-gurdies or musettes, Haydn's compositions show a strongly developed use of parallel thirds and sixths (ex. 40, ex. 41). Haydn was careful to see that the other instruments participating did not exceed the vielle organisée in virtuosity and made all the voices technically quite simple [fn]. Perhaps Haydn knew other hurdy-gurdy compositions, since he also used the favorite rhythms of the French composers for this instrument and prescribed almost only uneven rhythms. [???] His compositions display very little modulation and then only into the related keys, which Harry Edwall, together with the selection of the keys, attributed to the difficulty of playing chromatically on the vielle organisée [fn]. In support of his opinion he cites Michel Corrette's "Méthode pour apprendre à jouer de la vielle", in which the composer likewise limits himself to C and G major and their minor versions. Nevertheless it seems to be unknown to him that the selection of the keys and the type of modulation is related to the drone sounds of the instrument [fn]. In regard to the question as to which parts of the composition can be played with the pipes, and which the pipes and strings, he assumes without hesitation that the drone is not present: "The drone strings, of course, were not used at all" [fn]. However it cannot be blithely assumed that the drone strings were not used. Even in French compositions only the melody lines were written down; the sounding of the drone strings was taken for granted and occurred even in concerti with several instruments, which were arranged in a manner similar to that of Haydn's concerti
as also in the arrangements of Vivaldi's concerti (see page 320). It was not the difficulties of playing the vielle organisée chromatically that was the reason for the simple harmonic modulation, but rather the drone strings that were used as on the normal hurdy-gurdies.
The nocturne for vielle organisee instrumented with flute and oboe were repeatedly presented in the Salomon concerts of 1791 and 1792 under the direction of Haydn. King George III of England was so enthused that he requested part of the manuscript from Haydn, which he later presented to highly esteemed personages [fn]. Ferdinand of Naples was also delighted with Haydn's compositions and even attempted to talk him into settling down in Naples. Haydn almost accepted this proposal [fn].
Ernst Fritz Schmidt, author of the article "Haydn's Werke für die Drehleier", committed several errors in regard to the instrument and its notation. He believed that the 'lira organizzata' was the same instrument as the hurdy-gurdy, as is shown already by the title of his work and in his list of the various names for the hurdy-gurdy [fn]. He explains that the change in London from two vielles organisée to flute and oboe did not offer difficulties, "da der Meister der Leier stets nur enistmming in hoher Sopranlage notiert". [fn]. ("since the master only wrote one line for the lyre in the high soprano range") It thus escaped his notice that the hurdy-gurdy as well as the vielle organisée can only play one voice above its drone and consequently was never written for otherwise.
Although the courtly hurdy-gurdy fashion remained almost exclusively confined to France, apart from these commissioned works for the king of Naples, there were also outside of France such famous composers as Leopold Mozart and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who wrote for the hurdy-gurdy. In these compositions the hurdy-gurdy was employed as a peasant and not as a virtuoso instrument.
In the second of four menuettes (K.601) in C major Wolfgang Mozart used the hurdy-gurdy in a trio as a melody instrument (ex. 42). He prescribed for the menuette flutes, oboes, fagottes, clarinets, kettle drums in C and G, a first and second violin and a bass, and in the trio exchanged the flutes of the top voices for a piccolo, hurdy-gurdy, oboes and the first violin play the melody in unison. The drone of the hurdy-gurdy is not written but must have been sounded, since the fagotte and the clarinets blow a drone in c and g almost all the way