The vielle is a European bowed
stringed instrument used in the
medieval period, similar to a modern
violin but with a somewhat longer and deeper body, three to five gut strings, and a leaf-shaped pegbox with frontal tuning pegs, sometimes with a figure-8 shaped body. Whatever external form they had, the box-soundchest consisted of
back and belly joined by ribs, which experience has shown to be the construction for bowed instruments. The most common shape given to the earliest vielles in France was an oval, which with its modifications remained in favour until the Italian
lira da braccio asserted itself as the better type, leading to the
violin.
The instrument was also known as a ''fidel'' or a ''viuola'', although the French name for the instrument, ''vielle'', is generally used; the word comes from the same root as ''
fiddle
A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...
''. It was one of the most popular instruments of the medieval period, and was used by
troubadours and
jongleurs from the 13th through the 15th centuries. The vielle possibly derived from the
lira
Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current currency of Turkey and also the local name of the currencies of Lebanon and of Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, including those of Italy, Malta and Israe ...
, a
Byzantine bowed instrument closely related to the
rebab
The ''rebab'' ( ar, ربابة, ''rabāba'', variously spelled ''rebap'', ''rubob'', ''rebeb'', ''rababa'', ''rabeba'', ''robab'', ''rubab'', ''rebob'', etc) is the name of several related string instruments that independently spread via I ...
, an Arab bowed instrument. There are many medieval illustrations of different types of vielles in manuscripts,
Roi David jouant de la vièle en huit
/ref> sculptures and paintings.
Starting in the middle or end of the 15th century, the word ''vielle'' was used to refer to the hurdy-gurdy, as a shortened form of its name: ''vielle à roue ("vielle with a wheel").
Several modern groups of musicians have formed into bands to play early music
Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classical m ...
(pre-Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
), and they sometimes include vielles, or modern reproductions, in their ensembles, together with other instruments such as rebecs and saz.
Gallery
References
External links
Vielles (''Polish folk musical instruments'')
Vielles (''Musiconis Database, Université Paris-Sorbonne'')
Bowed string instruments
Necked lutes
Early musical instruments
Medieval musical instruments
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