Post by Dick Glasgow on Jul 16, 2007 20:53:52 GMT 1
The Psalmodikon - a one-stringed instrument played with a bow.
The Psalmodikon is a very simple musical instrument, namely to play chorals on.
It has the Greek word "Psalmos" - a song).
The most simple and least expensive Psalmodikon exists of a narrow wooden box of white wood and a board of where to put on the tacks to hold the steel string.
A saddle or a tone divided (classified) catchboard is glued on with a little elevation, over which a string is stretched.
The string is fastened on the right side with a tack, and twists on left side around a screw.
The Psalmodikon is a one-stringed instrument played with a bow.
It was used for teaching songs and hymns in rural Scandinavian churches too poor to afford organs.
Nordic-American Psalmodikonforbundet
It has the Greek word "Psalmos" - a song).
The most simple and least expensive Psalmodikon exists of a narrow wooden box of white wood and a board of where to put on the tacks to hold the steel string.
A saddle or a tone divided (classified) catchboard is glued on with a little elevation, over which a string is stretched.
The string is fastened on the right side with a tack, and twists on left side around a screw.
The Psalmodikon is a one-stringed instrument played with a bow.
It was used for teaching songs and hymns in rural Scandinavian churches too poor to afford organs.
Nordic-American PsalmodikonforbundetFor most Norwegian-Americans and even Norwegians, this primitive one-string instrument struck no cord in their memories.
It was a forgotten part of their heritage.
A psalmodikon is virtually only a 2x4 piece of wood with a single string running down the length of the wood, Hull said.
The size and style of the instrument may vary.
Hull had her instrument made by a woodworker she knew. It was the first psalmodikon he had ever made.
As a model, he used a psalmodikon restored by Harlis Anderson, who had found his uncle's old instrument in the attic of his home in St. Paul.
Hull had gotten in touch with Anderson after reading about him in the Western Viking Magazine article.
In addition to the basic hollow piece of wood, a numbered fret board is placed on top.
"You have fret board numbers, which tells you what note to play," Hull explained.
"It is numbered with ½ increments like a piano keyboard.
You can also have different tables."
In the old days, a sheepgut string was stretched across the bridge and tightened with a tuning peg.
After some experimentation, Anderson found that a metal guitar B-string tuned to F below middle C worked best.
Do you know what a psalmodikon is?
It was a forgotten part of their heritage.
A psalmodikon is virtually only a 2x4 piece of wood with a single string running down the length of the wood, Hull said.
The size and style of the instrument may vary.
Hull had her instrument made by a woodworker she knew. It was the first psalmodikon he had ever made.
As a model, he used a psalmodikon restored by Harlis Anderson, who had found his uncle's old instrument in the attic of his home in St. Paul.
Hull had gotten in touch with Anderson after reading about him in the Western Viking Magazine article.
In addition to the basic hollow piece of wood, a numbered fret board is placed on top.
"You have fret board numbers, which tells you what note to play," Hull explained.
"It is numbered with ½ increments like a piano keyboard.
You can also have different tables."
In the old days, a sheepgut string was stretched across the bridge and tightened with a tuning peg.
After some experimentation, Anderson found that a metal guitar B-string tuned to F below middle C worked best.
Do you know what a psalmodikon is?The psalmodikon is a one-stringed folk instrument that originated in the Scandinavian countries in the 1800s.
It was used to lead singing in the churches and schools.
Solo artist Beatrice Hole, whose ancestors came from Norway, enjoys demonstrating and storytelling to create a program about the psalmodikon that is entertaining as well as educational.
Beatrice performs in traditional costume, giving a program suitable for festivals, museums, historic celebrations, and small clubs and organizations.
She will also do special programs on Scandinavian heritage and customs for elementary school children, as well as musical selections for special services such as church worship, weddings, and funerals.
Music-On-A-String - Scandinavian psalmodikon music
It was used to lead singing in the churches and schools.
Solo artist Beatrice Hole, whose ancestors came from Norway, enjoys demonstrating and storytelling to create a program about the psalmodikon that is entertaining as well as educational.
Beatrice performs in traditional costume, giving a program suitable for festivals, museums, historic celebrations, and small clubs and organizations.
She will also do special programs on Scandinavian heritage and customs for elementary school children, as well as musical selections for special services such as church worship, weddings, and funerals.
Music-On-A-String - Scandinavian psalmodikon musicThe psalmodicon, or psalmodikon, is a single-stringed musical instrument.
It was developed in Scandinavia for simplifying music in churches and schools.
Beginning in the early 1800s, it was adopted by many rural churches in Scandinavia; later, immigrants brought the instrument to the United States.
At the time, many congregations could not afford organs.
Dance instruments were considered inappropriate for sacred settings, so violins were not allowed.
The psalmodikon, on the other hand, was inexpensive to build, was not used for dancing, took up little space, and could be played by people with little musical training.
Its slow, melodic quality worked well with the hymns of the period.
Examples of older printed music from these churches often have numbers written over the words.
These corresponded to numbers painted on the fret board of the psalmodikon.
This allowed players who could not read standard musical notation to accompany hymns. As churches saved money for organs, however, psalmodikons became less common.
By the late 20th century, they were rarely seen outside of museums.
Psalmodicon
It was developed in Scandinavia for simplifying music in churches and schools.
Beginning in the early 1800s, it was adopted by many rural churches in Scandinavia; later, immigrants brought the instrument to the United States.
At the time, many congregations could not afford organs.
Dance instruments were considered inappropriate for sacred settings, so violins were not allowed.
The psalmodikon, on the other hand, was inexpensive to build, was not used for dancing, took up little space, and could be played by people with little musical training.
Its slow, melodic quality worked well with the hymns of the period.
Examples of older printed music from these churches often have numbers written over the words.
These corresponded to numbers painted on the fret board of the psalmodikon.
This allowed players who could not read standard musical notation to accompany hymns. As churches saved money for organs, however, psalmodikons became less common.
By the late 20th century, they were rarely seen outside of museums.
Psalmodicon