# To all the luthiers amongst you and those with a taste for classical music



## matthiasdaues (Aug 16, 2013)

I've been awfully quiet for some time, but there's a lot going on at work and my kids are delightfully demanding. Still whittling away, though. I came upon this great piece of instrument building yesterday and thought that some of you would very much appreciate it, Ash for example, as a luthier:



An amazing instrument was built by Sławomir Zubrzycki, a Polish concert pianist, based on a concept sketch by Leonardo da Vinci.

Mr Zubrzycki calls it "Viola organista", which is rather descriptive: It is a keyboard instrument that imitates the string instruments that are played with a bow, giving the player the capability to produce a true constant sound while the key is pressed, something we're used to associate with the organ (or modern electronic / electro mechanical devices). As the organ is a wind ensemble with the other odd and end thrown in, this is a complete string ensemble at the pianist's beck and call.

It sounds beautiful.

And I would very much appreciate an open sourcing of the construction plans 

- for a little background:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_organista
- and an exhaustive interview with the builder: Tygodnik Powszechny: Viola Leonarda da Vinci / The Da Vinci Viol (English subtitles)﻿


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## Mister Magpie (Apr 10, 2013)

Wow! Thanks for sharing Matthias (AKA: nutcase with a folding saw)!

Darren


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## Jaximus (Jun 1, 2013)

I don't always play ridiculously complicated stringed instruments, but when I do, I play the Viola Organista.

That's a really cool find Matthias. Always something interesting on SSF.


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## KITROBASKIN (May 20, 2013)

Any links you can post that will allow us to hear this instrument?


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## matthiasdaues (Aug 16, 2013)

KITROBASKIN said:


> Any links you can post that will allow us to hear this instrument?


Just click the image 

or go here...


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## KITROBASKIN (May 20, 2013)

Luigi's Minuet was a delight!

The attack of a stringed instrument, yet somehow organ like. Have not read up on it but it sounds as if at times the initiated note goes slightly out of tune when the mechanism is employed-- very non-digital, very interesting. Thanks for bringing this to light. (The microphone placement for the recording= very cool too. Is that commonly how it is done?)


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## ash (Apr 23, 2013)

Wow, amazing! Thanks for posting that, Matthias. Another ancient mechanical wonder. I think hurdy-gurdies also have some kind of automatic bowing mechanism.

I have a set of piano strings to incorporate into a working musical sculpture, so I might look into this instrument for more ideas.

KB, the mics are set like that to simulate the stereophonic image of a human head with ears each side. Apparently it gives the best approximation of being there in person. Sometimes they will have an actual dummy head set up front and centre with microphones built into its ears!


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## KITROBASKIN (May 20, 2013)

Thanks ash -- Posts like this make the forum more interesting. I was thinking the microphones were placed high up to get farther away from audience sounds and in line with the music source. Placing the stereo mikes further away from each other for enhanced stereo effect is apparently not an enhancement.


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## bigron (Nov 29, 2012)

very beautiful music


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## matthiasdaues (Aug 16, 2013)

ash said:


> Wow, amazing! Thanks for posting that, Matthias. Another ancient mechanical wonder. I think hurdy-gurdies also have some kind of automatic bowing mechanism.
> 
> I have a set of piano strings to incorporate into a working musical sculpture, so I might look into this instrument for more ideas.
> 
> KB, the mics are set like that to simulate the stereophonic image of a human head with ears each side. Apparently it gives the best approximation of being there in person. Sometimes they will have an actual dummy head set up front and centre with microphones built into its ears!


Hey Ash, thanks for explaining the mic thing. I suppose the placement is chosen in order to be in the "sweet spot" where the sound is reflected to from the tilted cover.

Regarding the Hurdy Gurdy - this is an instrument where the strings are in constant contact with the rotating bow and each key press shortens one or more strings in order to produce the correctly pitched note. You can't play one note only on a hurdy gurdy, it's more like a bagpipe with a continuous chord accompanying the melody.

The trick here is that with each key press the string is lowered to the rotating bow.

Cheers, M.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Very interesting.


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## ash (Apr 23, 2013)

KITROBASKIN said:


> I was thinking the microphones were placed high up to get farther away from audience sounds and in line with the music source.


That is probably also true, along with having them not obstruct the audience view any more than is necessary.


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