The Japanese Society for Aesthetics

Aesthetics No.27 (2023): 42-51

Women Playing the Vielle (French Hurdy-gurdy)
in 18th-Century France:
Perspectives on Instrument Improvements
and Fingering Method*
KIMURA Haruka
Osaka University, Osaka
Abstract: The vielle à roue (vielle), a stringed instrument that tended to be played by women in 18th-century
France, had been played by people of various classes across Europe since the Middle Ages; however, in the
17th century, it was popularly viewed as an instrument played by peasants, beggars, and other sociallyvulnerable groups. focusing on two points, that is, improvements to the instrument and the establishment of thefingering method, this study explores how the vielle, an instrument long played in the countryside, came to beplayed by upper-class women.
First, we explore the actual improvements in the musical instrument in the 18th century. In particular, theexpansion of the range led to a significant change in the arrangement of the keyboard, in turn leading to theestablishment of the fingering method. This is then discussed based on published methods and shown toapproximate the fingering methods of the clavecin, which was popular among the upper class at that time. Insummary, we suggest that the improvement of these instruments and establishment of the fingering method
may have been related to women’s performance.
Keywords: hurdy-gurdy, vielle à roue, fingering, musical instrument structure

Introduction
The vielle à roue (vielle) was a favorite instrument of upper-class women in 18th century
France. Since the Middle Ages, this instrument was played by people of all classes throughout
Europe, but especially in the 17th century, it became popular as an instrument played by the lower
classes, such as peasants and beggars(1). This study examines how the vielle, which had long been
* This paper is based on the Japanese version printed in Bigaku 72, No. 1 (2021): 73–83, published by theJapanese Society for Aesthetics.
1
The vielle, now commonly known as the hurdy-gurdy, is a term that originated in England in the mid-18th
century (Max-Wade Matthews (translated by Sadanori Betsumiya), Sekai no gakki hyakka zukan: gakki no kigen tohatten, Toyo Shorin, 2002, p. 134. (Original: Max-Wade Matthews, World Encyclopedia of Musical Instruments,
London: Anness Pub Ltd, 2000). This name is mainly used to refer to models developed in England or as a genericterm for instruments with the following characteristics. The strings are played by rubbing a wooden disk called awheel against a centrally stretched melody string and a drone string, and that pressing the keyboard changes the pitchof the note by bringing a small projection called a tangent into contact with the strings. In this paper, hurdy-gurdy isused as a generic term, and the model developed in France is referred to as the vielle. Due to its long history, theWomen Playing the Vielle (French Hurdy-gurdy) in 18th-Century France

43

played by peasants and beggars, spread among women of the upper classes, focusing on two
points: improvement of the instrument and establishment of a fingering system.
The image people had of the vielle in the 18th century probably originated from the previous
century, as can be seen in the numerous paintings of vielle players before the 17th century, inwhich they are often depicted as blind men. This is due to the popularity of the subject of blindvielle players in the North and in France(2). The Mercure de France, published in the 18th century,
also includes a sarcastic statement that the vielle “should be relegated to the taverns of the suburbs
and left to blind players”(3), which suggests that it was a well-known fact that the instrument was
played by blind players. However, the blind were not the only ones who played the vielle during
the 17th century. Immigrants known as Savoyards, who migrated from the suburbs during thewinter months when crops did not grow, also played this instrument(4). In the 18th century, theupper class tended to prefer the countryside, and it was against this background that they
discovered the rural character of the vielle played by the peasants and adopted it into their own
lives ( 5 ). However, for the upper class to play the vielle, which had traditionally been the
instrument of the peasants, significant improvements were necessary. During the 18th century, in
addition to musical functions such as the expansion of the range, other external elements such as
the shape and decoration of the instrument were also changed. Furthermore, the increase in thenumber of keys due to the expanded range also led to the establishment of fingerings, and by theend of the century, five instructional books had been published.
The 18th century intellectual Antoine Terrasson (1705-1782)(6), as well as Green in an earlier
study, note that this instrument had an aspect of being played by women. Green argues that theplaying posture and movements were appropriate for women of the time, and that it fulfilled therole of accompanist that women were expected to play in chamber music performances, which
was why it was preferred(7). However, the appearance of such a performance is greatly influenced

Hurdy-gurdy has been subject to chronological and regional variations in its structure. In chronological order, they
can be divided into three categories: organistrum (10th-14th centuries), symphonia (15th-16th centuries), and vielle
and Leier (17th century onward), each of which was treated as a separate instrument. The vielle played by the upperclass in the 18th century is officially called vielle carrée or vielle à roue, but is often abbreviated to vielle or viele.
The continued use of the name vielle, despite the differences in construction between the pre-17th and post-18th
centuries, is thought to be based on the recognition that the two are not separate instruments but are rather improved
versions of the same instrument. The popularity of the instrument came to an end with the decline of aristocraticsociety due to the French Revolution, and from the 19th century onward, it became more of a folk instrument.
2
Otani Kumi, “Georges de la Tour ni yoru ‘moumoku no vielle hiki’: jizen no kanten kara,” kashima bijutsu
zaidan nenpou, vol. 24 (2006).
3
Anon., « Sur les Memoires pour servir à l’Histoire de la Musique, » Mercure de France, Paris, Auguste, 1738,
p. 1722.
4
Susann Palmer and Samuel Palmer, The Hurdy-Gurdy, Newton Abbot: North Promfret, Vt: David & Charles,
1980, p. 135 and p. 143.
5
There is no shortage of works depicting such rural scenes. Representative examples include N. Chedéville's
Il pastor fido (1737), which is also known as a Vivaldi forgery, Naudot's 6 Fêtes rustiques Op. 8 (c. 1737), and L.
Mozart's Die Bauernhochzeit LMV VIII: 6 (1755).
6
Antoine Terrasson, « Dissertation historique sur la vielle, » 2nd ed., Mélanges d’histoire, de littéraure, dejurisprudence, Paris, 1768, p. 250.
7Robert A. Green, The Hurdy-Gurdy in Eighteenth-Century France, 2nd ed., USA: Indiana University Press,
2016, p. 12. However, Green also noted that the fact that women preferred to play the vielle does not mean that men
did not play it at all, which should be interpreted to mean that women tended to play it.

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KIMURA Haruka

by the structure of the instrument and its playing method. The fact that the instrument was greatly
improved and its playing method established in the 18th century cannot be overlooked. Section
1 summarizes the actual situation of instrument improvement in the 18th century based on the
structure of the vielle prior to the 17th century. Section 2 focuses on the fingering method
established in the 18th century and demonstrates that it is similar to that of the clavecin, which
was already played by the upper class at that time. Based on the above, section 3 highlights thatthe improvement of the instrument and the establishment of the fingering method were deeply
related to the fact that the instrument tended to be played by women in the upper class.

1. Improvement of the instrument
The basic structure of the vielle andhow it is played are as follows: theinstrument has a central melody string and adrone string, and the keyboard is positioned
so that only the melody string can beapproached. Pressing the keys changes thelength of these strings and determines thepitch of the notes. There is a separatesounding mechanism in which the strings
are struck and sounded by rotating a wheel(a wooden disk) located next to the
keyboard. When playing, the left handFig. 2 Trapezoidal-shaped vielle
controls the keyboard and the right hand Fig. 1 Tulip-shaped vielle
controls the wheel.
Since few vielles actually played by blind people or peasants before the 17th century havesurvived, the structure of musical instruments during the 17th century is organized based on the
pictorial works mentioned above and other iconographic materials. First, the shape of the
instrument: tulip shape (Fig. 1) with three rounded corners, as in the works of Georges de La Tour
(1593–1652)(8) and Jacques Callot (1592–1635)(9), and trapezoidal shapes (Fig. 2), such as thosein the work of Marin Mersenne (1588–1648)(10) and Jacques Bellange (c. 1575–1616)(11). It is
common to have two or three melody strings and three drone strings each, and the keyboard isthought to have been arranged in a row of approximately 10 keys(12).

8For example, Georges de La Tour, Le Vielleur au Chapeau, 1626–1638, Huile sur toile, 162×105 cm, Muséedes Beaux-Arts de Nantes. La Tour also painted several other works featuring vielle player, all of which depict thetulip-shaped vielle.
9Jacques Callot, Le Joueur de Vielle, 1622, Eau-forte, 13.97×8.89 cm, Minneapolis Institute of Art.
10
Marin Mersenne, Harmonie universelle II, Paris, 1636–7, p. 212.
11
Jacques Bellange, Le mendiant à la vielle, c. 1595–1616, Eau-forte, 29.5×17.5cm, Bibliothèque nationale deFrance.
12
In these figures, Mersenne also numbered the keys of the vielle, clearly indicating that there are 10 keys (seeFig. 2).

Women Playing the Vielle (French Hurdy-gurdy) in 18th-Century France

45

During the 18th century, these instruments changed drastically. The
greatest change was in the shape of the instruments; the vielles producedin the 18th century were all in the shape of lutes or guitars, a far cry fromthe instruments of the previous century. According to Terrasson, Henri
Bâton (c. 1670–c. 1728), an instrument maker active in Versailles( 13 )invented these shapes. In response to the fashion for rural instruments that
had continued since the early 17th century and to the declining popularityof the lute and guitar, which had been favored by many aristocrats, heworked on new instruments that reused these. The year 1716 saw thecreation of a lute-shaped vielle (Fig. 3), and in 1720, a guitar-shaped vielle(Fig. 4); these new forms attracted much attention from the public(14 ).
Furthermore, these instruments were not only re-shaped but also
decorated. The entire instrument was decorated with mother-of-pearl Fig. 3 Lute-shaped vielle
inlays, which were the mainstay of musical instrument decoration at the
court at that time, and the peg box (the tip of the
instrument) was often decorated with a carved humanhead.
Improvements were also made to the instrument’s
structure. One of the most notable was the enlargementof the wheel. Conventional wheels were cut from a single
Fig. 4 Guitar-shaped viellepiece of wood and were limited to a diameter of less than
15 cm. This size limitation was intended to prevent distortion due to the effects of temperatureand humidity, which made it technically difficult to increase the size of the wheel. In the 18th
century, the traditional single-panel wheel was replaced by a multi-layered wheel, in which theeffect of temperature and humidity on the wheel as a whole was mitigated by reducing the sizeof each piece of wood. As a result, wheels larger than the traditional ones emerged, with diametersof 17 cm or more than before(15). The larger wheel also increased the contact surface between thewheel and the strings, allowing for more strings to be installed. Vielles made in the 18th century
were strung with two melody strings and four drone strings, which not only allowed multiple
drone sounds to be played simultaneously but also amplified the volume of the sound.
Considering these acoustic effects, it is no exaggeration to state that the size of the wheel anddevelopment of musical instruments are closely related(16).
In addition, a survey of existing vielles produced in the 18th century suggests that there werealso significant changes in the range of notes (17). While the keyboards of vielles produced in theprevious century generally had about 10 keys arranged in a row, the majority of those produced

13

Terrasson, op. cit., pp. 249–251.
Ibid.
15
Arle Lommel and Balázs Nagy, “The Form, history, and Classification of the Tekerőlant (Hungarian HurdyGurdy),” The Galpin Society Journal, 2007, p. 183.
16
Baláz Nazy, Tekerőlanto- sok könyve, Budapest: Hagyományok Háza kiadványsorozata, 2006, p. 23.
17
The results of research, are based on the 29 instruments in question, which can be viewed in the digitalarchives of the Philharmonie de Paris.
14

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KIMURA Haruka

in the 18th century had 23 or more arranged in two rows, one for the stem tones and the other forthe derived tones(18). In most cases, the keys for the former row are colored black, and those forthe latter row are colored white, similar to that of the clavecin keyboard.

2. Publication of vielle manuals and establishment of a fingering system
Instrumental improvements have brought about significant changes to the vielle, mostnotably the increase in the number of keys and changes in the arrangement of the keys as therange of the instrument expanded, which led to the establishment of fingering techniques. This isthought to have contributed to the improvement in the technique of playing the vielle. As François
Couperin (1668–1733) and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–88), who are known for theirclavecin manuals, asserted, fingering is an essential element in the improvement of keyboard
instruments(19). A total of five manuals on fingering were published at the time (20), of which
Principes pour toucher de la vièle(21) by Jean-Baptiste Dupuits (fl. 1741–57) describes it in great
detail. This section discusses the similarities between the vielle's fingering and that of clavecin(22).
Regarding the latter, refer to the three major clavier books of the 18th century: Couperin's L’Art
de toucher le clavecin(23), Bach's Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen(24), andDaniel Gottlob Türk (1750–1813) Klavierschule oder Anweisung zum Klavierspielen( 25 ). In
addition, the fingering numbers of the vielles that appear thereafter are P for the left thumb and1, 2, 3, and 4 from the index finger to the little finger, in accordance with Dupuits’ manual.
Dupuits’ fingering of the vielle is generally understood to be intended to achieve smoothness
18

The first mention of the 18th-century vielle's register can be found in Terrasson’s article (see note 6), where
it is noted that H. Baton added keys E and F (Terrasson, op. cit., p. 250). The September 1750 issue of Mercure deFrance also notes that the instrument previously had a range of two octaves, and that H. Baton's son Charles Bâton(fl. 1733–54) and the instrument maker François Feury (fl. 1750–60) (Anon., “Trois touches augmentées à la vielle,& une autre changée de place,” Mercure de France, Paris, Septembre de France, Paris, Septembre 1750, pp. 153–
155). From the above description, it is not possible to determine which octaves were added. However, in light of thefact that the majority of existing 18th-century vielles have 23 keys arranged in a chromatic scale and that the common
tuning of melody strings was g1, we can conclude that keys e3, f3, and fis3 were added in the higher registers and a1
and as1 in the lower registers. The keys are arranged in two rows, the stem, and the derived tones, with the exceptionof the highest note, fis3, which was sometimes placed in the former because it was difficult to place it in the latter.
19
François Couperin, L’Art de toucher le clavecin, Paris, 1717, p. 10. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Versuch überdie wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen, Berlin, 1753, p. 4.
20(Ⅰ) Anon., Pièces choisies pour la vielle à l’usage des commençants avec des instructions pour toucher, &pour entretenir cet instrument, Paris, 1732 ; nouvelle édition, 1742, Bibliothèque Nationale de France. (II) JeanBaptiste Dupuits, Principes pour toucher de la vièle avec six sonates pour cet instrument qui conviennent aux violon,flûte, clavecin, &... Oeuvre Ir, Paris, 1741, Bibliothèque Nationale de France. (III) Toussaint Bordet, Méthoderaisonnée pour apprendre la musique... Livre Ier, Paris, 1755, Bibliothèque Nationale de France. (IV) François Boüin,
La Vielleuse habie, ou nouvelle méthode courte, très facile et très sure pour apprendre à jouer de la vielle... Oeuvre
IIIe, Paris, 1761, Bibliothèque Nationale de France. (V) Michel Corrette, La belle vielleuse, méthode pour apprendre
facilement, à jouer de la vielle, Paris, 1783, Bibliothèque municipale de Rouen.
21
See note 20 (II).
22
The manual also describes how to operate the wheel, but this will be discussed in a separate article after a
specific investigation using L. Mozart's Die Bauernhochzeit (1755) as an example, as noted in Note 5.
23
Couperin, op. cit.
24
Bach, op. cit.
25
Daniel Gottlob Türk, Klavierschule oder Anweisung zum Klavierspielen für Lehrer und Lernende, mit
kritischen Anmerkungen, Leipzig und Halle, 1789.

Women Playing the Vielle (French Hurdy-gurdy) in 18th-Century France

47

in playing. First, Dupuits instructs us to avoid using the same fingers consecutively (shaded areain Ex. 1)(26), which, according to Türk, should be avoided because it interrupts the flow of musicin keyboard playing(27). For the fingering of the clavecin, there are two methods to avoid using
fingers in succession: “finger passing” under other fingers and “finger crossing” over otherfingers. These two techniques can also be found in Dupuits’ manuals, where they are used to playa series of ascending or descending forms. Ex. 2 illustrates four fingerings (A, B, C, and D) for
each ascending and descending form in an octave, but Dupuits states that the ideal fingering isone(28). The repeated fingering of 1 and 2 is presented as a bad example, probably because it
breaks up the sound, as described above. If we follow Bach’s manual, the remaining three
examples (A, B, and C) could each be the best solution depending on the purpose of theperformance(29). Considering that all of the fingerings described in Ex. 2 require breaking up thenotes at one point or another, it would be necessary to change the fingering method depending on
the piece being performed, even if the same-note pattern is used.

Ex. 1

Ex. 2

This is followed by placing two fingers on one keyboard at the same time or switchingfingers on the same keyboard. In playing the vielle, fingering with two fingers on one keyboard
is effective because it assists the weak little finger. Owing to the structure of the instrument, thetension of the strings increases with the lower notes of this instrument, so the keys must be pressedwith more force(30). The interchanging of fingers on the same keyboard is also understood to havebeen for smooth playing, as Couperin states, “You will know by practice how beneficial it is tointerchange fingers on the same keyboard, and how legato it is in performance”( 31 ). Some

26

Dupuits, op. cit., p. 2 and Figure premiere.
Türk, op. cit., p. 101.
28
Dupuits, op. cit., p. 2 and Figure 5.
29Bach, op. cit., p. 24.
30
Owing to the structure of the instrument, the keys in the lower register near the nut must be pressed withmore force than in the other registers because of the higher tension in the lower register. However, since fingering isdone with the left hand, keys in the lower register are often pressed with the little or ring finger.
31
Couperin, op. cit., p. 15.
27

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KIMURA Haruka

examples from Dupuits’ manual are as follows. Notethe shaded section f2→d2→g2 in Ex. 3-1 and theEx. 3-1
shaded section d2→h1→d2 in Ex. 3-2(32). In both cases,
2 3 2 1 3 1
2
the first note is taken with finger 1, and the first andEx. 3-2
second notes are in a three-degree relationship (f2 andd2, d2 and h1). However, the interval between thesecond and third notes, is 4 degrees (d2 and g2) in Ex.
Ex. 4
3-1 and 3 degrees (h1 and d2) in Ex. 3-2. In other words,
when the interval between three consecutive notes is 3
and 4 degrees, as in Ex. 3-1 (f2→d2→g2), if the orderEx. 5of the fingers to be used is to be observed, the second
note must be pressed with fingers 3 and 4 before the third note is played, or these must be switchedwhile the second note is played.
Such fingering in which one keyboard is approached by multiple fingers is also confirmedin the same-note strokes. In the same-note barreling of the clavecin, two or four fingers arealternated when the barreled note is two or four notes, and three fingers are alternated when thebarreled note is three notes( 33 ). This same technique can also be seen in vielle, where twoalternating fingers are used for two notes (Ex. 4)(34), and all fingers are pressed on the keyboard
with the same finger for three or four notes (Ex. 5)(35). The number of fingers used in the samenote strokes differs slightly between vielle and clavecin; however, if the purpose of vielle’s samenote strokes is the same as that of clavecin's, the difference between the two can be attributed totheir respective pronunciation principles. In clavecin, both pitch determination and pronunciation
functions are performed by the keyboard, while these functions are separated in vielle. The
keyboard is used to determine the pitch of the note, while the sound is produced by the stringing
of the crank. In other words, the keyboard is not used to play the same-note in succession, rather,
the crank is used to play the same-note in succession, so the action of pressing the keyboard again
one-by-one is not important for the same-note in succession in vielle.
As previously described, although there are functional differences between the fingerings ofvielle and clavecin, they are almost identical in terms of fingerings. Although they use different
numbers of fingers in same-note strokes, there is no significant difference in their fundamental
fingerings, such as alternating fingerings. The fact that the fingerings of vielle and clavecin are
similar suggests that if one can play the clavecin, one can also play the vielle relatively easily. In
other words, for those who could already play the clavecin, the vielle could be played without
having to learn a new fingering.

32

The clefs in the examples used herein are notated in small violin (French violin) clefs with the G clef on thefirst line of the staff, following Dupuy’s notation.
33
Türk, op. cit., pp. 110–111.
34
Dupuits, op. cit., p. 2 and Figure 6.
35
Dupuits, op. cit., p. 2 and Figure 7.

Women Playing the Vielle (French Hurdy-gurdy) in 18th-Century France49

3. Vielle played by women in 18th century France
As confirmed thus far, the vielle was significantly improved in 18th-century France, and thefingering system was established, achieving a dramatic evolution far beyond anything seen in theprevious century. As previously mentioned, this instrument had been played mainly by the lower
classes until the previous century, so for the upper classes to play the music they enjoyed, it wasnecessary for them to drastically remodel the instrument and establish a method of playing it.
It is worth mentioning that the vielle would have been favored by women, even among theupper class. Terrasson notes that the instrument tended to be played by women, even among theupper class(36). Green (2016) highlights that women were expected to have beautiful posture andmovements when playing the instrument, and based on the fact that women were expected to beaccompanied when playing chamber music, that the vielle was an instrument that could achieve
this(37). In addition to the vielle, other instruments that were considered appropriate for women at
the time were the clavecin and bass viol, for the same reasons (38). However, in light of what wehave already discussed, the reason the vielle was favored by women was not only due to thefactors Green highlights, but also to the improvement of the instrument and the establishment ofa fingering system.
As discussed in section 1, the shape of the vielle changed significantly during the 18th
century, with lute- and guitar-shaped instruments being produced. According to previous research,lutes and guitars were prevalent as instruments suitable for women even before the vielle caught
the attention of the upper class(39). The carving of human heads on the pegboxes of stringed
instruments was an ornament intended to please upper-class women(40). In addition, it is important
to note that the decorations near the keys are black. The stem keys are decorated in black, thederivative keys in white, and the entire key box that contains these keys is usually painted black.
This color scheme can also be seen on the clavecin, an instrument favored by women in the same
period. It has been posited that the black keys of the clavecin were intended to enhance thewhiteness of women’s hands, suggesting that women had to keep their hands beautiful whenplaying(41). