois not that clearly defined from the musical point of view: very quick notes played spiccato may as well sound like staccato notes on certain instruments. On hurdy-gurdy, the difference between these two is much more distinguishable as the technical approach requires decisive approach to hand configuration and accommodation of ergonomical aspects of a performed piece of music.

Figure 14: opening fragment of "Katzensilber" by M. Loibner. Bowing marking clearly indicates bidirectional nature of this technique. One may find seeming analogy to violin ‘sautille’ technique in this piece.

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It is important to acknowledge the subtle difference between spiccato on hurdy-gurdy and other string instruments. While i.e. viola spiccato is a technique – a way of bowing focused on preservation and unification of a motoric pattern which leads to sound production – its aspects on the instrument where bow is replaced with a wheel, becomes somewhat symbolical rather than literal. There is no way to ‘bounce the bow’ when performing on hurdy- gurdy thus the analogy is more concerned about similarities in produced sound therefore investing in reproducing the sound rather than motions than leads to it.

Figure 15 - Exercise II - Further combination of staccato and spiccato. Longer, spiccato notes should be played for the indicated length. Number '0' indicates an open string with no keys pressed.

Figure 16- Exercise III - Combinations of staccatoand spiccato in 5/4 time.

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2.3.1.3 Tremolo

In musical terms, tremolo is a continuous sequence of extremely short single-pitch repetitions. The agility of the bowing hand for viola or cello couldn’t possibly be replicated by a heavier axial mechanism of a hurdy-gurdy wheel. Nevertheless, the sonic effect of the tremolo technique is as much attainable on hurdy-gurdy as on any other instrument of frictional nature.

Staccato articulation assumes that the shortest note to fit its description needs to be provided with enough friction to result with a tonal sound. Naturally, the sequence of these short notes – a Tremolo – is nothing else but a chain of unmeasured staccato notes. Shifting the right-hand grip is required for an efficient tremolo – fast succession of rotational changes forces the player to align a wrist with the axis of the wheel – similar to when playing staccato.

As instruments’ construction varies, so does the length of the crank shaft. Since it would be highly impractical to attempt to describe hand position for every type of hurdy-gurdy, the “rule of thumb” is to slightly relocate our palm towards the wheel, then to slide it slightly towards its axis. This move should result with lighter grip on the handle (for those who have fingers long enough to still reach the handle), but with a better control over wheel’s inertial through the means of leaning the mid-palm against the shaft of the crank.

As the grip is released off the handle/knob, the wheel rotation is controlled by a sequence of opposite actions between thumbs (supported by its heel) and fingers: mostly index and middle (ring finger and small finger has merely a supportive function). The role of the palm is to reduce the free rotation and to dampen the inertia by adding resistance.

While the movement itself is not complicated technically, it requires a certain amount of preparation in order to find a perfect ratio between controlling rotational dampening and causing enough friction while allowing the wrist to avoid unnecessary tension and injury. One of the ways to think about the tremolo grip is to imagine handing someone a pencil or a brush. The grip used when pointing it towards the imaginary recipient is strong enough to prevent the object from falling from our hands whilst avoiding excessive force to hold it.

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Figure 17 - Exercise IV - Tremolo (unmeasured) in C-minor, 5/4 time.

The issue of loosening up the cotton as the result of back-motion can be addressed by using thicker kinds of rosin – viola, cello and in some cases, double bass. The correct setup should provide a player with the ability to smoothly change the type of articulation – i.e. transition from sustain to tremolo and back – without the coloristic features of the sound being affected.

The higher and harsh overtones we can hear when playing higher notes, the higher is the risk of tone being affected during playing. The unwinding cotton bud tends to lose a grip with the string and subsequently circulate around the string rather that conducting vibrations. ‘Unstable’ cotton won’t make tremolo notes accurate enough and will most likely deteriorate the tonal qualities of the note if counter-rotation is ever attempted. For that reason, additional amount of rosin added onto the string before cotton is applied, may be necessary to prepare the instrument.

Figure 18 - natural grip used for tremolo: controlling the rotational changes with palm and thumb's heel equally as with fingers.

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There are almost no existing music pieces written that would adequately utilise tremolo technique. Apart from few selected pieces from “Vielle à roue” album by Matthias Loibner, improvised live pieces by Alexis Vacher, and a sample library capturing tremolo sound by the author of this thesis, tremolo is vastly unexplored as articulation technique and the expressive possibility of the instrument.

Notating tremolo for hurdy-gurdy is not much different from typical tremolo marks for other string instruments. In this case, semi-demi-quaver flag usually indicated unmeasured repetitions of a single pitch. On the contrary, application of longer repetition markings – i.e. semi-quaver – would suggest measured staccato or spiccato repetition.

Using dotted slurs in two examples below suggest more "lyrical" and continuous progression of notes. On hurdy- gurdy, it suggests more subtle, quieter key action if technically possible. It is usually attained through positioning fingers before the note is played and engaging the key simultaneously with the release of a previous one, usually using smoother, ‘squeezing’ key action rather than ‘pushing’.

Figure 19 - Tremolo 'Legato' on single chanter string: Figure 20- Tremolo 'Legato' on dotted slur symbolises continuous character of the figure both chanter strings engaged.

In the below exercise, dashed slurred lines have been used to indicate ‘legato’ nature of the melody. Surely, the term itself is merely a figurative suggestion as ‘perfect legato’ is technically unattainable on hurdy-gurdy just like it isn’t on a piano, celesta or any other instrument equipped with a fixed keyboard. Nevertheless, a certain amount of control over key-to-string pressure allows incorporating techniques which may efficiently ‘mimic’ portamento and legato.

Figure 21 - Exercise V - 'Lyrical' Tremolo using dashed slurs suggests that the melodic lines should be performed using subdued key action to put emphasis on horizontal continuity.

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Figure 22 - Staccato, Tremolo and spiccato combined.

2.3.1.4 Arpeggio / Pedal-note Ostinato

The ability of hurdy-gurdy to perform arpeggiated figures came to life when Henri Baton applied an array of refinements to the process of hurdy-gurdy building. The response of the keys, their more subdued action noise and overall greater agility of the keyboard brought a possibility to perform quick arpeggiated figures with enough tonal accuracy to create reliable triads and other harmonic devices.

While the arpeggio by its definition implies a level of adherence to the harmonic triad, other ostinato figures that involve the open string note followed by chromaticism are equally effective. While their harmonic applications might be seen as limited by the necessity of involving a particular note in the process, the inclusion of the open string allows a player to create arpeggios around extended chords thus effectively expanding the idiomatic possibilities of the instrument.

Figure 23 - Ostinato exercise with open string as a pedal note: "...while pedal “g” note is held first in each triplet,

its tonal context is altered by harmonic movement relied by “moving notes” of the figure..."

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Exercise VI exemplifies the use of the open string as a pedal note on which, short, two-note tonal expressions are imposed. While pedal “g” note is held first in each triplet, its tonal context is altered by harmonic movement facilitated by remaining, “moving notes”.

Figure 24 - An arpeggio exercise based on harmonic triads

2.3.1.5 “Vanishing” Ostinato

This articulation has been devised specifically for the purpose of the creative component of this thesis and as such is relatively untried on other instruments and their variants. Its purpose serves mainly as a hybrid of tonal and rhythmical devices and works best with other instruments supporting mentioned functions simultaneously in a piece.

The emphasis of this particular technique is put on a steady rhythmical progression of tones which are gradually transformed into nontonal keyboard sounds as the wheel is slowing down to stop. The figure below depicts a transitional nature of this technique using different note heads. This notation has been also used in the composition “The Alder Groove” in part three of this paper. Full note heads represent full-bodies, unaltered sound; triangles are the transitional notes indicating subduing of the tonal quality of the sound whereas ‘x-shaped’ notes are indicative of percussive key-pressing sounds. The length of this effect and the tempo of tonal dissolution are directly related to controlled wheel deceleration. This technique works best when enough time is allowed to distinguish between different layers of tonal character of the sound.

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Figure 25 - "Vanishing" Ostinato. Changing note heads reflects the 'disintegration' of the tonal sounds into 'percussive' key noises.

