--- In Anglo_Saxon_Lyres@yahoogroups.com, "nancy.thym" <harfe@...> wrote:



Hi Nancy,

It sounds absolutely fantastic, with a veritable who's who of the lyre world!
It's a shame it's so hard to get to for those of us who live on the other side
of the world. Is it possible that any lectures or musical recordings could be
made available to us after the event?

Cheers,
Tim









> Hello!
>
> Just realized that that was a mouthful – or an eye full – yesterday. So sorry!
> So here is the short version:
>
> Festival for Early Music in the Gothic House Burgheßler 2010
> 10.-12. September 2010
> The Lyre of Legend –Orpheus, Sadko, David
> Performances, demonstrations, workshops, lectures, theater
> Featuring Benjamin Bagby, Bragod (Robert Evans and Mary-Anne Roberts) from
Wales, Bill Taylor (Scotland), Andy Lowings and Jennifer Sturdy (England) from
the Lyre of Ur project, Dr. Barbara Theune-Großkopf and Rainer Thurau from the
Trossingen Lyre project, lyre builders Guy Folkhardt (Wales) and Jan-Ellen
Harriman (USA/England), Thilo Viehrig (Gothic House), gusli builder and player,
hopefully a group from Novgorod as well as Graeme Lawson and Stefan Hagel.
>
> Cost for the week-end including all concerts, workshops, lectures, etc. is
only 70 Euros!
> Inexpensive housing available.
> Meals will cost ca. 45-50 Euros for the whole week-end.
> Berlin has the closest international airports. Ryan Air flies into both Berlin
and Altenburg (Leipzig), both of which are about 2 hours away. There is a train
station in Naumburg.
>
> Information:
> Nancy Thym, Gotisches Haus Burgheßler, Schulgasse 75, D-06647 Klosterhäseler,
Germany
> TEL +49-34465-700071 Mobil +49-172-8188366
> harfe@...
> www.gotisches-haus.com
> (So far only in German. Will try to get the English version up soon. But you
can still see the pictures)
>

Hello!

Just realized that that was a mouthful – or an eye full – yesterday. So sorry!
So here is the short version:

Festival for Early Music in the Gothic House Burgheßler 2010
10.-12. September 2010
The Lyre of Legend –Orpheus, Sadko, David
Performances, demonstrations, workshops, lectures, theater
Featuring Benjamin Bagby, Bragod (Robert Evans and Mary-Anne Roberts) from
Wales, Bill Taylor (Scotland), Andy Lowings and Jennifer Sturdy (England) from
the Lyre of Ur project, Dr. Barbara Theune-Großkopf and Rainer Thurau from the
Trossingen Lyre project, lyre builders Guy Folkhardt (Wales) and Jan-Ellen
Harriman (USA/England), Thilo Viehrig (Gothic House), gusli builder and player,
hopefully a group from Novgorod as well as Graeme Lawson and Stefan Hagel.

Cost for the week-end including all concerts, workshops, lectures, etc. is only
70 Euros!
Inexpensive housing available.
Meals will cost ca. 45-50 Euros for the whole week-end.
Berlin has the closest international airports. Ryan Air flies into both Berlin
and Altenburg (Leipzig), both of which are about 2 hours away. There is a train
station in Naumburg.

Information:
Nancy Thym, Gotisches Haus Burgheßler, Schulgasse 75, D-06647 Klosterhäseler,
Germany
TEL +49-34465-700071 Mobil +49-172-8188366
harfe@...
www.gotisches-haus.com
(So far only in German. Will try to get the English version up soon. But you can
still see the pictures)

Dear Friends!

