Medieval Musical Instruments

 

Medieval Musical Instruments

 

Medieval Musical Instruments

Step back into history get Medieval facts and information about music, composers and musicians in the Middle Ages

Medieval Music - Medieval Musical Instruments

  • Read books from a history book club or watch the History Channel DVDs on Medieval Times
  • Influences on Music in Medieval Times
  • Musical Instruments
  • Medieval Entertainment
  • Medieval Troubadours and Minstrels
  • Types of Musical Instruments
  • Medieval Musical Instruments - Percussion, string and Wind Instruments
  • Musical Instruments

 

 

Medieval Musical Instruments

History, Facts and interesting information about Medieval music, specifically, Medieval Musical Instruments

Medieval Musical Instruments
Medieval Musical instruments would be used by the musicians of the period including the Waits, Minstrels or Troubadours. There were three categories of musical instruments in the Middle Ages - wind, string and percussion. Many of the Medieval musical instruments were the forerunners to our modern musical instruments.

Bas Instruments and Haut Instruments
Terms of description were Bas instruments and Haut instruments. Bas referred to soft instruments (literally, "low," but referring to volume, not pitch) which were suitable for the chamber. This type of instrument included the vielle, rebec and other bowed strings, the lute and other plucked strings and the recorders. Haut referred to loud instruments (literally "high" but referring to volume, not to pitch) which were suitable for outdoors. This type of instrument included the shawm, sackbut, pipe and tabor.

Categories of Medieval Musical Instruments
There were many Medieval Musical Instruments that can be described as part of the following categories:

Types of String Musical Instruments
There were many types of string Musical Instruments played during the Medieval times including the instruments detailed in the following list:

  • The Harp - The harp was a favorite instrument of the troubadours and minstrels and was about 30 inches in length
  • Lute - A plucked string instrument having a pear-shaped body, a usually bent neck, and a fretted fingerboard
  • The Fiddle - There were a variety of Medieval Fiddles which were played with a bow or plucked and usually held under the chin or in the crook of the arm. Easily portable and one of the most popular street musical instruments
  • The Rebec - The rebec was an instrument with a round pear-shaped body much like an early violin
  • The Psaltery - The Psaltery was a Medieval musical instrument which was a cross between a harp and a lyre
  • Chittarone - a lute which could reach 6 feet tall
  • Cittern - Similar to a modern guitar
  • The Dulcimer - The Dulcimer was played by striking the strings with small hammers
  • Gittern - Similar to a modern guitar
  • The Viol - Viols were played with a bow and held on the lap or between the legs
  • The Vielle - Popular string instrument with troubadours and jongleurs
  • Mandolin and Mandore - A small and beautifully shaped string instrument resembling the lute
  • The Clavichord - an early stringed instrument like a piano but with more delicate sound
  • Harpsichord - a harp-shaped instrument of music set horizontally on legs, like the grand piano
  • Spinet - The Spinet can be described as a keyed instrument of music resembling a harpsichord, but smaller

Medieval Musical Instrumnets - the Vielle

The Vielle

Types of Woodwind Musical Instruments
There were many types of Woodwind Musical Instruments played during the Medieval times including the instruments detailed in the following list:

  • The Flute - Similar to our modern flutes. This type of Musical instruments played by flute-minstrels of the Middle Ages
  • The Trumpet - Long instrument made of metal, often in four parts - often associated with fanfares and pageants
  • The Pipe - The pipe was an extremely basic instrument usually having only three melody holes
  • The Shawm - The shawm was a reed instrument with vent holes
  • Recorder - The recorder was also an extremely basic instrument with melody holes
  • Flageolet - A small fipple flute with four finger holes and two thumb holes.
  • The Bagpipe - The Bagpipe was an ancient instrument, used by the poorest people and was made using a goat or sheep skin and a reed pipe
  • The Crumhorn - The crumhorn (Curved Horn) was introduced in the 1400's as a double reed musical instrument
  • The Gemshorn - The gemshorn was made of horn of an ox, chamois or similar
  • Cornett - The cornett was an early woodwind instrument taking the form of a long tube with woodwind-style fingerholes
  • The Lizard - The lizard was a descriptive term for an s-shaped horn
  • The Ocarina - An egg-shaped woodwind instrument with a mouthpiece and finger holes
  • Sackbut - A medieval musical instrument resembling a trombone
  • Hautboy - A slender double-reed woodwind instrument with a conical bore and a double-reed mouthpiece
  • English Horn - Despite its name it is not a horn - this instrument is more similar to an oboe
  • Cor Anglais - Another name commonly used for the Cor Anglais is the English Horn
  • Horns - Originally made of a horn (ox or a ram)
  • Bombard - The Bombard can be described as a large shawm
  • Oboe - evolved from the Shawm into the hautboy and then the oboe
  • Trombone- a long tube whose length can be varied by a U-shaped slide
  • Tuba - an ancient trumpet, the lowest brass woodwind instrument

Medieval Woodwind Musicians

Medieval Woodwind Musicians

Types of Percussion Musical Instruments
There were many types of Percussion Musical Instruments played during the Medieval times including the music instruments detailed in the following list:

  • The Drum - Drums were made initially from a hollow tree trunk, clay or metal and covered by skins of water animals - also called tambours
  • Cymbals - Thin round concave metal plates
  • The Triangle - The triangle was a musical instrument introduced during the 14th century
  • The Tambourine - This musical instrument was traditionally used by a woman
  • The Tabor - a small drum used as an accompaniment to a pipe or fife, both being played by the same person.
  • Timbrel - This musical instrument was also referred to as a tambourine and dates back to antiquity
  • Bells - the use of Bells also dates back to antiquity

Other Types of Medieval Musical Instruments
The Organistrum and the Pipe Organ were other types of Medieval Musical instruments as was the Hurdy-Gurdy.
The Hurdy-gurdy - the hurdy-gurdy was introduced to England during the 12th century - the bow was replaced by strings attached to a wheel which was cranked by a handle.

Medieval Music - Medieval Musical Instruments
The Medieval Times website provides interesting facts, history and information about the musicians and styles of music which scatter the history books including Medieval Musical Instruments. The Medieval Life and Times Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts about the fascinating subject of the lives of the people who lived during the historical period of the Middle Ages. The content of this article on Medieval Musical Instruments provides free educational details, facts and information for reference and research for schools, colleges and homework for history courses and history coursework.

 

 

Medieval Music - Medieval Musical Instruments

  • Read books from a history book club or watch the History Channel DVDs on Medieval Times
  • Influences on Music in Medieval Times
  • Musical Instruments
  • Medieval Entertainment
  • Medieval Troubadours and Minstrels
  • Types of Musical Instruments
  • Medieval Musical Instruments - Percussion, string and Wind Instruments
  • Musical Instruments

Helpful information for history courses and history coursework - Read History Books - Medieval Music - Musical Instruments - Troubadours - Musicians - Minstrels - Composers - Medieval Society - Realms - Medival - Lives -  Medival Era and Period - Medieval Musical Instruments - History - Information - Facts - Info - Medieval Period - Medieval - Middle Ages Music - Dark Ages - Information about Medieval Musical Instruments - Medieval Musical Instruments Facts - Medieval Musical Instruments Info - Medieval Times - Medieval Musical Instruments - Medieval Music - Musical Instruments - Troubadours - Musicians - Minstrels - Composers - Medival Era and Period - History Channel DVDs - Written By Linda Alchin