ce with regard to transposition Bordet gives the tonal range of the hurdy-gurdy and the musette with the tuning of the strings and the pipes, and follows this with several short exercises, with the help of which playing the note values and the wheel accents should be learned. He does not however discuss any further this special technique which is peculiar to the hurdy-gurdy, since the "Méthode" was not intended to be exclusively a method for this instrument.
The last and best known 18th century method was produced by Michel Corrette: "Méthode pour apprendre à jouer de la vielle", printed in Paris in 1783. At the beginning the author remarks that the hurdy-gurdy is well suited to be played alone for dances: " La Vielle est un instrument à corde, agréable, brillant et bon pour jouer seul et faire danser" [translation JW: "The hurdy-gurdy is a stringed instrument, pleasant, clear toned and excellent for playing alone and for dances"][fn]. After the introductory remarks Corrette discusses the playing position of the instrument, the tuning of the strings and the movement of the wheel. "La tour de la Roue est la plus difficile du jeu de la Vielle". [fn][translation JW: The turning of the Wheel is the hardest part of playing the Hurdy-gurdy"] The instructions which follow concerning the care of the instrument and the correct regulation of the individual keys are very useful. He explains in which ways, aside from the use of cotton and rosin, the tuning of the chanterelles can be exactly regulated [fn]. After the technical instructions Corrette first presents pieces for one hurdy-gurdy, and after this pieces for two instruments. The most beautiful compositions are provided with fingerings and those pieces which he wrote himself are denoted by an asterisk [fn].[NB - footnotes are out of order, 1,2,4,5,3, because of text revisions for clarity]
If one compares the different methods, it cannot be understood why it was just the "Méthode" of Corrette which had a second printing. In the instructions for learning the hurdy-gurdy it is in no respect as exact as the methods of Dupuit or Bouin, nor are the explanations as detailed. This second printing is only understandable by assuming that the aristocratic amateurs did not lay such importance on the perfection of their playing, but were satisfied with more simple directions. From this point of view the methods of Dupuit or Bouin are more suited for virtuosi than for aristocratic dilettantes. Also, Corette was already known in society for his numerous other methods for the guitar, harpsichord, violin, violin cello and bagpipes.
D. The After-effects of the Hurdy-gurdy Vogue
During the reign of Louis XVI the significance of the hurdy-gurdy in courtly society gradually diminished. The descent of the hurdy-gurdy from the aristocracy back to its previous position did not happen abruptly on account of a sudden disinterest in the instrument, but happened within a framework of a gradual lack of interest for it. At a time in which the instrument still enjoyed great respect in society, it was played not only in salons, but served also for entertaining guests in the cafes and restaurants of Paris, where it was also used for a long time for entertainment. The hurdy-gurdy was heard in the Café Procope in the Rue des Fossés-Saint-Germain-des-Prés, an important meeting place of literary figures and cavaliers [fn],and before the French Revolution, also often for the entertainment of guests in the Café Royal d'Alexandre on the Boulevard du Temple [fn]. Even at the beginning of the 19th century the Boulevard du Temple was a center for hurdy-gurdy players: in the final act of the vaudeville "Fanchon la Vielleuse", presented
in 1801, one of the actresses sings:
"Au boulevard du Temple
le jeudi l'on contemple
Tous les gens du bon ton.
Pourquoi la mode a-t-elle
Fait choix de ce lieu?
C'est, dit-on, pour entendre la vielle
La vielle de Fanchon" [fn].
On the Blvd. du Temple
All the fashionable people
are seen each Thursday.
Why is it stylish to make
this choice of venue?
It is said, to hear the hurdy-gurdy,
"Fanc