DICTIONARY OF MUSIC - El Atril

446 HUNT HURDY GURDY
edition of Pepys's Diary, Pepys on Oct. 25,
1661, called at Hunt's about his lute, which
was almost done, having had a new neck for
double strings. Three days later he went to
St. Paul's Church Yard to Hunt's, and found
his Theorbo ready, which pleased him, and for
which he paid 26s., but is told that it is now
worth £10, and as good as any in England. In
April and in August 1663 Pepys again is in
communication with Hunt seeing, first, a ' Viall
which Ire is considering whether to buy and
next, having bought it for £3, is assured that he
has ' now as good a Theorbo, Viall, and Viallin
as is in England.
HUNT, Thomas, contributed to
F. K.
'The Triumphes
of Oriana,' 1601, the 6-part madrigal,
' Hark ! did you ever heare so sweet a singing ?
An anthem by him, ' Put me not to rebuke,' is
contained in Barnard's MS. collection in the
Sacred Plarmonic Society's library. Notliing is
known of his biography. He is said to have
been Mus. B. , but no record of his degree is forthcoming,
HUNTER, Anne, a Scotch
w. H. H.
lady, wife of
John Hunter the surgeon, and sister of Sir
Everard Home the physician. She was born
1742, and died 1821. The Hunters lived in
Leicester Square during Haydn's first visit, and
were intimate with him. Mrs. Hunter wrote
the words for his twelve Canzonets (1792), of
which the first six were dedicated to her and the
second six to Lady Charlotte Bertie. Hunter's
death (Oct. 16, 1793) put a stop to the acquaintance.
Mrs. Hunter published a volume
of poems (1801 ; 2nd ed. 1803), which are condemned
by the Edinburgh and praised by Blackwood.
She was also probably the author of
both words and melody of 'Lady Anne Bothwell's
Lament.' She is mentioned in Robert Burns's
MS. 'Edinburgh Commonplace- Book,' and two
poems by her—
' To the Nightingale, on leaving
E[arrs] C[ourt], 1784,' and 'A Sonnet
Petrarch's manner'— are there copied out
in
by
the poet, the only poems which received that
distinction. G.
HURDY GURDY (Fr. Vielle ; Ital. Lira
tedesca, Ghironda ribeca, Starapclla, Viola da
orbo ; Germ. Bauernleier, Deutscheleier, Bct-
tlerUier, Drehleier ; Latinised, Lyra rustica,
Lyra pagana). Has a place among musical instruments
like that of the Dulcimer and the
Bagjjipes, as belonging to rural life, and quite
outside modern musical art. It is true that
in the first half of the 18th century the Hurdy
Gurdy or Vielle contributed to the amusement
of the French higher classes, but evidently with
that affectation of rusticity so abundantly
shown when mock shepherds and shepherdesses
flourished, Engel (Musical Instruments, 1784,
p. 23.5) gives several titles of compositions wherein
the Vielle formed, in combination with Bagpipes
(Musette), Flutes (of both kinds), and
Hautbois, a Fete Champetre orchestra. M. G.
Ghouquet (Catalogue du Mnsee du Conservatoire,
Paris, 1875, p. 23) adds, for the instrument
alone, sonatas, duos, etc., by Baptiste and other
composers, and two
methods for instruction
by Bouin and
Corrette. This music
of a modern Arcadia
seems to have culminated
about 1750
in the virtuosity of
two brothers, Charles
and Henri Baton, the
former playing the
Vielle, which he had
much improved, the
latter the Musette.
Their father, a luthier
at Versailles, was a
famous Vielle maker,
who about 1716-20
adapted old guitars
and lutes and mounted
them as hurdy
gurdies. Other eminent
makers were
Pierre and Jean Louvet, Paris, about 1750;
Lambert, of Nancy, 1770-80 ;
Delaunay, Paris ;
and Berge, Toulouse. The last popular streetplayer
in Paris was Barbu ; according to M.
Louis Paquerre he was to be heard before 1S71,
and was also heard in London. He is supposed
to have been shot during the Commune.
The Hurdy Gurdy is an instrument the sound
of which is produced by the friction of stretched
strings, and the different tones by the help of
keys. It has thus analogies to both bowed and
clavier instruments. It is sometimes in the
shape of the old Viola d'Amore (a viol with very
high ribs), of the Guitar, or, as in the woodcut,
of the Lute. Four to six tuning-pegs in the
head bear as many strings of catgut or sometimes
wire, two of which only are carried direct
to the tailpiece, and tuned in unison, and one
or both are ' stopped ' by a simple apparatus of
keys with tangents, which directed by the fingers
of the player's left hand, shortens the vibrating
length to make the melody. The chanterelle
has two octaves from the tenor G upwards ; the
drones are tuned in C or 6 ; G being the lowest
string in either key.
"When in the key of C, the lowest drone is
tenor C. The lowest drones are called Bourdons,
the next higher open string is the Mouche.
The Trompette which is again higher, a copper
string next the two melody-strings, may be
tuned as indicated and used at pleasure.
Chanterelles.
Trompette.
Mouche.
g=i=E w
Bourdons.