2.3.1.6 The “Portamento/Legato” effect

The essence of articulations demonstrated in previous paragraphs relies on the augmentation of wheel function, thus focusing on the right-hand performance. While the left-hand technique has been fully addressed in works of Dupuit’s, Bouin’s and more recent methods, such Palmer’s – the portamento wasn’t given much attention. The most likely reason of such status quo is the fact that theoretically, portamento is not possible on hurdy-gurdy: Its keys stop the string in a pre-configured fashion which cannot be dynamically altered during performance. Unlike the guitar where the player’s finger stops the string through direct contact hence allowing its further manipulation, stopped hurdy-gurdy strings have very limited bending range. One may assume that application of keyboard mechanism disables the string from being “bent” after it is stopped by the apparatus.

Nevertheless, the hurdy-gurdy keyboard and its rudimentary construction allow a certain level of functional deviation. As per Bouin’s method, the key pressure should be sufficient to stop the string without causing it to bend the pitch, however as the design and construction may vary, some instruments allow more room for experimentation with restrictions of the tangent box.

Figure 26 – A Legato exercise. Slurred noted are meant to be play connected rather than initiated by the audible attack.

The “Portamento Effect” (double commas intended since this technique only mimics the actual portamento) is achieved by over-pressing the initial key thus raising the pitch to the point of fraction below the landing pitch, while slightly pressing the landing key without engaging the pitch. In the above exercise, slurred notes are connected by minimisation of the attack noise, controlled transition and slight ‘bending’ of the lower note for upward melodic vectors.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Exercise VIII also contains a suggested fingering pattern for the left-hand – please note it is necessary to alter the position in the middle of the bar in order to secure most controlled position when approaching new slurred figure. While the initial pitch is a fraction below the landing pitch, the latter is to be fully pressed. This method focuses on minimalising mechanical noise that would otherwise logically separate both notes. The bending of the initial note creates an illusion of connected, continuous sound. This could be also considered a technique utilised for playing ‘legato’ figures.

2.3.1.7 Pedal Note Staccato

Pedal note staccato occurs when a progression of notes or a specific note repetition is separated by another static pitch. More precisely in hurdy-gurdy, the pedal note is usually an open string or another degree of the scale related to the functional tonality of performed piece. The sole nature of this articulation implies a continuous movement of the wheel and the counter-movement is discouraged – unlike the “detached” staccato mentioned in the paragraph above and requiring bi-directional rotation.

The manifestation of Pedal Note Staccato is determined by relative tempo thus durations of the melodic note against the pedal tone. The term shall be applied when the note duration oscillates around the semi-demi-quaver value of 400 or above, which would equal the tempo of 100 beats per minute per crochet. Sustaining these notes for longer time intervals would cause them to lose their ‘staccato’ character.

Fast key action on hurdy-gurdy attracts additional, percussive aspect of this technique which is unique for this instrument. Pedal-note staccato can be played by any given number of melodic strings simultaneously with any harmonic implications thus being applied accordingly to the instrument setup.

Figure 27 – Example notations of pedal-note staccato on higher 'G' chanter string. Notice the intervals exceeding one octave.

One of the main beneficial features of this technique is the ability to produce short, accentuated melodic notes – a rhythmical imitation of a regular staccato – while making unrestricted use of characteristic hurdy-gurdy features related to uninterrupted sound continuity – such as drone notes and trompette. While the regular staccato application makes sense only when no other strings but chanters are engaged, pedal-note staccato can be efficient playing along full array of engaged hurdy-gurdy devices.

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Figure 28 - Pedal-note Staccato played on both 'G' chanter strings engaged (top), trompette (middle, percussive line) and both drones (bottom, cue size staff).

Figure 29 - Pedal-note Staccato exercise. These four bars are meant to be repeated, starting from lower tempi and increasing the speed slightly with each repetition.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

2.3.1.8 Summary (table)

Articulation Left hand Right hand Sound Notation staccato standard special grip near the comparable to viola staccato wheel axis

spiccato standard special grip comparable to viola spiccato between axis and handle

tremolo standard special grip comparable to viola tremolo between axis and – brighter and with more handle high overtones

arpeggio demands agility standard resembling cello Sautillé, and dexterity rich in mechanical key noises

vanishing demands agility controlled rotation regular rhythmical figures ostinato and dexterity speed fluctuating between tonal notes and percussive key sounds Chanter

legato controlled standard subdued key noises; quasi- attack/release portamento resembling violin/viola

pedal note controlled standard efficiently harmonic and ostinato oscillation between rhythmical device with pedal and melodic prominent key noises and notes ability to simultaneously allow sustained drone notes.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

2.3.2 Drones

2.3.2.1 Dormant Drone

‘dormant drone’ is an original, unprecedented articulation attainable on a majority of instruments and with a minimal amount of preparation. The sounds rely on inducing partial vibrations of the string without engaging it into the full sound of its fundamental.

To produce a Dormant Drone sound, the wheel needs to rotate at the speed lower than that required to gain full- bodies fundamental sound. Usually, it is at ½ of that speed and may vary depends on the amount of rosin and cotton applied. The resulting sound resembles that of “whispers” – rich with harmonics of an indeterminate pitch as different lengths of the strings are vibrating at different speeds thus creating a chain of micro-interferences. Nevertheless, depending on the tuning, the tonal qualities of the sound might be sometimes identified as related to the original fundamental note of the drone.

Dormant Drone sound is more of a coloristic articulation rather than a melodic one as its pitch is somewhat hard to determine. Occasional fragmentary pitches are usually related to the fundamental note of the drone string.

The notation is indicative of the original drone pitch of a string that is being used (C/G drones in the example below). The note head is ‘back-slashed’ across and the dynamics are used to indicate its inherent low velocity. Since the effect is obtained through only partial vibrations amplitude, its dynamic character is mostly contained between ‘n/pppp’ and ‘p’.

Due to the low friction, usually only the most volatile segments of the string induce harmonics. If produced, resulting overtones are most likely to be fundamentals up to ¼ (two octaves above). In most cases, these overtones are produced simultaneously as clusters of a long attack time.

Figure 30 – Devised ‘dormant drone’ notation

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2.3.2.2 Stalling Drone

‘Stalling drone’ is another original articulation that resulted from experimenting with extreme speeds of the wheel. The principle of this technique – while practically attained through exactly opposite treatment than the previous Dorman Drone – is to produce a similar effect of overtone induction by volatile grip between the wheel and the string.

However, in this scenario, excessive speed of the wheel is causing periodic disengagements of the contact between wheel’s surface and the string. Depending on an amalgamation of factors – such as the initial tension of the string, type of rosin, amount of the cotton and the material the string is made of – the intervallic nature of these ‘skids’ creates additional sources of interference. To better illustrate the process, let's imagine a violin string being bowed by few bows at the same time, whilst at very high speeds each bow would be moving according to its own momentum. The resulting sound would be a combination of different harmonic nodes sounding out as the physical properties of the string would try to compensate the irregular nature of induced vibrations.

According to Schoonderwaldt, “The frictional force increases until the maximum static friction force is reached, and the bow eventually loses the grip of the string”14. This characterises the ‘slipping’ phase in bowing, which is the countermotion of the string against the bowing direction. When the string is ‘stalling’, the wheel velocity imposes new ‘static properties’ onto the string – since the “bowing” is steady, the vibrating string displays new characteristics which distort the natural phases of Helmholtz motion. The speed of rotation distorts the natural phases of the physical model of string bowing, rendering sticking phases to be only partially attained. 15

Figure 31 - ‘Dormant drone’ tend to produce fragmentary harmonic pitches between the fundamental and 1/4. Due to its higher friction and density of interferences, ‘stalling drone’ is most likely to produce fragmentary pitches of 1/4 and higher. (source: www.alashensemble.com)

14 Schoonderwaldt, Mechanics and Acoustics (see page 32) 15 Pitteroff, R., and J. Woodhouse. "Mechanics of the Contact Area Between a Violin Bow and a String. Part II: Simulating the Bowed String." Acta Acustica United with Acustica 84, no. 4 (1998): 744-57.

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The characteristic component of ‘stalling drone’ sound is the ‘phantom phasing’ effect which requires steady speed for a longer period (usually 2-5 seconds depending on said physical characteristics of the string) to occur and is a result of the string finding its most efficient vibration pattern.

Dormant Drones tend to produce fragmentary harmonic pitches between the fundamental and ¼, however, due to its higher friction and density of interferences, by stalling the drone it will most likely produce harmonics of two octaves and higher (see the Figure 29 diagram). To sum up the most basic physical principle of this effect according to Helmholtz string theory, it occurs when a string’s ‘slipping’ motion outbalances its ‘sticking’ phase.

