
Leonardo da Vinci's forgotten musical invention - Schiphol
https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/leonardo-da-vinci-viola-organista/
======
telesilla
The music he is playing, of Marin Marais and St. Colombe, would have been
written a century after da Vinci's death in 1519 as St. Colombe and Marais
were born in the 1600s. However, the instrument suits the music naturally well
as some kind of viola da gamba would have been around during da Vinci's time.
What has morphed into the modern day violin, viola and cello but has lost the
breathy sorrowful voice of the gamba in exchange for virtuosity and loudness.

Music more representative of da Vinci's time:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD_wZLpaVPg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD_wZLpaVPg)

For more of the beautiful music of Marais and St. Colombe see Jordi Savall,
the living maestro on the viola da gamba:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylpOO-7cyt0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylpOO-7cyt0)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fXQ7Su4KZ8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fXQ7Su4KZ8)

and the beautiful film made about the two composers, about grief and love,
about the viola da gamba:

[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF41CDD78BE4BF6C8](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF41CDD78BE4BF6C8)

Savall's own wife died in 2011 and when I watch this movie since then, I feel
his (pre-widower) outpouring of the deepest expression of grief. It's
stunning.

------
taneq
> The unusual instrument is a hybrid of elements from a harpsichord, an organ
> and a viola da gamba.

It looks to me more akin to a hurdy-gurdy:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurdy-
gurdy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurdy-gurdy)

~~~
YeGoblynQueenne
I was wondering about that too. Wikipedia has a nice explanation of how the
two are different:

 _In the first model the friction of the strings was achieved by a mechanical
bow traveling sideways. The second model featured a single rotating wheel,
similar to that of the earlier hurdy-gurdy, to play strings. It differs in
that a hurdy-gurdy has a small number of strings that are constantly in
contact with the wheel, rather than a larger number of strings that can be
lowered onto the wheel. A hurdy-gurdy has a keybox with tangents that change
the pitches of the strings, rather like placing fingers on violin strings.
Leonardo 's innovation of a keyboard with a lowering mechanism allowed
individual notes to be played, alone or in specific desired chords over a
large range of pitches._

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_organista#Description](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_organista#Description)

In terms of sound, the instrument in the video in the posted article is not at
all like a hurdy-gurdy. I find it sounds like a string quarted. Perhaps it's
more the kind of pieces that are normally played on a hurdy-gurdy that tend to
have a very folk-y sound, whereas the gentleman in the video above is playing
a classical piece. But I don't think I'd really mistake this for a hurdy-
gurdy.

All of which reminds me- man, I'd love to learn to play the hurdy gurdy. Damn
expensive instrument though.

~~~
taneq
Huh, thanks for that. :)

> Damn expensive instrument though.

I seem to remember having (way back when I was a kid) one of those "101 do-it-
yourself projects" type books that had instructions for actually building one.
I'm pretty sure it's where I learned about them. Seems like a lot of work
though.

These guys ([https://www.cbgitty.com/kits-instruments-amps-more/diy-
hurdy...](https://www.cbgitty.com/kits-instruments-amps-more/diy-hurdy-gurdy-
kit-build-an-amazing-musical-machine/)) have a laser-cut kit for a toy quality
one which might be good enough to learn on.

~~~
YeGoblynQueenne
Oh, wow, that can actually be played? I saw it when I was looking around for
one and thought it was just for decoration.

Thanks for pointing it out, I think I might actually give it a try. Cheers! :D

~~~
YeGoblynQueenne
So I had a look around and there are actually a few people who make perfectly
serviceable hurdy-gurdies that cost not that much.

And so I just went and bought a proper one from this gentleman:

[http://www.vrabelhurdygurdy.com/instrument/](http://www.vrabelhurdygurdy.com/instrument/)

People on the internets say he makes perfectly serviceable, no-frills hurdy-
gurdies, which explains the price.

So hey, taneq, if you're reading- thanks for the heads up, which started me on
the search for an affordable hurdy-gurdy. I'll let my neighbours know it's all
the fault of someone on the internet :P

------
leoc
Apparently the instrument is more like one of Hans Haiden's _Geigenwerke_ than
Leonardo's _viola organista_ concept, though the two are similar.
[https://slippedisc.com/2013/11/leonardos-instrument-no-
its-a...](https://slippedisc.com/2013/11/leonardos-instrument-no-its-an-
obscure-german-contraption/) WP:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_organista](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_organista)
. See also the hurdy-gurdy (of course), the Wheelharp
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP2iMdvMN5U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP2iMdvMN5U)
and the Gizmotron [https://www.gizmotron.com/](https://www.gizmotron.com/) .

~~~
no_identd
You forgot the nyckelharpa:

[https://youtu.be/e7sK5OiJHHQ](https://youtu.be/e7sK5OiJHHQ)

Which kinda inverts all this in an entirely different way. Well, except for
the wheelharp, the two sound very similar yet distinct.

------
nickserv
The title says that none had been built, while in the video the man who made
it says none have survived.

Otherwise, quite an interesting sound, perfect for baroque music.

~~~
droithomme
> none have survived

Several have survived, but only one in complete working order, this 1625
specimen:

[https://www.europeana.eu/portal/en/exhibitions/explore-
the-w...](https://www.europeana.eu/portal/en/exhibitions/explore-the-world-of-
musical-instruments/instrument-design#ve-anchor-section_11862-js)

------
cousin_it
Nice! So it has (in MIDI parlance) polyphonic aftertouch, but no pitch bend. I
wonder if you could make a string instrument with both.

~~~
leoc
Sure. Here's a fretless bass with a Gizmotron:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBCvI-
do0KA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBCvI-do0KA) Even better, here's a
pedal steel guitar with a Gizmotron ... and Robert Randolph:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-CODgpHuPY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-CODgpHuPY)
.

~~~
cousin_it
Thanks, I didn't know about this device, really cool! Do you know if it's
possible to have a sharper attack? Like, pluck the note normally and then
sustain it with the device.

~~~
leoc
It should be possible: at
[https://youtu.be/i-CODgpHuPY?t=59](https://youtu.be/i-CODgpHuPY?t=59) you can
see Randolph using a thumb-pick as well as the Gizmo, though it requires some
careful positioning. (I've never used a Gizmotron myself.)

------
bobske4
Sounds horrible

~~~
dang
Maybe so, but could you please not post unsubstantive comments to Hacker News?

