Music Hath Harms
My name has its roots in an ancient Welsh musical instrument called the crwth, generally described as a six-stringed bowed lyre. The favorite instrument of the Welsh bards that in times of eld roamed the British isles, it became extinct around the beginnng of the 19th century, largely because, in my experience anyway, getting a good sound from it is an impossibility. I actually had one made for me in England a number of years ago, so I speak with some degree of authority. The biggest problem is the flat bridge, which means that strings can't be played separately as with a violin. Add to that the fact that two of the strings are drones that only play one note each, and sick cow is the best way to describe the moaning it produces. Back in medieval times a crowther was a player of the crwth. Nowadays the dictionary definition of a crowther is "an inept and rascally fiddle player." That's me alright.
posted by John M Crowther @ 7:23 AM
5 Comments:
In Old Welsh crwth ryhmed with tooth, therefore this is addressed to John Croother. Mr. Croother, I was sorry to read about your frustration with the noble string instrument without vowels still played here in modern Wales. Some musicologists think that the reason the crwth often sounds so bad is that we are mistakenly using the standardized scale to tune it whereas in olden days crowthers (those who played the crwth) began by tightening the highest string as much as possible without breaking it, subsequently tuning the other strings to it intervalically. These days because of the high cost of string replacement very few modern players have the courage to tighten their strings to the breaking point. If you have not discarded your instrument I would suggest you try this method before disparaging it on the world-wide web. In conclusion I am reminded of one of our greatest poems which begins “Aryf angkynnull angkyman dull/ twryf en agwed/ Erac menwed/ erac mawrwed/ erac matyed/ Pan ystyernn gwern e am gam gyrn/ e am gamgled.” Loosely translated: “Let not he who has not broken a string toss the first stone at glasses houses.”
I am so pleased you cleared that up anonymous! I have been sitting here in the Antipodes trying as I might to pronounce crwth phonetically (with the added handicap of an aussie accent) So I am incredibly relieved and indebted to you to learn that "crwth" is in fact pronounced "crooth"... which by some strange coincidence or random serendipitous happenstance I am happy to report... also rhymes with the aussie word "strewth!"
Crikey mate! (((chuckles)))
I guess I should have noted, anon, that crwth music isn't nearly as bad as it sounds. And the crwth does make for a wonderful wall hanging. For sooth.
Oh this international chit chat is golden! What a delightful and educating group of people you are! I sure would love a shot at your crwth John...as a violinist, I wonder if I could coax something less bovine from it...
Too much for me but funny cartoon, John Croother.
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