The notation for ‘stalling drone’ is a note-head “slashed” forward and accompanied by a tenuto marking. While the resulting sound will be most likely of a lesser dynamic nature than naturally induced sound, the tenuto sign indicates increased mechanical effort from a player rather than actual volume of sound. As such, use of any dynamic markings above fortissimo would be too much of a contradiction to the resulting effect, whereas – by comparison – use of pianissimo dynamics for ‘dormant drone’ is fully justifiable.

Figure 30 – Devised ‘stalling drone’ notation

2.3.2.3 Harmonic Flutter

“Harmonic flutter” is an unprecedented and previously undocumented effect. It is achieved by a series of quick ‘taps’ on the harmonic node of the drone string. Depending on the fundamental note, the sonic character of the resulting sound resembles a flute ‘flutter-tongue’ effect but with the increased intervallic distance between produced pitches. The notation of the effect may use a familiar ‘fl.’ suggestion along with standardised unmeasured tremolo flag (on the example below, the semi-demi-quaver flags are demonstrating unmeasured characteristics).

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Figure 32 - proposed notation for the 'Harmonic Flutter" effect. The sonic attributes of the effect agree with tremolo and 'fl.' markings used as well as ‘diamond-shaped’ head of a produced harmonic note.

This technique is relatively apt to agile and timely control of a pitch changes. Steady wheel rotation allows smooth cross-fading with the original, unaltered sound of the drone and the effect is easily attainable on any kind of hurdy- gurdy.

Since the placement of harmonic nodes will vary depending on the string, its material, instrument size etc., it is important to locate these lengths on the hurdy-gurdy prior to the performance. A simple method or marking, such as adhesive materials are acceptable though the most reliable point of reference is the keyboard itself as the effect is mostly applicable to drones running across the side of the instrument that faces an audience. The acoustic properties of this technique rely on frequent alterations between fundamental note and natural harmonic. As such, it is able to produce 2-4 different pitches in a relatively short measured musical timeline.

Figure 33 - Harmonic Flutter effect consists of fact alterations between natural harmonic sound and the open string achieved by fast tapping on the harmonic nodes of vibrating drone string.

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2.3.2.4 Harmonic Vibrato

Harmonic vibrato is a “hurdy-gurdy exclusive” technique that requires finger pressure fluctuations on a harmonic node while turning the wheel. This method sounds the clearest on partials up to ¼ whereas attempts on produce a harmonic note on any shorter parts of the string will most likely to result with a fundamental of stopped pitch. The way the effect has been notated in the picture below reflects its characteristic accurately: The fluctuations create a pulsating sound which oscillates between fragmented impositions of the fundamental note and the natural overtone of a given harmonic node. The tenuto sign implies an increase in volume as the pulsating movement is in transverse relation to the string thus it naturally increases the force of the string against the wheel. In this context, extreme fluctuations of the pressure might cause harshness and distortions of the sound – an effect which not always is unwanted.

Figure 34 - Harmonic vibrato notation

2.3.2.5 Harmonic Glissando

Harmonic glissando is another para-melodic feature possible on a hurdy-gurdy drone. It relies on stopping the string on recognised harmonic nodes of a string with a finger of a left hand while turning the wheel in a natural, steady manner.

Figure 35 - Harmonic Glissando on hurdy-gurdy is best attainable on drone strings located on the keyboard side of the tangent box.

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This technique is used on other string instruments – from double bass to bowed electric guitar and is not inherently exclusive to hurdy-gurdy. The shortest encapsulation of the idea of harmonic glissando would be to connect sustained harmonic overtones without breaking the bowing cycle.

On other bowed instruments, the technique has been used by many composers – since the nineteenth century onwards and could be notated in a variety of ways depends on the musical context.

Figure 36 - An example of Harmonic Glissandi notation for Cello (source: http://www.moderncellotechniques.com).

Figure 37 - Common way of notating Harmonic Glissando for hurdy-gurdy drones

2.3.2.6 Plucked Drone (Pizzicato)

Drone plucking usually serves to highlight the tonality of a piece and fulfils more of an ornamental rather than an actual melodic function. Some players, such as Alexis Vacher or Gregory Jolivet, are known to use pizzicato with looping devices to achieve ostinato accompaniment figures. It is also applied as a rhythmical device counterweighting the sustained nature of traditional sound.

Figure 38 - 'pizzicato' on hurdy-gurdy drones is marked in the same way as on any other bowed instrument

2.3.2.7 Summary (table)

Articulation Left hand Right hand Sound Notation dormant n/a extremely slow rotation ‘whispering’ effect with drone fragmented overtones and very gentle impositions of fundamental note

stalling drone n/a fastest possible rotation ‘wailing’ effect – rich in high overtones, steady siren-like

harmonic tapping the standard comparable to flute ‘flutter flutter harmonic node tongue effect’ but with more ‘wooden’ resonance

harmonic fluctuating standard oscillating between harsh, vibrato pressure on overtone-rich and expressive the harmonic melodic tone.

Drone node

harmonic sliding fingertip standard comparable to cello glissando between harmonic glissando harmonic nodes

pizzicato plucking n/a comparable with viola drone pizzicato but with less tonal resonance. richer in ‘buzz’

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Part 3: Compositions

3.1 Introduction

The purpose of the collection of music presented in this chapter is to encourage further development of contemporary hurdy-gurdy idioms, to demonstrate contextual transition between traditional and new repertoire and to provide a practical example of accommodation of the hurdy-gurdy in a modern chamber line-up.

During the period of 2004-2007, performing with the world music band Umanee, I experienced first-hand how the perception of an audience is affected equally by the instrument’s audible parameters and genre shifts. The presence of the drone immediately reinforced a stylistic acceptance of drone music while altering the modality of the melodic figures. Chromatic inflections functioned as a bridge between different idiomatic components of the performance.

As with music scholars from the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries – cataloguing folk music lore yet having very little insight into processes and social functions of the music itself.16 A contemporary listener often seems to be more concerned about establishing an analytical ground for the recognition of stylistical criteria, rather than to listen freely and explore the aural potential of the instrument without idiomatic referencing.

Creation of the new repertoire for the hurdy-gurdy does not prevent composers from looking back at the repertoire an instrument is associated with the most – namely folk music. On the contrary, traditional hurdy-gurdy playing provides us with a stepping stone for further experimentation and pushes the boundary of what the instrument is capable of achieving. One of the natural consequences of employing its nested tradition while exploring the possibilities, is a discovery of hidden and intricate relations within the modality itself. Long before an eager explorer will be able to tackle the matters of atonality and unbridled chromaticism, the seemingly self- restricting relation with the drone offer dozens of textural and melodic combinations. Naturally, the hurdy-gurdy in our century should be also freed from its original social context – inevitably intertwined with musical berth that gave the beginning to the instrument itself. Since creation of music in medieval and renaissance times was tightly connected to social mechanisms and compositional efforts were thus predetermined by the purpose of the work, there lays the challenge of understanding music from historical periods despite the omnipresent notions that folk and period music are mostly just ethnic “artefacts” rather than natural aesthetical preferences.

16 Bohlman, Philip Vilas. The Study of Folk Music in the Modern World. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 1988.

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It is arguable if the core substance of music has changed that much since the days of yore. While Grainger’s “universalist outlook” seems to be merely a Utopian theory, some claim that there are ‘basic patterns’ which can be found in any musical context and which are truly universal as related to mathematical and biological principles governing our perception of music.17 An example of such might be a preference of a perfect fourth interval by mothers when vocalising to a lull a baby, or better appreciation of music, which intervallic structure mimics our native tongue the most (Storr, 1992). Harnessing these primordial ingredients of melody and harmony seems to be one of the most efficient ways to broaden our spectrum of ideologies and schools of thoughts about the approach to the composition process and the music itself.

Those findings and new unrestricted methods of working with the fibres of the sound present us with the opportunity of shifting the old paradigm of what is considered ‘period music’ and ‘folk music’ – and to treat and perceive them in a more absolute and eclectic manner. Separate, stand-alone music compositions for hurdy-gurdy presented here are notated mostly in a typical “folk tune” convention: without introduction, variations, developments or endings – encapsulating melodic and rhythmical ideas without attempting to convey the whole structure that may emerge once performer makes the attempt to create one’s own interpretation. Thus, musical aspects considered non-critical for the preservation of a work are omitted.

