.jpg) Nyckelharpa being played | |
| String instrument | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Key harp Danish:nøgleharpe ("key harp") Finnish:avainviulu ("key violin") German:Schlüsselfidel ("key vielle") Italian:viola a chiavi ("keyed viola") Spanish:viola de teclas ("keyed violin") |
| Classification | Bowed string instrument |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 321.322–71 |
| Inventor | Folk instrument |
| Developed | 12th century |
| Related instruments | |
| Hurdy-gurdy | |
Nyckelharpa network, an innovative dissemination of a music and instrument-building tradition with roots in Sweden | |
|---|---|
| Country | Sweden |
| Reference | 01976 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2023 (18th session) |
| List | Good Safeguarding Practices |
Nyckelharpa (Swedish:[ˈnʏ̂kːɛlˌharːpa], roughly "keyed fiddle" inSwedish,lit. 'key-harp', plural:nyckelharpor) is a "keyed"bowed chordophone, primarily originating from Sweden in its modern form, but with its historical roots scattered across medieval Europe. It is similar in appearance to afiddle orviolin but larger (in its earlier forms essentially a modifiedvielle), which employs key-actuated tangents along the neck to change the pitch during play, much like ahurdy-gurdy. The keys slide under the strings, with the tangents set perpendicularly to the keys, reaching above the strings. Upon key-actuation, the tangent is pressed to meet the corresponding string, much like afret, shortening its vibrating length to that point, changing the pitch of the string.[1][2] It is primarily played underarm, suspended from the shoulder using asling, with the bow in the overhanging arm.
The origin of the instrument is unknown, but its historical foothold and modern development is much larger in Sweden than other countries. Many of the early historical depictions of the instrument are found in Sweden, with the earliest probable depiction being found on a relief located on a 14th century church portal. While historically not too common an instrument in Sweden (relatively speaking), the violin outshining it in usage amongspelmän (players ofSwedish folk music), the nyckelharpa became a popularfolk instrument in the Swedish province ofUppland during the 17th century, subsequently leading to its popularization and spread throughout Sweden the following centuries. By the 19th century it had become a "fine" instrument, being played at concerts inStockholm,[3] and by the early 20th century it had become an archetypal instrument alongside the violin for Swedish folk music. Today it is considered by many to be the quintessential national instrument of Sweden.[4] The oldest surviving nyckelharpa is dated 1526 and is part of theZorn Collections inMora Municipality, Sweden.[3]
Besides Sweden, early depictions of nyckelharpor can also be found in Denmark, Germany and Italy, among other European countries. The earliest of these is found in a 1408fresco byTaddeo di Bartolo at thePalazzo Pubblico chapel inSiena, Italy, which depicts an angel playing a "keyed viola". Recently there has been a push byluthiers and the like to make recreations of these older depictions of nyckelharpor, akin toreconstructional archaeology,[5] but also new instruments based on the nyckelharpa concept of a keyed bow instrument.[6]
Nyckelharpa is the Swedish name for the instrument, composed of the leadnyckel ("key"), and the followerharpa ("harp"). Key is another word for tangent, while harp is an archaic word for string instrument, like alyre; seeOld Norse:harpa,Old English:hearpe, essentially "plucked string instrument". Comparetagelharpa ("horsehair-harp"), another Nordic instrument, or evenjaw harp, where harp just means instrument.
Synonymes includeknaverharpa, the same compound, but with the leadknaver, which means tangent in this sense, and is cognate to English "knob" (compare "doorkey" in the sense of doorknob).
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Development of keyed string instruments appears to have started during theHigh Middle Ages, with instruments such as the duo-playedorganistrum (ahurdy-gurdy), starting in the late 900s or early 1000s. Such were popular in Southwestern Europe and eventually evolved into the solo-played "symphonia"-hurdy-gurdy in France or Spain in the 1200s, featuringdiatonic tangents. Somewhere along the line, it appears the keyed section of a "hurdy-gurdy" was integrated onto abowed string instrument, producing the first keyed fiddle or proto-nyckelharpa instrument. It is unclear where the instrument first appeared, but the spread of hurdy-gurdy and bowed string instruments in Europe during the later Middle Ages makes it possible that the instrument was invented independently by several people.
In theLate Middle Ages, the first depictions of nyckelharpor, or rather "keyedvielles" by appearance, appear. The earliest possible depiction known can be found in a relief on one of the portals to theKällunge Church, located on the Swedish island ofGotland. Dating from circa 1350, it depicts two musicians with bow stringed instruments suspiciously looking like nyckelharpor, appearing to have keyboxes (a cover above the strings) like a hurdy-gurdy. The relief is howevereroded and damaged from time, making it hard to confirm them as nyckelharpor.[7][8]
The earliest confirmed depiction of a nyckelharpa appears in an Italian church painting found inSiena, Italy, dating to 1408. It depicts an angel playing avielle-looking nyckelharpa (a common nyckelharpa motif for the period), featuring five keyes and a keybox above the strings.
