| Music Encyclopedia: Nyckelharpa |
A keyed fiddle, known since the 15th century. It was used in Scandinavia and north Germany for popular dance and festive music; it is still used in Sweden. There are generally two gut melody strings, up to three gut or wound drones and several sympathetic strings, with up to 24 wooden keys giving a nearly complete chromatic sequence. It is slung from the player's neck, held horizontally with keys downwards and bowed from below.
| Wikipedia: Nyckelharpa |
 |
|
| Classification | *Bowed string instrument |
|---|---|
| Related instruments | |
A nyckelharpa (literally "key harp", plural nyckelharpor or sometimes keyed fiddle) is a traditional Swedish musical instrument. It is a string instrument or chordophone. Its keys are attached to tangents which, when a key is depressed, serve as frets to change the pitch of the string.
The nyckelharpa is similar in appearance to a fiddle or the bowed Byzantine lira. Structurally, it is more closely related to the hurdy gurdy, both having key actuated tangents used to change the pitch.
Contents |
The oldest known depiction of the nyckelharpa can be found on a relief dating from the 14th century near one of the gates to Källunge church on Gotland[citation needed]. Other very early pictures were found in Hildesheim (Germany) and in Siena (Italy)[citation needed]. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the ’Schlüsselfidel’, or "key fiddle", was known in Germany[citation needed]. The Swedish province of Uppland has been a stronghold for nyckelharpa music since the late 16th century, including the 1960s revival which drew on musicians like Byss-Calle (1783–1847) from Älvkarleby.
Changes by August Bohlin (1877–1949) in 1929/1930 made the nyckelharpa chromatic and straight[citation needed], making it a more violin-like and less of a bourdon instrument. Composer and nyckelharpa builder Eric Sahlström (1912–1986) helped re-popularize the instrument in the mid 20th century by featuring it in his own songwriting.[citation needed] In spite of this, the nyckelharpa's popularity declined until the 1960s roots revival.
The '60s and '70s saw a resurgence in the popularity of the nyckelharpa, with notable artists such as Marco Ambrosini (Italy, Germany), Sture Sahlström, Hans Gille, and Nils Nordström including the nyckelharpa in both early music and contemporary music offerings. Continued refinement of the instrument also contributed to the increase in popularity, with instrument builders like Jean-Claude Condi and Annette Osann bringing innovation to the bow and body.
In 1990s, the nyckelharpa was recognized as one of the instruments available for study at the folk music department of the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (Kungliga Musikhögskolan).
The nyckelharpa has been a prominent part of several revival groups in the later part of the century, including work from the trio Väsen, the more contemporary group Hedningarna, the Finnish folk music group Hyperborea and the Swedish folk music group Dråm.
Traditionally, and presently, the nyckelharpa is played with a strap around the neck, stabilized by the right arm. Preferably you play standing, but you hold it exactly the same way when sitting.
Didier François, violinist and nyckelharpist from Belgium, is noted for using a unique playing posture. Holding the nyckelharpa vertically in front of the chest, one is able to move both arms in a more natural and relaxed fashion. The overall tone and sound of the instrument is affected by this non-traditional position. Using a violin bracket to keep the nyckelharpa away from the body so it can swing freely also causes it to sound more "open".
There are four common variants of the nyckelharpa still played today, varying in the number and arrangement of keys, number and arrangement of strings, and general body shape. The most predominate type is the so-called "chromatic nyckelharpa", with the melody strings tuned A1 - C1 - G, a drone C (from the highest to the lowest string) that is only touched occasionally, and 12 resonance strings (one for each step of the chromatic scale).
The resonance strings, or sympathetic strings, which were added to the instrument during the 2nd half of the 16th century[citation needed], are not bowed directly but resonate with the other strings.
All common variants of the nyckelharpa has one or more drone strings.
 |
Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (April 2009) |
The artwork on the Swedish 50 kronor banknote has a musical theme, the back of the note featuring a nyckelharpa, and the front a portrait of Swedish opera-singer Jenny Lind.
Nyckelharpist Cajsa Ekstav performed the music for the soundtrack to the computer game World of Warcraft, for the "Grizzly Hills" area in the game's Wrath of the Lich King expansion.[1]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nyckelharpa |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
 | Storsvarten (1998 Album by Olov Johansson) |
| Triptyk (1999 Album by Triptyk) |
| Master Fiddlers from Närke & Västmanland (Album by Various Artists) |
 | What is a Nyckelharpa? Read answer... |
Copyrights:
 |
 | Music Encyclopedia. The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Nyckelharpa". Read more |
Mentioned in
|