Such an approach to hurdy-gurdy notation is also dictated by technical reasons. The contemporary instrument varies in its parameters depending on its maker and origin. Unlike pianos or classical guitars – which are mainly standardised in terms of construction – the hurdy-gurdy is a subject of many variants, modifications, experimental equipment or material used for its creation. As such, there may be greater discrepancy between models of hurdy- gurdy than with other instruments in resulting aural features, such as timbre, colour or even pitch accuracy.

The main creative component of this dissertation – a ‘concerto’ for hurdy-gurdy and string trio detailed further in this chapter – is more precise and meticulous in its notation. This illustrates not only a creative shift of the interpretation from the performer to a composer, but is a gesture that accommodates a more accurate and clear approach to writing for hurdy-gurdy in ensemble settings.

17 Storr, Anthony. Music and the Mind. New York: Free Press, 1992.

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3.2 Selected Pieces

3.2.1 “Tok Jons” (trad.)

This folk tune originates from Swedish family of dances known as Polska. The tradition is said to be around three centuries old and considered the „national dance” of Sweden. Derivations of that dance form are shared by other Nordic cultures including Finland, Norway and Denmark.

To adapt the piece for hurdy-gurdy it was necessary to ensure that the two most important aspects of every dance tune are maintained – smooth and natural rhythmical flow and intriguing melodic figures. The pieces make use of open chanter notes for a more fluid, organic groove outlining the tonality. Also, through its structure – AABB – it is a great example of ‘quartal’ step (G to C) which forms two, most natural and strongest-sounding zones of a traditional hurdy-gurdy keyboard.

The score below is written for a low-G string, however, in devising one’s own arrangement, the tune sounds the best when different octave chanters are used interchangeable or unison.

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Figure 39 - "Tok Jons Polska" - traditional Swedish tune

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3.2.2 “Mount Hekla” (orig.)

“Mount Hekla” is a piece inspired by Nordic mythology and refers to an actual volcano located in the southern part of Iceland. Its frequent eruptions (20 in total since it has been firstly documented in the early medieval annals) earned it a “Gate to Hell” byname among locals and European settlers.18

“Mount Hekla” is constructed in AABB fashion – a typical form popular across traditional Scandinavian and Icelandic folk music. My approach to composing this piece was focused on creating a somewhat ambiguous treatment of its harmonic tonality and incorporating several chromatic figures which aren’t limited solely to embellishments and ornamentation but are of the equal importance throughout the melodic treatment.

Based on C-minor triad, it displays a pattern of a conflict – a dynamic conflict between the tonal centre and the tritone. The tritone serves a dramatic purpose here – considered a “devilish” interval, its purpose here is to bring an ‘unstable’ element to the melodic treatment, to undermine the clarity of unaltered C, Eb, G triad. To create a dissonance between the worlds: the human order and the ‘underworld’ chaos epitomised by fire and ash discharged from “Gates of Hell” of the medieval Nordic world.

The structure of the piece interchangeably emphasises both elements thus creating a ‘narrative of juxtaposition’ between the musical representations of both ‘worlds’. To better visualise the process, tonal centre of C is of green colour, whereas F# is marked in red.

This specific, idiomatic use of two pitches is balanced throughout the melody. In part A, the melodic figure – which spans across four bars – resembles the structure of the arc in its use of the tritone. The ‘internal’ bars two and three feature the diminished fifth while the encompassing ‘external’ bars – one and four – are built around the tonal centre of C. The tension constructed in this manner gives an impression of a symbolic struggle and render a logical dramatic flow of the piece.

The tonality of “Mt. Hekla” is constructed around the most natural sounding minor key of the instrument that also utilises the most versatile palette of its colours. The key signature of C-minor, however, is to some extent a symbolic application as the piece displays some modal connotations as a natural sixth degree (A) is used equally with its melodic counterpart of A-flat. In this light, the piece can be considered to use Dorian mode as its melodic base.

18 Sigurdur, Thorarinsson. Hekla: A Notorious Volcano. Translated by Jóhann Hannesson and Pétur Karlsson. Reykjavık:́ Almenna Bókafelagid, 1970.

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The choice of C was partially aligned with an aim of demonstrating a development with tonal centre at fourth up from an open string of G. Such treatment leaves enough notes below the tonic to create more sophisticated figures and embellishments that can lead to imposed harmonic resolutions. Special importance rests on the availability of chromatic notes embellishing the tonal centre of C and range of possible approached to resolve the harmonic tension. The prevailing pitches of drones in C and G support the tonal gravity of the whole construct while application of the F# is meant to create a leeway to layering parallel scales on top of previously established tonal functional tonality.

Two opening bars clearly indicate that the tritone is an integral part of a melodic treatment rather than chromatic ornament. It is the granting the augmented fourth equal rights to every other note of the scale that create the characteristic dark “resonation” and whimsical quality. There is also a resemblance between the scale used in ‘Mt. Hekla’ and the ‘Berberic’ scale – also known as The Algerian Scale19. Both are characterised by minor third, augmented fourth and minor sixth.

Figure 40 - Schenkarian scale degrees indicates that the only perfect interval in the piece is the fifth while the fourth occurs as augmented.

Figure 41 - The Algerian Scale

The piece also demonstrates two important embellishments used in hurdy-gurdy music – namely the turn and the trill. Both have been marked with a small boxed symbol above the affected bar accordingly. While the turn itself is straightforward rhythmically, the trill in bar four spans a minor third apart – an application not merely ornamental but emphasising the importance of a mediant against the inclusion of a tritone.

19 Middlebrook, Ron. Scales & Modes in the Beginning: Created Especially for Guitarists. Anaheim Hills, Calif.: Centerstream, 1982.

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3.2.3 “The Marshy Alders” (orig.)

This piece is one of the earliest iterations of an idea that was supposed to bridge my Polish folk music inspirations with an open-ended approach to the melodic context in new music for hurdy-gurdy. The structure and the melody are simple thus making it an ideal piece for agility and speed practice.

The time signature and the dance feel of the piece refer to the fastest of national Polish dances – Oberek – which belongs to the Mazurka family of rhythms. Two other dances in this family – Mazur and Kujawiak – are much slower. In the course of history they underwent noticeable changes and were socially adapted by the nobility.

The first mention of this dance in the historical sources comes from the seventeenth century and points out its countryside origins. The original accompaniment for the dance was predominantly provided by a violin with a frequent addition of a large bass drum.

While inspired by Polish folk music, the piece contains melodic figures that might as well be associated with Phrygian mode – which is mostly non-existent in national music of Poland. Its melody utilises other foreign tonal borrowings such as combining both minor and major seventh of the scale into “leading bar” rather than using a leading note to resolve to the tonic.

Demisemiquavers have been used to notate turns (see ‘Mt. Hekla’) and the trilled figure in the seventeenth bar of the piece. The trompette notation is an example only and can be treated as a suggestion only.

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3.3 Hurdy-gurdy and String Trio - “The Alder Grove”

3.3.1 Introduction

“The Alder Grove” is an original composition for hurdy-gurdy in C/G, violin, viola and cello. Its original purpose was to create a string quartet line-up composition where the first violin role has been delegated to the hurdy-gurdy. This aspect of the piece is meant to illustrate hurdy-gurdy’s ability to successfully operate within bowed string instruments line-up while maintaining its original character and not compromising its technical possibilities. However, one of my focal points was to not limit hurdy-gurdy writing to any existing pre-conceptions and musical idioms in a degree that would imply imitation of other instruments. Also, the writing for the instrument was meant to fully utilise its natural physical attributes and sonic abilities – including dynamics, tonal range, sound colour and resonance.

The role of each of the four instruments in the piece is not superimposed by stereotypical approaches to string writing – rather it was the aim to explore as many tonal, rhythmical and textural combinations between all four, as possible while maintaining the main narrative linearity of the piece. All five movements exert a construct where the importance of melody is equalled with texture, consonance and dissonance. The latter is often used as a rhythmical statement, a symbolism of non-tempered tonal systems and dialectical discrepancies between approaches to tonality.

