Blog (21)

In Martin Gerbert's De cantu et musica sacra (1774) we find an interesting depiction of the Organistrum. We can observe in it the mechanism of the keys, the musical scale and the position of the bridge, indicated by the latin word of greek origin: magada.…

ORGANISTRUM : ITS TUNING AND KEYBOARD. The aim of the present article is to present the ultimate result of my research on the possibility of rebuilding the Organistrum (Giuseppe Antonio Severini, Organistrum. Un caso di archeologia sperimentale. Tipheret, 2020). Italian text only. 1.Sources and features…

LA TASTIERA E L’ACCORDATURA DELL’ORGANISTRUM. Nel presente articolo è contenuto il risultato ultimo della mia ricerca sulle possibilità di ricostruzione dell’Organistrum, esposta nel libro: Giuseppe Antonio Severini, Organistrum. Un caso di archeologia sperimentale. Tipheret, 2020. Fonti e caratteristiche Le notizie che abbiamo sullo strumento provengono…

The Organistrum is always depicted in instrumental groups either related to the parade of King David (Old Testament) or to the group of the 24 elders of the Apocalypse (New Testament). The characters are in full robes, except for one of the two musicians from …

The Organistrum is depicted in a dozen works of art of the 12th century, it is rarely mentioned in contemporary written sources and disappears at the beginning of the 13th century. Despite the brevity of its life, this instrument boasts a prominent role within the…

Questo libro ha richiesto molto tempo per venire alla luce. Si tratta della sintesi d' una ricerca durata almeno 10 anni, spaziando per i campi di Organologia, Musicologia, Iconografia musicale, Simbologia, raccogliendo ogni elemento utile a spiegare l'enigma di questo strumento poco raffigurato, usato per…

This famous image comes from Gerbert's pubblication entitled: De cantu et musica sacra, written in the 18th century. The author copied a drawing from a 13th century manuscript, now lost. It is considered the most important written source regarding the instrument called Organistrum : it…

Symphonia / Organistrum keyboard in Santiago de Compostela cathedral. (Inquiry into a troubling problem of interpretation. Analysis of possible solutions.) FOREWORD In former articles, I both wrote about different aspects of this problem and discussed practical means to build an acceptable replica of the instrument.…