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Date: |
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Description: | Arnold Dolmetsch Haslemere June 1934 No. 2
A revival of an instrument that had died out in the 19th century, this crwth was probably based by Arnold Dolmetsch on an example from Voela in north Wales in the Welsh Folk Museum, Cardiff. At the 1934 Haslemere Festival, one concert included pieces for Celtic harp, played by Mabel Dolmetsch, and crwth played by Arnold Dolmetsch himself. These pieces were based on Dolmetsch's own deciphering of the 'Bardic Penllyn manuscript', now better known as the Robert ap Huw manuscript (B. M. Addl. MS 14905).
Crwth (bowed lyre), with a square sound box, and maple back with two round sound holes on the belly either side of the bridge. The left leg of the bridge extends to the back of the sound box through the left sound hole. There is a maple tailpiece with an ivory endpin at the base of the sound box, and a yoke of maple above the sound box with a central fingerboard also of maple. There is an ivory nut at top of fingerboard, gut frets, and wrest pins at the top of crossbar. The instrument has four fingered strings made of gut and two drones or bourdons made of metal, probably plucked with the thumb. There is simple black purfling around the belly, tailpiece, fingerboard and yoke.
I:8
Crwth
Haslemere 1934
Label: Arnold Dolmetsch / Haslemere / June 1934 No. 2
The body of the crwth is a shallow, rounded rectangle, constructed in the violin style with separate back and ribs of maple. The belly is of pine with two soundholes. The neck is attached at its upper end to a yoke which is supported by two arms rising from the shoulders. The four fingered strings pass over a fretted fingerboard while two bourdon strings pass to one side of it. The strings are tuned by means of piano wrestpins inserted from the back. The characteristic low, flat bridge has one extended foot which passes through the soundhole to form a sound post. The instrument is related to the lyre but shows the strong influence of the fiddle family. It was played with a bow and the low, flat bridge enabled the player to use a chordal style. The unfingered bourdon strings acted as a drone. It seems to have been used extensively in mediaeval Britain to accompany songs and recitations, its English name was Crowd. The crwth survived in Wales until the 19th century.
caption: Half-lateral view of object no. M63-1981 from right.
caption: General view of object no. M63-1981. | Publisher: | http://www.horniman.ac.uk/ | Rights holder: | Horniman Museum and Gardens | Subjects: | 321.322-71 Necked box lutes or necked guitars sounded by bowing with a bow wood flint gut Folk Music Haslemere Festival Musical Instrument Making Work Dolmetsch ivory crwths (Eugène) Arnold metal thread iron Greater London | Source: | Horniman Museum | Identifier: | oai:oai.horniman.ac.uk:object-13539 | Go to resource |
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