Nyckelharpa
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Nyckelharpa is a "keyed" bowed chordophone, primarily originating from Sweden in its modern form, but with its historical roots scattered across medieval Europe. It is similar in appearance to a fiddl
Nyckelharpa being played
Stone relief of an organistrum, one of the first keyed string instruments
Portal relief possibly depicting nyckelharpa players, c. 1350, Källunge Church, Gotland, Sweden.
Angel with keyed vielle, Cappellina di Palazzo Pubblico, Siena, Italy. Fresco by Taddeo di Bartolo, 1408.
Hurdy-gurdy
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The hurdy-gurdy is a string instrument that produces sound by means of a hand-cranked rosined wheel that rubs against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played o
Ancient kings playing an organistrum at the Pórtico de la Gloria in the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela in Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Hurdy-gurdy player in Saint-Jean-des-Ollières, Puy-de-Dôme (France)
Detail of The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, showing the first known depiction of a buzzing bridge on a hurdy-gurdy