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Da Vinci's String Organ

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Re: Da Vinci's String Organ

#11

Post by alternize »

Udo wrote: post #2

This is very, very cool - one can only imagine Da Vinci's delight had he known this thing would actually be built and played all this time later! Sadly, the demo video is incredibly useless. Not only is it an obnoxiously cut-together collage of song fragments, it also never shows how the organ actually works. They do show off the room it's standing in, the pianist, and the audience in detail, but not the instrument n…

the keys when hit lower the strings on the constantly turning wheels. this video has some short footage on how the instrument works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS9c76V4RDE

Re: Da Vinci's String Organ

#14

Post by kzrdude »

alternize wrote: post #11
Udo wrote: post #2

This is very, very cool - one can only imagine Da Vinci's delight had he known this thing would actually be built and played all this time later! Sadly, the demo video is incredibly useless. Not only is it an obnoxiously cut-together collage of song fragments, it also never shows how the organ actually works. They do show off the room it's standing in, the pianist, and the audience in detail, but not the instrument n…

the keys when hit lower the strings on the constantly turning wheels. this video has some short footage on how the instrument works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS9c76V4RDE

There's an interview here which includes more detailed video of the instrument. Just be sure to toggle the subtitles. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOrn_z9m9lU

Re: Da Vinci's String Organ

#15

Post by apendleton »

Super cool. In both sound and musical capabilities, it seems like it shares a lot with the viola da gamba, especially as they both compare to modern stringed instruments; gambas, being fretted, can't achieve vibrato in the same way that modern strings can, and so depend a lot more on ornaments (trills, mordents, etc.) for emphasis. They also lack dynamic range as compared to modern strings because of their simpler bows, meaning dynamics were often achieved by adding or removing voices in ensembles. This new instrument is similar: vibrato and dynamics probably aren't easily achievable, so it seems well-suited to gamba repertoire.

No surprise, then, that in the Polish-language video linked elsewhere in the comments here, he plays a couple of M. de Sainte Colombe pieces, as he was a master gamba performer and composer.

Re: Da Vinci's String Organ

#16

Post by cge »

Udo wrote: post #2

This is very, very cool - one can only imagine Da Vinci's delight had he known this thing would actually be built and played all this time later! Sadly, the demo video is incredibly useless. Not only is it an obnoxiously cut-together collage of song fragments, it also never shows how the organ actually works. They do show off the room it's standing in, the pianist, and the audience in detail, but not the instrument n…

It's not just that particular demo video: almost everything I've seen shows extremely little of the instrument in detail, including all the videos and articles posted as replies here. Almost nothing gives any details on the action, how the action deals with so many differing string heights and wheel contact angles, how tuning is done when affected by both string tension and what appears to be string bending by the action, how voicing is done considering all of this and the wheels... there is no detail at all.

This sadly seems like it might be intentional, too: in http://tygodnik.onet.pl/zmysly/the-da-vinci-tone-in-english/... (also posted elsewhere here), the maker skirts around encouragement to talk about details with the same generalities he uses in the videos, and then outright refuses to discuss details when asked directly beyond talking about the strings going out of tune and volume issues, both matters that are mostly obvious, uninteresting, and not unique to this instrument.

Re: Da Vinci's String Organ

#17

Post by corin_ »

gry wrote: post #10
JasonFruit wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Similar things were built. If you read German: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geigenwerk .

I don't. The English version [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geigenwerk ] suggests the a hurdy-gurdy wheel is in constant contact with strings, while the viola organista allows for a large number of strings to lower on to the wheel, so individual notes strings and notes are played. This seems like he moved technology forward, no?

The hurdy-gurdy has 4 drone strings and 2 for melodies, so it's a rather similar concept to bagpipes with regards how it plays.

Also interesting is the origin of the hurdy-gurdy, the Organistrum: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organistrum

Re: Da Vinci's String Organ

#19

Post by coldcode »

apendleton wrote: post #15

Super cool. In both sound and musical capabilities, it seems like it shares a lot with the viola da gamba, especially as they both compare to modern stringed instruments; gambas, being fretted, can't achieve vibrato in the same way that modern strings can, and so depend a lot more on ornaments (trills, mordents, etc.) for emphasis. They also lack dynamic range as compared to modern strings because of their simpler bo…

Having played a gamba in college, despite its obvious limitations due to the frets, you could play wicked multi string chords not possible on a cello. Sadly due to the gut strings it did not like air conditioning. Because it had frets I as a guitar/bass player could actually learn to play it reasonably well.

Re: Da Vinci's String Organ

#20

Post by JasonFruit »

gry wrote: post #10
JasonFruit wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Similar things were built. If you read German: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geigenwerk .

I don't. The English version [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geigenwerk ] suggests the a hurdy-gurdy wheel is in constant contact with strings, while the viola organista allows for a large number of strings to lower on to the wheel, so individual notes strings and notes are played. This seems like he moved technology forward, no?

Seems like it to me, too. Didn't think of that.
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