It is finally official!
I would like to invite you all most cordially to the Festival „Lyres of Legend –
Orpheus, Sadko, David" from September 10-12, 2010 at the Gothic House in
Burgheßler, Germany (near Naumburg). We have been planning this festival for
over a year, but we were having difficulties setting a date and that is why I
wasn't able to announce it sooner. We will be focusing on the lyre in its role
as accompaniment for epic verse, poetry, song, story, etc. and are very pleased
that we can offer a wonderful line-up of lyre players, researchers and builders
for a three day event of concerts, demonstrations, workshops, exhibits and even
a children's program.
Benjamin Bagby will be doing excerpts from his „Beowulf" program. From Wales we
have invited the duo Bragod: Robert Evans, who plays both the Welsh bowed lyre
and the Anglo-Saxon plucked lyre accompanying Mary-Anne Roberts in her riveting
performances of early medieval Welsh song and poetry. Andy Lowings, Jennifer
Sturdy and Bill Taylor will be bringing the exquisite reconstruction of the Lyre
of Ur and Bill Taylor will accompany Jennifer Sturdy's renditions of Babylonian
poetry. We have invited a group from Novgorod in Russia, but we are not yet sure
if they will be able to attend. Several people who worked on the excavation and
reconstruction of the lyre of Trossingen will be present. Stefan Hagel, who
plays Greek lyre, and Graeme Lawson, lyre researcher extraordinaire, have also
been invited, but are not yet sure if they will be able to come. All the
performers will also be offering workshops and there will be lectures by the
researchers and builders. I am particularly looking forward to a discussion of
the question: soundholes or no soundholes!
On Sunday afternoon there will be a performance of the legend of Sadko of
Novgorod using shadow puppets, song, dance and Novgorod gusli.

Below is the press release, in case you would like to pass this on to anyone
else. I didn't include it in the body of this letter, because I didn't want to
bore you with lyre history that you are already familiar with.

Any builders who would like to exhibit their instruments are most welcome!

The Gothic House is a very unique building from the year 1493, but built in a
much earlier style. It is one the few medieval secular buildings of this nature
from this period in Germany, as it is neither a church nor a castle. We have
spent the last 5 years turning it into a center for early music and organize a
festival every year in September. You can view it at www.gotisches-haus.com. It
is nestled among the vineyards and castles of the famous Saale-Unstrut wine
growing area of eastern Germany, an area rich in history – with one of the
oldest woodhenge sun observatories in the world (7000 years old) and the
heavenly disc of Nebra, the earliest depiction of a recognized star
constellation in the world (3,500 years old).

You are the first group of people to be informed of this festival, because I
really planned it with all of you in mind. To my knowledge it is the first
international festival dedicated to the lyre, but do correct me please if I am
wrong.
I know many of you are overseas, but it would be wonderful to have as many of
you attend as possible. There is fairly inexpensive housing in the region (one
of the advantages of being in East Germany) and we hope to have a sort of
dormitory ready by next September. Berlin has the closest international
airports. Ryan Air flies into both Berlin and Altenburg (Leipzig), both of which
are about 2 hours away. There is a train station in Naumburg.

Cost for the week-end including all concerts, workshops, lectures, etc. is only
70 Euros!

You can contact me for more information:
Nancy Thym
Gotisches Haus Burgheßler
Schulgasse 75
D-06647 Klosterhäseler
Germany
TEL +49-34465-700071 Mobil +49-172-8188366
harfe@...

Looking forward to meeting you in person!
Warmest Greetings,
Nancy Thym

Festival for Early Music in the Gothic House Burgheßler 2010
10.-12. September 2010
The Lyre of Legend –Orpheus, Sadko, David

Press Release

The Festival for Early Music in the Gothic House Burgheßler 2010 will be devoted
to one of the earliest and most prevalent instruments in the world – the lyre.
In biblical times David calmed the raging Saul with his lyre playing. The story
of Orpheus, who succeeded in freeing his bride from the underworld with his
performance on the lyre (only to loose her again), attests to the popularity of
the lyre among the ancient Greeks, where regular competitions furthered the
highly developed art of the lyre players. A story from Novgorod in Russia tells
of the legendary Sadko whose gusli playing so pleased the King of the Oceans
that he would not stop dancing, causing a terrible storm. Beowulf, the earliest
example of Anglo-Saxon literature, was surely accompanied by the lyre.

