ions, when blind beggars presented their songs or prayers in the last week of Lent to the accompaniment of a guitar, which replaced the old hurdy-gurdy ("con su guitarre en sustitución de la antigua zanfoña".) [fn] [translation JW: "with their/his guitar instead of the old hurdy-gurdy"].
In Germany besides the accompaniment of secular songs the hurdy-gurdy also served in the performance of religious songs. Of one hurdy-gurdy player it is reported in the 17th century that she had "einer Äbtissin auf einem grossen und reichen Stifft zu gefallen ihre Leyr gestimmt / um derselben ein Liedlein: und zwar ein geistlichs / aufzuspilen" [fn]. A similar report concerning the playing of sacred songs is given somewhat earlier by Sethus Calvisius in a letter to Michael Praetorius, in which he says of the hurdy-gurdy that it has three drone strings and one melody string, on which a choral piece was played to the constant sounding of the drones: "auff der Leyre aber wol drey oder vier
Seiten / als Nemblich eine Quinta, vnd Octava, zugleich durch drey Saiten: Vnd wird darnach vff andern Clavirn welche die vierde Saeite treffen vnd anrühren / etwas anders im füglichen Choral darin moduliret". In the same context Calvisius mentions that the choral piece was played on the hurdy-gurdy like a shepherd's dance. "Dieselbe Claves haben sie stets gehen vnd Thoenen lassen / vnd darnach einen Choral der aus dem c / d / oder e / gangen / vnd sein Fundament darinnen hat / darein geschlagen / wie man auff dem Instrument ein Schaeffertanzt schlegt" [fn]. With the reference to playing dances on the hurdy-gurdy, Clavisius indicates the use of the instrument for dance music. The author mentions this explanation of the manner of playing a choral piece on the instrument and seems thereby to be giving expression to a well known fact With this he also indicates the most important function of the hurdy-gurdy in the later centuries.
In Germany the hurdy-gurdy served also in the 15th century as an instrument for dances:
"Und die wib mit den liran
Land die iren selten firen
Und machend den andren tanz" [fn]
[And the woman with her hurdy-gurdy / seldom lets her instrument rest / and gets everybody to dance].
Here the hurdy-gurdy is not only played for dancing, but the line "land die iren selten firen" ["seldom lets her instrument rest"] also shows that the hurdy-gurdy player was in great demand as a dance musician. Further testimony from this time:
"Egkerleich sol ain leirn han,
Schürzenesl sol die truml schlan,
Götz und Panz Sollen machen den tanz" [fn].
In the 17th century the hurdy-gurdy was still played frequently "vor
den Thüren und auff Jarmärkten / Bauren Täntzen und Kirchweyhen" [fn]. [translation JW: "at the gates and at annual markets / country dances and church fairs"]. We do not know how the dance music played on the hurdy-gurdy sounded. The "Ungarescha" in a collection by Jacob Paix, dated 1583, could however provide one reference point (ex.1). [fn]
A 16th century French report relates the story of a man from the Auvergne, who with his four boys and his hurdy-gurdy traveled throughout all of France [fn]. The boys sang and danced and the father sang and played the hurdy-gurdy. A few references of the narrator indicates which dances the boys performed to the accompaniment of the hurdy-gurdy. He reports for example how well and precisely the boys could dance the branle and how well they could mark the beat with their wooden shoes in the clog dance [fn]. On the advice of an old player in Lyon the narrator should sing his chansons in the Provençe and above all play the lively bourrées of the Auvergne, This would distinguish him from the players there and make him popular [fn]. In Toulouse he played his dances on the Promenade, received much money for this and noted: " Les Toulousains aiment beaucoup à danser" [fn][translation JW: "Toulousians really love to dance"]. This report must be dated to the reign of Henri II since the harder times of Francis I are repeatedly referred to. [fn]
Likewise from the 16th century comes the description of the marriage of 