This creative work draws from my own autoethnography and reflects on my Polish background, exposure to a local folklore at the different stages of my life, summons spoken word customs transformed through the influx of neighbouring cultures, as well as my own reflections on the natural and cultural world of Polish countryside. “The Alder Grove” (pl. ”Olszynowy Las”) is a reference to the forest adjacent to a village in central Poland where my family members are originating from and where I used to spend summer holidays as a child.

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3.3.2 Program Notes

The composition consists of five movements:

1. Part I - The Hut on the Outskirts (15:25)

Free, rhapsodic form exploring three melodic motives and exploring textural relations between hurdy-gurdy and the rest of the ensemble.

2. Part II - The Gate of the Wild Steppes (06:20)

A dance-like piece inspired by the folkloristic traditions of Eastern Europe.

3. Part III - Memories of the Tree (09:15)

The movement initially detaches from tonality and focuses on the rhythmical balance between dissonance and consonance. Developing mostly from minimalistic figures, it gradually introduces strong melodic gestures and elements of functional harmony as a juxtaposition to earlier atonal treatment.

4. Part IV - Ascension from The Forest (10:05)

The first part of this movement bears qualities of melody-dominated homophony while further, it develops into a set of melodic and textural variations.

5. Part V - What A Strange Dream That Was (05:40)

Minimalistic study of a simple melodic figure backed against dynamically transforming modal harmony context.

3.3.3 Performance Notes

To address performance requirements of the piece, the hurdy-gurdy needs to be equipped with trompette, two chanters (low and high; below and above middle C), at least two low drone strings and the ability to easily engage and disengage every string of the instrument on and off the wheel during a performance.

The amount of rosin applied to a wheel is at the discretion of the performer, nevertheless, it is advised to avoid using excessive amounts of rosin as a means to increase the loudness of the hurdy-gurdy. A small amplification system is recommended if a smaller hurdy-gurdy is to be used.

The violin, viola and cello are of standard size and tuning.

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3.3.4 Special Techniques and Points of Interest (table)

Below table describes techniques and articulation as they appear on the timeline of each movement.

Initial Technique/ Location Information Notation Effect (mov. /bar)

Staccato Single, short notes, bidirectional rotation as indicated 1 I /1 (chanter) by bowing marks.

Long continuous sound, freely oscillating between ½ harmonics on an open C drone and anywhere before Harmonics the wheel where harmonics are available. 2 I / 3 (drone) Figure is not locked in time signature and the succession of notes is improvised.

“Wheel” slide “Slide” into note caused by the wheel rotation start 3 I / 17 into note thus initialising the friction. (chanter)

Sustained, open ‘G’ note changing its colour and Harsh note 4 I / 29 turning into harsh sound due to the increasing wheel (chanter) rotation speed.

Single, short notes with no bowing marks. The direction Staccato 5 I / 38 (unidirectional or bidirectional) at the discretion of (chanter) performer.

Accentuated, Ostinato device using the ‘down bow’ move to bidirectional, accentuate the highlighted staccato note. 6 I / 49 pedal note For most ergonomic effect in this figure, the length of staccato the ‘down bow’ circumference should be equal to three (chanter) ‘up bow’ ones.

Tremolo note suddenly increases its dynamics then Sforzando subsequently decreases. 7 I / 126 tremolo The scale of the dynamic curve is at the discretion of (chanter) performer.

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Notated trill 8 I / 127 Notated trill between ‘G’ and ‘Ab’ notes (chanter)

Engaging a ‘X’ note head on trompette staff and ‘G’ on cue-sized trompette 9 I / 131 drone staff indicating that the trompette ‘G’ string has string been engaged. (drone)

Oscillating ‘0’ mark used to indicate the open string in this figure. between an 10 I / 157 This is the lowest attainable sound on the hurdy-gurdy open string chanter for which the piece is written for (C/G tuning). (chanter)

C and G has been used here to indicate that both ‘gros bourdon’ and ‘petit bourdon’ have been engaged. The Engaging both lack of the ‘trompette’ in this figure indicates also that ‘bourdon’ that a designated drone remains off for the time being. 11 I / 172 strings: C and G (drone) This notation represents general idea of engaging drones tuned in fifth as some instruments may have a G drone tuned below the C.

Disengaging Both low drones have been disengaged. Also, rest on both ‘bourdon’ chanter staff indicates that the wheel stopped. 12 I / 179 strings: C and G Practically, the empty bar has been given to performer (drone) to switch the drone mechanism off.

Stopped pedal As opposed to ‘open string’ (G) pedal note ostinato, 13 II / 10 note ostinato here the C key is pressed and used as a ‘pedal note’. (chanter)

Stopped pedal Another, more extreme, example of stopped note 14 II / 58 note ostinato ostinato. Here, the high F# note is stopped and used as (chanter) a centre for the figure.

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“G3+G4” text has been used to indicate that both G chanters has been engaged. Please note that the Engaging both numbers correspond with scientific notations of the 15 II / 139 melodic strings pitch, where G3 is the lower string (open = G below (chanter) middle C) and G4 is the higher chanter (open = G above middle C)

Wheel rotation corresponds directly with the position Vanishing within the bar: normal rotation is used at its beginning 16 III / 19 ostinato and while it slows down towards the end of the bar, the (chanter) sound becomes inaudible with the exemption of percussive key sounds which are maintaining their actions.

Similarly, as with the ‘vanishing’ ostinato, this figure is Key sounds attained by dynamic key action of the corresponding 17 III / 61 (chanter) notes but with no wheel rotation, thus without tonal sound.

Pedal note Variant of the pedal note ostinato on both chanters – ostinato on G3 and G4 engaged. This option is used rather for a 18 III / 180 both melodic dynamic and coloristic effect as the instrument’s sound strings becomes very rich with overtones and somewhat less (chanter) agile.

This effect has been described mainly for drones, however in this figure, both melodic strings are subjects ‘Dormant to the same mechanics: 19 III / 247 Drone’ Extremely slow wheel rotation control is causing strings (both) to remain on the verge of stalling (losing their ‘stickiness’). The resulting sound is very quiet, rich with overtones and unpredictable.

As above, however in this case the reason for the string losing its ‘stickiness’ is a loss of friction caused by ‘Stalling Drone’ 20 III / 249 extreme wheel acceleration. (both) Different kind/amount of rosin may offset the effect in time hence the earlier preparation is required.

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3.4 “Cerebrum”

3.4.1 Introduction

“Cerebrum” is a collaborative piece for a hurdy-gurdy player and a dancer. The piece was premiered on the 15th of May, 2016 at the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet, New York, Brooklyn. The music was composed by Piotr Nowotnik and the choreography created by Hee Ra Yoo – internationally renowned choreographer currently living and working in New York.

The conceptual foundation of the piece is the symbolism of juxtaposing parts of human brain – its linearity versus compartmentalisation; its motoric and spatial functions versus synthesising, creative and emotional activity, etc.

This work is the first ever documented collaboration utilising a contemporary approach to hurdy-gurdy performance while simultaneously establishing a rhythmical and textural context for a choreographic work. In the light of the main subject of this dissertation, “Cerebrum” is a practical example of applying new articulation in creative development and performance.

The compositional method of said application aimed to demonstrate structural and aural uniformity of musical elements and techniques working as one continuous narrative. Most of the new articulations presented in Part 3 of this paper, appeared in the work.

Figure 42 - Hee Ra Yoo and Piotr Nowotnik performing "Cerebrum" (May 2016, New York City, USA)

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3.4.2 The Development

The piece is based on a simple melodic line derived from functional C-minor and Db-major tonality. The hurdy- gurdy is played mainly on the melodic strings with the drone being used only twice in the piece (harmonics and a pluck).

The hurdy-gurdy sound is marginally processed in real time using Native Instrument’s ‘Guitar Rig 5’ software. At the very beginning of the piece, a short two-note motif is played back from the laptop as a loop. All subsequent music is performed live.

Figure 43 – The main “Cerebrum” theme

At the very early stage of the collaborative development, the work was to be fully scored (See Fig. 44 for the examples of early melodic sketches). As the choreographic and compositional work progressed simultaneously, the need for a more dynamic relation of these elements emerged.

As such, the scored elements have been deconstructed and each of subsequent “building blocks” has been used as a foundation for variation and improvisation. Despite the fact that the finished work exhibits the qualities of a free- form work, the majority of the parameters are defined and the original melodic elements are used to create homogenous continuity for the choreographic dramaturgy.