In early medieval times the lyre was played throughout the Anglo-Saxon, Germanic
and Celtic regions and the earliest archaeological finds of stringed instruments
in Europe are lyres from graves of the 6th – 8th centuries in England and
Germany. Some of the gusli from the 11th – 15th centuries found in the
excavations of medieval Novgorod in Russia have the form of a lyre. In Wales the
bowed lyre or crwth was played into the 18th century. In musical iconography the
lyre is often used as a symbol for music in general. Since a complete and
intricately decorated lyre was found in a 6th century grave in Trossingen,
Germany in 2001, interest in the lyre has grown worldwide.

The Festival in the Gothic House will the first international event which brings
players, builders and researchers of the lyre together from around the world in
order to compare and exchange ideas. We have invited some of the leading
performers, who have dedicated themselves to the ancient art of singing or
reciting to the lyre.

With his performances of „Beowulf", Benjamin Bagby has helped the lyre to new
popularity. Robert Evans is one of the few performers on the Welsh bowed lyre
and accompanies early medieval Welsh poetry and song, accompanying Mary-Anne
Roberts in her riveting performances of early medieval Welsh song and poetry.
Dr. Barbara Theune-Großkopf directed the scientific examination of the lyre of
Trossingen and Rainer Thurau built the first copies of the lyre. Jan-Ellen
Harriman (USA/England) and Guy Folkhardt (Wales) bring their experiences as lyre
builders and researchers. Andy Lowings has examined lyre playing in different
regions of Africa.

The famous „Lyre of Ur" (ca. 2600-2400 BC), with its precious gold and stone
decorations, was completely destroyed during the storming of Baghdad. Under the
direction of Andy Lowings of England, musical instrument builders and artists
from all over the world have built a reconstruction of the priceless lyre in an
attempt to compensate for its terrible loss. Bill Taylor has worked on a
possible reconstruction of the playing technique and accompanies Jennifer
Sturdy's recitations of Babylonian verse which combine dance and theater.

There will be performances on Friday and Saturday evening. Since the art of
playing the lyre has been lost in most parts of the world and must be
reconstructed using comparative ethnomusicology, iconography and organology, the
performers and researchers will also hold workshops and give demonstrations and
lectures. Instrument builders will be present to exchange ideas experiences. It
will be possible to compare the different reconstructions of playing techniques
and the instruments themselves.

On Sunday there will be a performance of the legend of Sadko from Novgorod,
combining shadow puppets, dance, music and theater.

The Gothic House in Burgheßler near Naumburg in eastern Germany (a secular
building from the year 1493) is a monument of international importance. Through
our performances, courses and projects which combine music, theater, dance and
tradition, we hope to bring life to this special building and make it available
to the public.

--- In Anglo_Saxon_Lyres@yahoogroups.com, Patrick Woolery <patrick_woolery@...>
wrote:
>
>
> Peg shapers and reamers are wonderful inventions.  I have seen a couple of
articles on making shapers and I have tried to make them a couple of times, but
not been happy with the results. 

My first lyre I made for my kid a few years back had peg holes tapered with a
hardware store reamer and I just turned pegs on my lathe to match. It still
stays in tune after all this time with no diddling about with peg dressings. BUT
more and more folks wanted lyres so I invested in a reamer/shaver set, they are
worth it. I've made 42 lyres to date and I would sure not be without it. I even
use it to taper bray pins to fit my gothic harps. Very useful item if you are
going to stay with this hobby.

Stu

--- In Anglo_Saxon_Lyres@yahoogroups.com, amanda evans <spectrumworks@...>
wrote:


Hi Amanda,

I'm sure you've already seen Michael King's videos on YouTube, like this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkC1ohl2Knk


And I don't think it hurts to watch lots of krar videos - there are some good
krar players in Ethiopia, and it's basically the same instrument after all.

