Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Fast Facts About Medieval Instruments

By Douglas Etri


Got nothing to do? I can count a lot of fun things to do this vacation. Trouble is, most of us would often prefer to lie or sit in front of the tv and watch TV shows that have various titles but all looks the same. Do not waste the time doing idling things. Life is short and the world has many things to offer. Studying how to play medieval instruments for instance.

You might exclaim that these medieval instruments are of no way fascinating in this day and times. The fact that they seem to be a group of outdated, outclassed and forgotten musical instruments make you think they are, and in no other way, going to be fashionable. Alas, you might want to rethink this thought over again because this is completely false. Even today, there are still many instruments dating back from the medieval times that are played along with the modern instruments. The tambourine for example, or the cymbals. Or even the fiddle which is more or less always present on medieval-themed films.

Learning how to play these old-timer musical instruments would also be more fun if you can learn some little-known tidbits concerning the dark ages. As a matter of fact, the emotional charge when you pluck the harp would be deeper knowing that these harps might have the very same ones played in the Roman catholic churches. Having these realizations would ensure us that the promulgation of these instruments would outlast the present generation, giving our future grandchildren the opportunity to also get to play with them.

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. That is why there was no need for music. According to found annals, Christian monks used the human voice as a tool to spread their religion, and it is in this fashion that Gregorian chants and hymns were propagated all through the Christendom.

Fun tidbit number two: Have you ever wondered if the romantic tales of the court and the heroic tales of knight were authentic? If not, who may have the imagination to plait them so captivatingly? They are called the troubadours and the minstrels. The troubadours are famous composers and performers of lyrical poetry. The female troubadours are called trobairitz. The minstrels on the other hand are performers on the court or palaces. In a way they are what we call "great story tellers" for they told about chivalric pursuits and courtly love, true or not.

Interesting fact number three: The oldest church organ is said to be used to as back as the 8th century. Just think about this fact: without these trailblazers that we call medieval instruments, we will not have classical music, then modern music afterwards that we enjoy at the moment. Paying tribute to these "pioneers" need not only command our devote understanding, but in making sure they will last through time as well. So if you are interested in learning how to play one of these instruments, you can choose to purchase them online or from a novelty store.




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