Figure 45 - Fragments of melodies thought to be a scored work for the piece. However, they have been divided and scattered across the work to give foundation for variations and improvised developments.

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3.4.3 The Structure and Application of the New Articulations

Sections Timecode Description

1. Cerebrum – Part I

1.1. The Reveille 00:17 a) The opening harmonic tones sequence is played from pre-recorded material using GUITAR RIG 5 techniques* used: software harmonics on a drone string b) The necessity to use pre-recorded material arose from choreographic concept of absolute stillness at the beginning of the piece thus wheel turning *Non-traditional techniques presented in this dissertation only. Commonly used techniques, movement was undesirable ornaments and embellishments are not described c) The harmonic notes are recorded from a C drone here. played ca. 2-3 cm from the wheel d) The two-note motif is repeated twice

1.2. The Bell 00:58 a) A single pluck of the lowest G drone b) The sound is processed live using a basic harmoniser techniques used: and amplified drone plucking

1.3. Raindrops I 01:18 a) A percussive effect attained by simultaneous fingernails hits on the body of the instrument techniques used: (dancer) and key noises without turning the wheel. key noises other percussive effects

1.4. The Procession I 01:29 a) This section starts with a single percussive sound of the tangent chamber cover being shut techniques used: b) Subsequently, key noises are being used as a key noises percussive device played with both hands other percussive effects c) In the plucked section, both melodic (high and low) melodic strings plucking strings are being used d) Strings are being plucked inside the opened tangent box while the left hand is using the keyboard in a regular manner e) The plucked sounds are transposed due to the motionless wheel acting as a natural stop

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

2. Cerebrum – Part II

2.1. Variations I (legato) 02:20 a) The first variation on the theme performed using expressive attacks and releases of the notes attain techniques used: through controlled attacks and ceases of wheel’s legato rotation. b) The higher melodic string is used while all other strings are disengaged

2.2. The Procession II 03:02 a) This short section starts with a single percussive sound of the tangent chamber cover being shut techniques used: b) Subsequently, key noises are being used as a key noises percussive device played with both hands other percussive effects c) In the plucked section, both melodic (high and low) melodic strings plucking strings are being used d) Strings are being plucked inside the opened tangent box while the left hand is using the keyboard in a regular manner e) The plucked sounds are transposed due to the motionless wheel acting as a natural stop

2.3. Variations II (legato) 03:24 a) The second variation on the theme b) The lower melodic string is used while all other techniques used: strings are disengaged legato

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

3. Cerebrum – Part III

3.1. Variations III (tremolo) 04:11 a) The third variation on the theme b) The higher melodic string is being used techniques used: c) This part is the first exposition of tremolo in this tremolo piece staccato d) The tremolo sections are interwoven with staccato legato used in an arpeggiated constructions e) This section is an amalgamation of techniques and as such, it demonstrates expressive possibilities of a solo melodic string

3.2. Frantic 04:58 a) “Frantic” is the only fully scored section of “Cerebrum” b) This fast, 5/8 fragment highlights the textural contrast techniques used: between identical techniques applied to either single or pedal-note staccato double string performance. pedal-note ostinato c) This part has a doubled AABB structure played in staccato two subsequent iterations: the first one using low melodic G string and the second, played on both G chanters engaged (see Ref. Figure 46 below) d) Bars 1-6 using pedal-note staccato with open lower G note e) Bars 7-9 using pedal-note ostinato technique

3.3. Variations IV (harmonics) – 06:00 a) This fourth variation on the theme makes adds a series Exposition of harmonic effects played on the lower melodic string – between key tangents through the opened tangent techniques used: chamber legato harmonics on a melodic string arpeggio

3.4. The Painting – Finale 07:13 a) The most expressive iteration of the theme utilising the minimalistic approach to the ornamentation techniques used: b) Opening AA sections are played using high melodic legato string c) The following ABB sections are played using the lower melodic string d) The conclusion of the piece is a steady, rudimentary sound of the open melodic string

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Figure 47 - The score of "Frantic" (fragment of "Cerebrum")

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Figure 48: An early, hand-written draft of the functional musical narrative for "Cerebrum" (source: PMN Music Creations)

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Figure 49 - Later, more developed and detailed version of the functional narrative for "Cerebrum". Please note the association of extended techniques in the context of the choreography. (source: PMN Music Creations)

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

3.5 “Magical”

3.5.1 Introduction

The concept of collaboration between a traditional composer and a DJ/producer originated as part of the “AMPlify 2015” initiative, curated by the Australian Music Center and APRA/AMCOS. The resulting production has been published by Armada Music in 2016. The track was performed life during the music event, “Altitude 2016” in Melbourne and Sydney.

Figure 50 - Author performing on an amplified hurdy-gurdy with Marlo Hoogstraten (Melbourne, August 2016)

3.5.2 The Use of New Hurdy-gurdy Articulation

The compositional and production process encompassed several creative and technical tasks, however for the purpose of this dissertation, only the raw hurdy-gurdy recording is attached as an example and no additional instrument rendered in the process has been used to demonstrate the excerpt (“naked” recording).

This production is an example of a hybrid composition where digital processing and pure acoustic sounds have been utilised equally to achieve desired results. The below table is a chronological presentation of hurdy-gurdy techniques used in the attached example. Please refer to the attached audio-visual materials.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Section Main Material Digital Processing Used

A) Filtered low melodic string - Equaliser (mid emphasis)

B) Pitch-corrected drone harmonics - Guitar amp simulator - Pitch correction

C) Pitch-shifted low melodic string - Pitch shift (octave down)

D) Pitch-shifted low melodic string - Pitch shift (two octaves up) - Equaliser (high cut)

E) Unaltered both melodic strings octave apart

F) Unaltered low melodic string

G) Both melodic strings - Equaliser (low/high cut)

H) Drone – harmonic glissando (high - Pitch correction register) - Guitar amp simulator

I) Harmonic tremolo - Gate - Formants modulator

J) Stalling drone

K) Filtered tremolo - Equaliser (mid emphasis)

L) Filtered drone harmonic glissando - Equaliser (low/mid cut)

M) Sped-up harmonic glissando - Time shrink

N) Gated and pitch-shifted low melodic - Gate string (staccato) - Pitch shift (octave down)

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

3.6 The Audio-visual Materials

3.6.1 Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations (Main Segment)

3.6.1.1 Range of the instrument and basic sound characteristics  C drone (00:15)  G Trompette (00:27)  Low chanter (00:55)  High chanter (02:14)

3.6.1.2 Techniques and Articulations  Bidirectional staccato (03:18)  Unidirectional staccato (03:54)  Tremolo (04:14)  Arpeggio (05:15)  Vanishing ostinato (05:36)  Legato (05:52)  Pedal note ostinato (06:30)  Dormant drone (07:23)  Stalling drone (08:02)  Harmonic flutter (08:35)  Harmonic vibrato (09:14)  Harmonic glissando (09:49)  Plucking (10:25)

3.6.1.3 Special techniques and points of interest  Movement I / Bar 1: Staccato (11:10)  Movement I / Bar 3: Harmonics (11:44)  Movement I / Bar 23: Wheel slide (12:11)  Movement I / Bar 35: Harsh note (12:35)  Movement I / Bar 44: Spiccato (13:07)  Movement I / Bar 55: Pedal note staccato (13:29)  Movement I / Bar 132: Sforzando tremolo (14:08)  Movement I / Bar 133: Notated trill (14:34)  Movement I / Bar 137: Engaging Trompette string (14:58)  Movement I / Bar 163: Open string in melodic figures (15:17)  Movement I / Bar 178: Engaging both drones (15:54)  Movement II / Bar 10: Stopped pedal note ostinato (1) (16:18)  Movement II / Bar 58: Stopped pedal note ostinato (2) (16:43)  Movement III / Bar 61: Key noise (17:05)  Movement III / Bar 180: Pedal note ostinato on both chanters (17:20)

3.6.1.4 Selected Pieces  “Mt. Hekla” (17:53)  “Tok Jons” (19:13)

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

3.6.2 “Cerebrum” - Live Performance Recording

3.6.3 “Magical” – Audio/Video Reference

3.6.4 Archival Recordings of “Mt. Hekla”, “Marshy Alders” and “Tok Jons”

3.6.5 Reference audio file of “The Alder Grove”

note: the audio rendition is only for reference purposes. It is not a live recording and has been compiled using MIDI capability of notational software. The simulation of the hurdy-gurdy sound is for reference purposes only.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Bibliography

Allmo, Per-Ulf, and Jan Winter. Lirans Hemligheter: En Studie I Nordisk Instrumenthistoria. Stockholm: Musikmuseet, 1985.