Cheers,
Tim













> Thanks Tim... It's nice to see something new and very melodic... I am
attempting to teach myself how to play my Lyre...sort of getting on ok but if
you see of any more pieces or technique videos I would be very grateful to see
them...
> Thanks... The Newby

--- In Anglo_Saxon_Lyres@yahoogroups.com, Despair Bear <despairbear@...> wrote:



Hi,

It sounds like your pegs might be front-mounted like mine, and maybe fairly
thick too. I find that my pegs need fairly regular maintenance with peg dope and
chalk to keep them stable while also allowing them to turn smoothly. And changes
in weather seem to change the way the pegs behave too. We've just had a couple
of weeks of fairly warm weather, low to mid thirties centigrade, after much
cooler temperatures over winter, and my pegs seem to go flat more readily. Maybe
the peg dope gets softer in warm temperatures or something.

Anyway, I don't find that peg dope makes the pegs stick better at all. It makes
them turn more smoothly, but it also gives them a tendency to pop out while I'm
tuning them. Chalk is fantastic for this, so much so that you really have to be
careful how much you use or the pegs won't turn at all. So I find it's important
to use both peg dope and chalk together. If you don't have peg dope, I've heard
you can probably get away with ordinary soap.

So what I do is I clean my pegs first by gently turning them a few times in fine
grained glasspaper, then I apply peg dope liberally to the thicker part of the
peg, then make a few gentle marks on the thinner end of the peg with a piece of
chalk. Seems to work pretty well.

Cheers,
Tim









> Greetings all,
>
> I am having a little trouble with the pegs in a lyre I just built. The pegs
seem to turn of their own volition when under tension. This was not an issue
before but as the lyre ages it is getting worse and worse. The pegs are made
from turned oak and use FC strings. Any suggestions?
>
>
> Jed
>

Hello!

If they are not really loose, then violin peg dope will probably solve
the problem (increases the friction of the pegs).  You can get peg
dope from pretty much anywhere that sells violin family accessories,
but for example -
http://www.samash.com/p/Peg%20Dope_-49975029

Hope that helps!  Otherwise jamming them in farther might help, or
bushing the holes (plugging them and redrilling/reeming them).

PCB

> Greetings all,
>
> I am having a little trouble with the pegs in a lyre I just built.
> The pegs seem to turn of their own volition when under tension. This
>  was not an issue before but as the lyre ages it is getting worse
> and  worse. The pegs are made from turned oak and use FC strings.
> Any  suggestions?
>
>
> Jed
>
>
>
>



Patience is a virtue, but for luthiers it's the difference between success and
firewood.

--- In Anglo_Saxon_Lyres@yahoogroups.com, "vikingtimbo" <vikingtimbo650@...>
wrote:


Hi again,

Here's "Jeg drømte mig en drøm&#65279; i nat" being played on a lyre, very
nicely I might add - plucking, strumming, harmonics. Just audio though I'm
afraid, no actual video.

It's the oldest tune recorded from Scandinavia (about 1200 CE I think). I've
heard part of this before, but this is a longer snippet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7RrcDPHEvE

Cheers,
Tim








> Hi,
>
> There are a few new YouTube videos of a reenactor, in costume, playing a lyre
at West Stowe Anglo-Saxon village:
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGHqtiAzWVg
>
> Cheers,
> Tim
>

nice video's- always nice to here miri it is
Forefather do a very good metal version too!

Hi,

There are a few new YouTube videos of a reenactor, in costume, playing a lyre at
West Stowe Anglo-Saxon village:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGHqtiAzWVg

Cheers,
Tim

Wow!  Thats wild!

... Yngona



--- In Anglo_Saxon_Lyres@yahoogroups.com, "vikingtimbo" <vikingtimbo650@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I'm glad my lyre doesn't look (or sound) like this one - but each to his own I
suppose.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef1qwaiFeek
>
> Where do they get French people from anyway?! :-)
>
> Cheers,
> Tim
>