Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Medieval Instruments: Three Things You Ought To Know About the Dark Ages

By Douglas Etri


Got a lot of free time? I can count a lot of fun things to do this holiday. But are you willing to use the right side of your brain (creative side) instead of choosing to sit there for hours in front of your computer or television? Do not waste the time doing idling things. Life is short and the world has a lot of things to offer. Why not try to learn some things about medieval instruments?

Medieval instruments? Is it even possible to find these antiquated things in the present day? Yes, of course.. You are right, these "old" stuff seem to be too out-of-place and rather unremarkable in the time where electronic instruments and voice digital editing seem to be widespread. If you are following the same line of thought then you are absolutely wrong. You may be surprised to know that even your kindergarten and elementary music room has medieval instruments in it. The tambourine for example, or the cymbals. Or even the fiddle which is just about always present on medieval-themed films.

In order to enjoy learning how to play these instruments, maybe you ought to study a bit of some fascinating facts about the middle ages. Indeed, the emotional charge when you pluck the harp would be deeper knowing that these harps may have the very same ones played in the Roman catholic churches. Through this, music appreciation and the advocacy to spread the magic of the medieval music even to these modern times will be realized.

Fun tidbit number one: The oldest documented record share us this information-the world's oldest medieval instrument is none other than the human voice. This would be due to the fact that our forefather did lack the time for merriment, as they were busy tending to their lands. Thus there was no need for music. Some historians credit the deep baritones of the Christians monks in popularizing hymns and chants spreading all through the lands of Christian Europe, Asia and North Africa. And in this fashion we now have Gregorian chants to live by.

Fun tidbit number two: Have you ever wondered if the romantic tales of the court and the gallant tales of knight were true? If not, who may have the creativity to weave them so enchantingly? They are called the troubadours and the minstrels. The troubadours are known to perform Occitan lyric poetry. The female troubadours are called trobairitz. Whereas the minstrels are servants meant to entertain the high court. In a way they are what we call "great story tellers" for they told about chivalric pursuits and courtly love, true or not.

Fun tidbit number three: The oldest church organ is said to be used to as back as the 8th century. We should not forget the fact that the symphonies and the melodies we now have evolved from the simple hymns plucked or stroked from these medieval instruments. Paying tribute to these "pioneers" need not only call for our devote understanding, but in making sure they will last through time as well. When buying make sure to buy them from a trusted shop so you can have parts or repair for maintenance value whenever you need them.




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