Sycamore hurdy-gurdy, French, about 1650, on solid mahogany organ box, English about 1750.

"The hurdy-gurdy has a large guitar-shaped body of sycamore. On the belly, the soundholes, and the barber's pole edging are similar to 6/2 and 6/3 [hurdy-gurdy by Varquain (577-1872) and hurdy-gurdy by P.Louvet (364-1864) respectively]. The tailpiece and keybox are of rosewood with mother-of-pearl stringing. The pegbox is crudely carved with a finial in the form of a woman's head and is stamped with stars. There are four pegs, and also, on the keyboard side of the pegbox, four wrest pins for drone strings. apparently added to the instrument at a later date.

The mahogany box for the organ, on the top of which the hurdy-gurdy rests, contains twenty-eight wooden stopped pipes on the far side and thirty-four pipes placed horizontally beneath the box. There are two slider rods at the left-hand end of the box, for controlling these two registers of pipes. The stand is of pine painted to look like mahogany; it may be of later date than the rest." Anthony Baines, Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments (London, 1998), pp. 26 - 27

This organ hurdy-gurdy formed part of the collections of Carl Engel (1818-1882) and was bought by the Musem in 1882 for £5.

This instrument is probably made up of a French hurdy-gurdy, dating from about 1650 and an organ, which dates from 1750. Carl Engel (1818-1882) thought that the instrument was made by a 'Frenchman living in London' (Carl Engel: Descriptive Catalogue ..., p. 345).

The organ hurdy-gurdy (or lira organizzata) developed in the mid 18th century from a hurdy-gurdy fitted to organ pipes. A leading player of this instrument was Ferdinand IV, King of Naples (reigned 1759-1825), for whom Josef Haydn (1732-1809) composed music. This example was reputedly assembled by an unnamed Frenchman living in London. A hurdy-gurdy of about 1650 was fixed to the organ works, which were probably made about one hundred years later. The crank-handle which turns the hurdy-gurdy drone-wheel also activates the organ bellows. As well as the pipes at the front of the instrument, there is another set lying horizontally underneath the organ box.

338-1882