Bohlman, Philip Vilas. The Study of Folk Music in the Modern World. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 1988.

Delfino, Riccardo, and Matthias Loibner. Drehleier Spielen: Grundlagen Und Hintergründe: Lehrbuch. 2. Aufl. ed. Reichelsheim: Verlag Der Spielleute, 2006.

Destrem, Philippe, and Volker Heidemann. Die Drehleier : Feinabstimmung Und Wartung = The Hurdy-gurdy : Setup and Maintenance. Ryom, Fr.: Amta, 1993.

Green, Robert A. The Hurdy-gurdy in Eighteenth-century France. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995.

Guettler, Knut. On the Kinematics of Spiccato Bowing. Stockholm: Royal Institute of Technology, 1997.

Hellerstedt, Kahren. Hurdy-gurdies from Hieronymus Bosch to Rembrandt. University of Pittsburgh, 1980.

Mandel, Róbert, and András Hász. Hungarian Folk Instruments. Budapest: Kossuth Publishing, 2008.

Middlebrook, Ron. Scales & Modes in the Beginning: Created Especially for Guitarists. Anaheim Hills, Calif.: Centerstream, 1982.

Palmer, Suzan, and Samuel Palmer. The Hurdy-gurdy. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1980.

Pitteroff, R., and J. Woodhouse. "Mechanics of the Contact Area Between a Violin Bow and a String. Part II: Simulating the Bowed String." Acta Acustica United with Acustica 84, no. 4 (1998): 744-57.

Randel, Don Michael, and Apel Willi. The New Harvard Dictionary of Music. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. 1986.

Sigurdur, Thorarinsson. Hekla: A Notorious Volcano. Translated by Jóhann Hannesson and Pétur Karlsson. Reykjavık:́ Almenna Bókafelagid, 1970.

Storr, Anthony. Music and the Mind. New York: Free Press, 1992.

Winternitz, Emanuel. Bagpipes and Hurdy-gurdies in Their Social Setting. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1943.

Wyżkowski, Stanisław. Lirnik Z Haczowa. Krosno: Wydaw. Nonparel, 2000.

Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations | Piotr Nowotnik

Piotr Marian Nowotnik

The Alder Grove tone poem for hurdy-gurdy and string trio

Piotr Marian Nowotnik The Alder Grove tone poem for hurdy-gurdy and string trio total duration ca. 47 minutes

movements:

I. The Hut on the Outskirts (15:25)

II. The Gate of the Wild Steppes (06:20)

III. Memories of the Tree (09:15)

IV. Ascension from The Forest (10:05)

V. What A Strange Dream That Was (05:40)

Melbourne, 2016

PROGRAM NOTE

“The Alder Grove” is an original composition for hurdy-gurdy in C/G, violin, viola and cello. Its original purpose was to create a string quartet-style composition where the first violin has been replaced with the hurdy-gurdy. This aspect of the piece is meant to illustrate hurdy-gurdy’s ability to successfully operate within bowed string instruments line-up while maintaining its original character and not compromising its technical possibilities.

One of my focal points was to not conform hurdy-gurdy writing to any existing pre- conceptions and musical idioms in a degree that would imply imitation of other instruments. Also, the writing for the instrument was meant to fully utilise its natural physical attributes and sonic abilities – including dynamics, tonal range, sound colour and resonance.

The role of each of the four instruments in the piece is not solidified by stereotypical approaches to string writing – rather it was the aim to explore as many tonal, rhythmical and textural combinations between all four, as possible while maintaining the main creative linearity concept of the piece.

All five movements exert a construct where the importance of melody is equalled with texture, consonance and dissonance. The latter is often used as a rhythmical statement, a symbolism of non-tempered tonal systems and dialectical discrepancies between approaches to tonality.

This creative work draws from my own autoethnography and reflects on my Polish background, exposure to a local folklore at the different stages of my life, summons spoken word customs transformed through influx of neighbouring cultures, as well as my own reflections on the natural and cultural world of Polish countryside. “The Alder Grove” (pl. ”Olszynowy Las”) is a reference to the forest adjacent to a village in central Poland where my family members are originating from and where I used to spend summer holidays as a child.

PERFORMANCE NOTE

To address performance requirements of the piece, the hurdy-gurdy needs to be equipped with trompette, two chanters (low and high; below and above middle C), at least two low drone strings and ability to easily engage and disengage every string of the instrument on and off the wheel during performance.

The amount of rosin applied to a wheel is at the discretion of the performer, nevertheless it is advised to avoid using excessive rosin amounts as means to increase the loudness of the hurdy-gurdy. Small amplification system is advised if smaller hurdy-gurdy is to be used.

The violin, viola and cello are of standard size and tuning.

Hurdy-gurdy special notation and techniques (chanter) Hurdy-gurdy special notation and techniques (drone)

for a more detailed information about the extended techniques for the piece, please refer to "Hurdy-gurdy: New Articulations" (2016) by Piotr M. Nowotnik The Alder Grove Part I: The Hut on the Outskirts

Piotr Nowotnik

q.= 25 ca.10 seconds g3 6 6 Hurdy-gurdy 8 8 6p 6 8 8 p f p C drone harmonics between 1/2 and bridge only pizz. 6 6 Violin 8 8

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The Alder Grove Part II: The Gate of The Wild Steppes

Piotr Nowotnik 1 Allegro 10 Hg. 8 mp 10 8 10 8

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ff 54 The Alder Grove Part III: Memories of the Tree

q=85 Piotr Nowotnik pizz. 3 Vla. 4 p

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Vla.

Vc.

65 6 6 6 6 6 Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. 61

74 2 3 Hg. 4 4

f 2 3 Vln. 4 4

2 3 Vla. 4 4 f ric. 2 6 6 3 Vc. 4 4 f 6 6

78 3 6 6 6 6 6 Hg. 4

3 Vln. 4

arco 3 Vla. 4

f 6 6 6 3 6 6 6 6 6 6 Vc. 4

80 6 6 6 6 6 6 Hg.

f ff arco

Vln. 6 6 f 6 6 6 6 ff

Vla. 6 6 6 6 6 6 ff 6 6 6 6 6 6 Vc.

ff p subito 62

84 g4 2 3 2 3 Hg. 4 4 4 4 p

2 3 4:6 2 3 Vln. 4 4 4 4 3:2 2 3 2 3 Vla. 4 4 4 4 3:2 4:6 2 3 2 3 Vc. 4 4 4 4

91 3 Hg. 4

f 3 Vln. 4 p f pizz. 3 Vla. 4

p f 3 Vc. 4

98 g3 Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. 63

104

Hg.

pizz.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

108

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

112

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. f 6 64

117 7 Hg. 8

7 8

7 Vln. 8

7 Vla. 8

7 Vc. 8 4 4 4

122 7 3 Hg. 8 4

7 3 8 4

pizz. 7 3 Vln. 8 4

7 3 Vla. 8 4

7 3 Vc. 8 4 65

126

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

130

Hg.

arco

Vln. 6 mf espress.

Vla.

6 Vc. mf espress. 66

135 4 4 4 7 Hg. 8 mf espress. 0 7 8

7 Vln. 8 4 4 4

7 Vla. 8 4 4 f 4

4 7 Vc. 8 4

141 3 4 4 4 Hg. 4

f p mf 3 4

3 Vln. 4 4 4 4 f p mf arco 3 Vla. 4 4 4 4 f p mf

4 3 4 4 Vc. 4

f p mf 67

147

Hg.

p mf f

Vln. p mf f p

Vla.

p mf f p

Vc.

p p mf f

155

Hg.

"C" drone natural harmonic 1:2

Vln.

Vla. 6 6 6

Vc. 68

160

Hg.

6 Vln.

6 6

Vla.

Vc.

165 g4 Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. 69

169

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

173

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. 70 g3+ g4 177

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

181

Hg.

Vln. f

Vla. f

Vc. 71

185

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

188

Hg.

Vln. f

Vla. f

Vc. 72

191

Hg. 4

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

196

Hg. 4 f 4

Vln. f 4

Vla.

