Christian Mohr Levisen
hurdygurdy, cittern, stråkharpa | Denmark
Artist profile: https://makingtracksmusic.org/artists/christian-mohr-levisen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christianmohrlevisen
Christian’s story
Christian spent his childhood exploring music, starting with the trumpet in the 4th grade. It wasn’t long before he added classical piano lessons to the mix.
But one instrument truly caught their heart—the lyre, an ancient string instrument.
He later joined Dronemusik Danmark, a group that celebrates traditional Danish music, which sparked even more interest in folk music. He started traveling, attending workshops, and learning about instruments like the schäferpfeife (a type of bagpipe). Around this time, he joined a medieval music group called Almune, playing all over Denmark. By 2019, he took a bold step and enrolled at Skurup Folkhögskola in Sweden to dive deep into Swedish folk music and the cittern (another string instrument). As a talented multi-instrumentalist, Christian specialises in the hurdy-gurdy!
Hurdy-gurdy, cittern, stråkharpa - a bit of history
The hurdy-gurdy is an ancient instrument that’s made a big comeback in recent years with its magical sound. It actually dates back to the 10th century when it was called the organistrum. Later, in Renaissance France (16th century), it became known as the vielle à roue (which means "wheel fiddle"). Although no one knows exactly where it came from, some people believe that the Moors might have brought a similar instrument to Spain during the 8th-century invasion.
The organistrum, the early version of the hurdy-gurdy, was very different in both size and sound. It was so big and heavy that two people had to play it together. One person would turn the crank, while the other pressed the keys, which were pretty tricky to handle. Because of this, the music was simple, often slow, and usually used in religious settings.
By the 13th century, the instrument was redesigned so one person could play it alone, which made it way more flexible. As a result, the organistrum started being used outside of churches and became more popular in everyday life. Folk and street musicians began to play it, and by the 17th century, its sound had spread across much of eastern and southern Europe. Even though it became more common, the hurdy-gurdy was still mostly played in rural areas and during street performances.
Anatomy of the instrument
Hurdy-gurdy as we know it today is a pear-shaped fiddle that produces sound by the rosined rim of a wooden wheel turned by the handle at the end of the instrument. Its three to six strings depending on the version of the instrument produce the melody by being pressed through keys that stop them at the proper intervals, while the other strings are used to play a drone note. The rasping and buzzing rhythm is produced by the strings passing over a moveable bridge, causing the bridge to hammer on the soundboard. The player holds the hurdy-gurdy in its lap with a strap.
Origin of repertoire and companion instruments
Even though the hurdy-gurdy was mostly seen as a symbol of hardworking peasants throughout history, it sometimes made appearances at royal courts, especially during plays set in the countryside. It was often played alongside the musette (a type of bagpipe). During the reign of Louis XIV in the 17th century, the hurdy-gurdy became more popular, with famous composers like Vivaldi and Mozart writing music for it during the Baroque and Classical periods.
However, before the French Revolution, as the fascination with rural life faded, the hurdy-gurdy went back to being played by street performers, travelers, and pilgrims. After the Revolution, as cities grew quickly and people left their village homes, it became less popular, replaced by the easier-to-play accordion. But in the 20th century, with the rise of dances like the polka, mazurka, and waltz, people started appreciating the hurdy-gurdy again, alongside new instruments like the chromatic accordion.
Interesting facts
In Hieronymus Bosch’s painting, The Garden of Earthly Delights you can find a musical composition tattooed on the breech of the tortured soul in hell which is famously performed in the trio of lute, harp, and hurdy-gurdy based on the transcription by Amelia Hamrick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnrICy3Bc2U
The English name of the instrument as we know it today was coined only during the 18th century - speculations of its origin relate the name to the expression “hurly-burly” used to describe an uproar or tumult evoking the noisy quality of its sound
the Swedish nyckelharpa is a similar instrument resembling hurdy-gurdy since it also possesses keys, but is played with a bow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
If you like this instrument you might like
GurdyWorld CensusMap for finding fellow players: https://gurdyworld.com/gurdyworld-censusmap/
Hurdy-gurdy for Beginners by Caroline Phillips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdEF9WEiO5g
Artists to explore
Patty Gurdy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGfnlO_z97E
Gilles Chabenat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuwhM25kSDM
Matthias Loibner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHmML7bu-iM
Guilhem Desq (electric hurdy-gurdy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0DrXyzlHM8
Francesco Giusta (@francescogiusta on Instagram)
Michalina Malisz (@michalinamalisz on Instagram)
Stefan Brisland-Ferner (@garmarnamusic is his band on Instagram)
Sources
