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Not currently on display at the V&A

Organ Hurdy-Gurdy

1650 - 1750 (Made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

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.


Object details

Category
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Organ Hurdy-Gurdy
  • Stand
Materials and techniques
planed sycamore with ebony and mother-of-pearl edging; planed solid mahogany organ box; turned pine legs stained to resemble mahogany.
Brief description
Sycamore hurdy-gurdy, French, about 1650, on solid mahogany organ box, English about 1750.
Physical description
"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
Dimensions
  • Total length of hurdy gurdy length: 75cm
  • Length of hurdy gurdy body length: 57cm
  • Width of hurdy gurdy width: 28cm
  • Length of organ box length: 71.5cm
  • Width of organ box width: 30cm
Taken from Anthony Baines:Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), pp. 26-27.
Gallery label
ORGAN HURDY-GURDY English; about 1750 (reputedly made by a Frenchman living in London) Sycamore hurdy-gurdy, with mother of pearl and ebony edging, rosewood tail piece and peg box, with mother of pearl stringing. Mahogany organ box and pine stand painted to look like mahogany, possibly of a later date. Non-Keyboard Catalogue No.: 6/4 This instrument was at the height of its popularity in France in about 1780. Haydn wrote five concertos for two lire organizzate. This instrument has two stops, that enables both organ and hurdy-gurdy to be played either together or separately. 338&a-1882(pre September 2000)
Object history
This organ hurdy-gurdy formed part of the collections of Carl Engel (1818-1882) and was bought by the Musem in 1882 for £5.
Production
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).
Summary
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.
Bibliographic references
  • Anthony Baines, Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments (London, 1998), pp. 26-27.
  • Michel Uhlmann and Nicolas Sarre,Re-creating Period Instruments - A Project managed by the Ensemble Baroque de Limgoes, Led by Christophe Coin - The Organ Hurdy-Gurdy . (Unpublished text, FTF departmental catalogues, no date, about 2005).
  • Carl Engel, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Musical Instruments in the South Kensington Museum, (London, 1874), p. 345
Collection
Accession number
338-1882

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Record createdMay 16, 2001
Record URL
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