4 f

Vc.

n f 73

202

Hg. pizz. p

Vln. mf pizz.

Vla.

mf pizz. Vc.

209

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

arco Vc.

217

Hg. p

Vln.

arco Vla. p

Vc. 74

223

Hg. mf

arco Vln. mf

Vla. mf

Vc.

230

Hg.

Vln. 3

Vla.

3 Vc.

235 g3+ g4 Hg.

Vln. f 3

Vla. f

Vc.

f 75

240

Hg. mp p

Vln. mp p

Vla. mp p

Vc. mp p

keep 'D' key regardless of its sonic outcome 246 3 Hg. 2 'stalling drone' f 'dormant drone' 3 2 pp sfz

3 Vln. 2 f

3 Vla. 2 f pp f

3 Vc. 2 f pp subito f 76

250

Hg.

'dormant drone'

Vln. p 6 sfz

Vla. pp

Vc. pp

253 4 Hg. 4

4 4

4 4 4 Vln. 4

4 Vla. 4

4 Vc. 4 77 The Alder Grove Part IV: Ascension from The Forest

q= 90 Piotr Nowotnik g3 4 2 4 3 4 Vln. 4 4 4 4 4 p 4 2 4 3 4 Vla. 4 4 4 4 4 p 4 2 4 3 4 Vc. 4 4 4 4 4

6 4 2 4 3 4 3 Hg. 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 2 4 3 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 2 4 3 4 3 Vln. 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 2 4 3 4 3 Vla. 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 2 4 3 4 3 Vc. 4 4 4 4 4 4

p 11 3 4 Hg. 4 4

3 4 4 4

3 4 Vln. 4 4 p f 3 4 Vla. 4 4 p 3 f 3 4 Vc. 4 4

p f 78

Hg.

Vln. p

Vla.

3 p

Vc.

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

Hg.

Vln.

Vla. f

Vc. sfz p 79

27 3 Hg. 4

3 Vln. 4 3 p 3 Vla. 4 3 3 p 3 Vc. 4

f p

31 3 4 5 Hg. 4 4 4 p 3 4 3 5 Vln. 4 4 4

3 4 5 Vla. 4 4 4 3 3 3 4 5 Vc. 4 4 4

35 4 5 Hg. 4 4

pizz. 4 5 Vln. 4 4 pizz. 4 5 Vla. 4 4 p 4 4 5 Vc. 4 4 80

39 3 4 3 4 Hg. 4 4 f sfz 4 4 Vln. 4 4

4 4 Vla. 4 4

4 4 Vc. 4 4

42 4 Hg. 4 p 4 Vln. 4

arco 4 Vla. 4

pizz. 4 Vc. 4

46 4 Hg. 4

4 Vln. 4

4 Vla. 4

arco 4 Vc. 4 f 81

50 g4 4 Hg. 4 f arco 4 Vln. 4 3 f mp 4 Vla. 4 3 f 3 4 Vc. 4

Hg.

Vln.

pizz.

Vla. mp pizz. 3 Vc.

mp r m i

Hg.

Vln.

arco 3 Vla.

Vc. 82

63 g4 Hg.

Vln. sfz

Vla. sfz mf arco Vc.

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

Hg.

Vln. sfz

Vla.

sfz sfz

Vc.

sfz 83

74 3 4 Hg. 4 4

3 4 Vln. 4 4

3 4 Vla. 4 4

3 4 Vc. 4 4

79 4 Hg. 4

4 4

4 Vln. 4

4 Vla. 4

4 Vc. 4

Hg. 84

Hg.

Vla.

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. p ff

101

Hg.

Vln.

Vla. 3

Vc.

f 85

105

Hg.

3 Vln.

5 Vla.

Vc.

109

Vln. p

Vla. 5 3 p

Vc.

113

Vln. 3 5 sfz

Vla. 3 5 sfz

Vc. 86

117

Hg.

Vln. 3 5 5

Vla. 3 5 5 6

Vc.

122

Hg.

3 5

7 Vln. 3 5 p f

7 Vla. 3 5 p f

Vc. 87

126

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

pizz.

Vc.

130

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. 88

133 g3+ g4

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

136

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. 89

139

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

arco

Vc.

142

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. 90

145

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

148

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. 91

151 0 g3 g3+ g4 Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

pizz.

Vc.

156

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

160

Hg.

col legno sub pont. Vln.

col legno sub pont. Vla.

Vc. 92

164

Hg.

5 3 W.B.

W.B.

Vc.

168

Hg.

p f mp

5 3 W.B.

W.B.

Vc.

171

Hg.

5 3 loco W.B.

W.B.

Vc. 93

174

Hg.

Vln. 3

W.B.

Vc.

177 0 Hg.

Vln. 3

W.B.

Vc.

180

Hg.

Vln.

W.B.

Vc. 94

183 0 Hg.

Vln.

W.B.

Vc.

186

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

190

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

arco

Vc. 95

193 0 Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

196

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

199 0 Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. 96

202

Hg.

Vln. p

Vla. p

Vc.

206 5 Hg. 4

5 Vln. 4 f 5 Vla. 4 f 5 Vc. 4

210 5 Hg. 4 5p 4

pizz. 5 Vln. 4 p pizz. 5 Vla. 4 p pizz. 5 Vc. 4 p 97

213

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

216

Hg. pp

Vln. pp

Vla.

Vc.

219

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. 98

222 4 Hg. 4

4 Vln. 4

4 Vla. 4

4 Vc. 4 99 The Alder Grove Part V: What a Strange Dream That Was (The Epilogue)

Piotr Nowotnik q= 140 g4 4 Hg. 4 p 4 Vln. 4

pizz. 4 Vla. 4 p 4 Vc. 4

Hg.

pizz.

Vln. p

Vla.

Vc.

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. 100

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. p

Hg.

Vln. mf

Vla. mf

Vc.

Hg. f

Vln. f arco

Vla. f 3

Vc. f 101

29 g3 Hg. 6 3 6 f arco Vln. p f

Vla.

Vc.

p f

Hg.

Vln.

Vla. f

Vc.

Hg.

Vln. p

Vla. p

Vc. p 102

41 3 Hg.

f sfz sfz sfz sfz mp col legno pizz.

Vln. f col legno pizz. arco

Vla. f mp 3 Vc.

f mp

46 3 Hg.

arco 3 3 Vln. mp

Vla.

Vc.

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. 103

55 3 Hg. f

Vln. f

Vla. f

Vc.

60 3 3 3 3 3 Hg. p

Vln. p

Vla. p

Vc. p

65 3 3 Hg. mf

Vln. mf

Vla. mf

Vc.

3 3 mf 104

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

Hg. p

Vln. p

Vla. p

Vc.

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. 105

Hg.

Vln. f

Vla. f

Vc. f

90 g4 Hg. p

Vln. p

Vla. mf

Vc. f

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. 106

100

Hg. p

Vln. p

Vla. p

Vc. p

105

Hg. f

Vln. f

Vla. f

Vc.

110

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. 107

114

Hg. mf

Vln. mf

Vla.

Vc.

118

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

122

Hg.

Vln.

Vla. mf

Vc. 108

126

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

131 g3+ g4

Hg.

Vln. f

Vla. f

Vc.

136

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. 109

141

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

145 g4 Hg. p f p

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

149

Hg. p

Vln.

Vla.

Vc. 110

154

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

159

Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

Vc.

164 g3+ g4 Hg.

Vln.

Vla.

pizz.

Vc. 111

170 g3 Hg.

Vln.

pp Vla.

Vc.

175 2 4 Hg. 4 4 p 2 4 Vln. 4 4 p 2 4 Vla. 4 4

arco pizz. 2 4 Vc. 4 4 p

180

Hg.

Vln.

Vla. p

Vc. 112

184

Hg. f

Vln.

Vla. f

Vc. f

188

Hg. mp

Vln.

Vla. mp

Vc. mp

192 g3+ g4

Hg. p

Vln. p

Vla. p

Vc. p 113

196

Hg. pp

Vln. pp

Vla. pp

Vc. pp

Minerva Access is the Institutional Repository of The University of Melbourne

Author/s: Nowotnik, Piotr

Title: Hurdy-gurdy: new articulations

Date: 2016

Persistent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11343/191325

File Description: Thesis + Music Score (combined)

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