Throughout the 15th century, more depictions of nyckelharpor start appearing in church paintings, notably in Swedish and Danish churches, such as theEmmislöv Church, which has a painting of a nyckelharpa musician dating to 1450–1475.[9] Others include theTolfta Church in Sweden, which has two paintings of angels playing nyckelharpa, dating toc. 1460–1525. Interestingly, most, if not all, Swedish nyckelharpa depictions on church paintings, lack keyboxes.[9] Early Danish nyckelharpa depictions, such as the ones found in the Rynkeby Church, dated to ca. 1560, all feature keyboxes.[9]
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The earliest known recorded name for nyckelharpor can be found in an early German music dictionaryMusica Instrumentalis Deudsch byMartin Agricola, dating to 1529. There it is called aSchlüsselfidel ("key vielle").[9] The corresponding image features a keybox on the instrument.[9] The term later appears inTheatrum Instrumentorum, a famous work written in 1619 by the German organistMichael Praetorius (1571–1621).[10] It was illustrated in 1620 and the corresponding image also feature a keybox, albeit shown in opened position flipped up to the side.[10]
It has been noted, that both authors originated from, and lived their lives in a German-Polish border area, which is interesting, considering the circumstance that within this region, the local musical instrument tradition, distinctively features a number of instruments with the same special features and peculiarities as that of the later Uppland nyckelharpa.[10] To add to this, there is a wooden nyckelharpa depiction fromHildesheim in the same general area as discussed, originally from 1529, albeit destroyed on 22 March 1945 during a bombing raid as part ofWWII, later being refabricated from photographs in the 1980s.[10]
![Schlüsselfidel from Musica Instrumentalis Deudsch (1529)[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.m.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSchl%25C3%25BCsselfidel_1529_(upright).png)
![Schlüsselfidel from Theatrum Instrumentorum (1620)[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.m.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSchl%25C3%25BCsselfidel%2c_Theatrum_Instrumentorum.png)
![Schlüsselfidel from Hildesheim (1529)[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.m.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSchluesselfidel_Knochenhaueramtshaus_Hildesheim.jpg)
Agricola and Prætorius are noted to also be the only period authors outside of Denmark and Sweden to mention the nyckelharpa, even if only briefly without elaborate information. Both authors wrote that the nyckelharpa belonged to the lowest social classes, with Prætorius even saying that their instrument should hardly be considered music and thus not worth mentioning.[10] The nyckelharpa being an instrument of the lower classes is supported by Danish period authorPeder Syv, as he, in a language book from 1663, expresses that "certain poets are no more writers than bagpipers and "key fiddlers" (Danish:nøglefedlere) are real musicians. It should, however, be noted, that the term "key fiddle" (nøglefeile) is a bit ambiguous, as Danish authorHans Mikkelsen Ravn [da], used the term in 1646 for a supposed "hurdy-gurdy".[10]
It can be assumed that nyckelharpor went out of style in Germany fairly early on. A German-born tobacco manufacturer inKarlskrona, Sweden, namedStefanus Cyrillus Rettig (1750–1828), is recounted in a 1939 source, of how, in his youth inPomerania, Germany, he saw old nyckelharpa instruments stored away on cupboards in rooms, but that they were so archaic that no one knew anything about them.[10]
At the turn of the 17th century, the nyckelharpa was not too common of an instrument in Sweden, the violin outshining it inSwedish folk music use; however, starting from the early 17th century, the nyckelharpa got a foothold as a popularfolk instrument amongspelmän (players ofSwedish folk music) in the Swedish province ofUppland, which came to be the stronghold for nyckelharpa music the following centuries, including musicians likeByss-Calle [sv] (Carl Ersson Bössa, 1783–1847) fromÄlvkarleby.[8] It can be found briefly in Swedish records from 1603 onwards, then primarily in court records and prose texts, however, occasional details are found in treatises from 1684, 1686, 1698, 1702 and 1717.[10] In the oldest material, scholars used the termnyckelgiga ("key-giga", the latter also being a generic old word for instrument), eventually disappearing in favour of nyckelharpa and thereof.[10]
From Uppland, the popularisation of the instrument spread to the neighbouring provinces and eventually throughout Sweden. By the 19th century it had become a "fine" instrument which came to be played at concerts inStockholm,[3] and in 1899 the first detailed description of the instrument was given.[10]
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The popularization of the nyckelharpa continued and by the early 20th century it had become an archetypal instrument for Swedish folk music, equivalent to the violin. From this point the instrument would see a wide range of developments to make it a more modern instrument for a modern audience.
Changes byAugust Bohlin (1877–1949) in 1929/1930 made the nyckelharpa achromatic instrument with a straightbow, making it a more violin-like and no longer abourdon instrument.[8] Composer, player and maker of nyckelharporEric Sahlström (1912–1986) used this new instrument and helped to re-popularize it in the mid-20th century.[8] In spite of this, the nyckelharpa's popularity declined until the 1960sroots revival.[citation needed]
The 1960s and 1970s saw a resurgence in the popularity of the nyckelharpa, with notable artists such asMarco Ambrosini (Italy and Germany), Sture Sahlström, Gille, Peter Puma Hedlund and Nils Nordström including the nyckelharpa in bothearly music andcontemporary music offerings. Continued refinement of the instrument also contributed to the increase in popularity, with instrument builders likeJean-Claude Condi andAnnette Osann bringing innovation to the bow and body.[11]
In 1990s, the nyckelharpa was recognised as one of the instruments available for study at the folk music department of the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (Kungliga Musikhögskolan). It has also been a prominent part of several revival groups in the later part of the century, including the trioVäsen, the more contemporary groupHedningarna, the Finnish folk music groupHyperborea and the Swedish folk music groups Dråm andNordman. It has also been used in non-Scandinavian musical contexts, for example by the Spanish playerAna Alcaide, the English singer and multi-instrumentalistAnna Tam, and Sandra Schmitt of Storm Seeker, apirate metal band from Germany.[citation needed]
The first World Nyckelharpa Day[12] took place on 26 April 2020 just as the world had gone into lockdown. All the events took place online, either as livestreams or pre-recorded videos on Youtube. This now is a yearly event taking place on the Sunday closest to 26 April – this being the birthday of the great nyckelharpa playerByss-Calle. The event is co-ordinated by British/Swedish nyckelharpa player Vicki Swan.[13][14]
English composerNatalie Holt used nyckelharpa for background score of theDisney+ seriesLoki from 2021.[15]
Eurovision Song Contest 1995 winner Norway's song "Nocturne" (Secret Garden Group) used this instrument in their performance.[16]
In the 21st century there has been a growing interest among enthusiasts to resurrect the early historical nyckelharpa designs. This has led to countless recreations of preserved historical copies, such as themoraharpa and esseharpa,[17] among others, but also a push to recreate nyckelharpa-designs only found in historical paintings, such as the one depicted inSiena, Italy. Such projects can be seen asreconstructional archaeology, although reproductions are not always 1–1 clones of what is depicted in the old paintings.
The nyckelharpa depicted in Siena, Italy, has been dubbedviola a chiavi di Siena (Italian for "Sienan keyed viola"), or simplySiena-Harpa (also styledSienaharpa, "Siena harp") for short, analog to the Swedish naming-theme, and such a reconstruction was produced as part of an international research project around 2020, built by professionalluthier Alexander Pilz, a seasoned maker of nyckelharpor working out ofLeipzig, Germany.[5] The popularisation of the Italian design has led other luthiers in recent years to produce reproductions of the depiction as well.[18]
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The nyckelharpa is usually played with a strap around the neck, stabilised by the right arm.Didier François, a violinist and nyckelharpist from Belgium, is noted for using an unusual playing posture, holding the nyckelharpa vertically in front of the chest. This allows a wider range of motion for both arms. It also affects the tone and sound of the instrument.
Some players may use a violin bracket to keep the nyckelharpa away from the body so that it can swing freely, causing it to sound more "open" as its resonance is not damped.[citation needed]
Each nyckelharpa string is either a melody string, drone, or (in some instruments) resonance string. Melody strings are stopped using the keys, so different notes can be played when the string is bowed, depending on which key is depressed. Each key specifically stops one melody string. Drone strings are bowed but not stopped, so only one note can be played with them. Resonance strings are neither bowed nor stopped. They add to thetimbre of the instrument by resonating in sympathy when the same note is played by bowing another string.
There are several variants of the nyckelharpa being produced and played today, differing in the number and arrangement of keys, number and arrangement of strings, and general body shape. They can be divided into types "with resonance strings" and types "without resonance strings".[19][20][21][22] There are also a variety of derivatives which belongs to the "keyedbowed chordophone-family" but do not necessarily have to be classified as nyckelharpor.[6]
Listed types below refer to Swedish/Nordic types as "variants", with other types being referred to as "derivatives".
The most common types of nyckelharpor are distinguished by having resonance strings. They can be divided into several subvariants, but the four main variants are as follows:[21][22]
The resonance strings, orsympathetic strings, which were added to the instrument during the 2nd half of the 16th century, are not bowed directly but resonate with the other strings. There can be anywhere from six to twelve of them, depending on the construction and tonality of the instrument. Some modern nyckelharpor have been made with four or even five rows of keys, however they have not been popular enough to replace the three-row nyckelharpa as the standard.
Beyond the common variants with resonance strings, there are a variety of nyckelharpa designs without such. Some of examples include:
Rekonstrukcja instrumentu z fresku znajdującego się w Palazzo Pubblico w Sienie we Włoszech, namalowanego przez Taddeo di Bartolo w 1408 roku. Instrument sopranowy o skali skrzypiec w pierwszej pozycji.
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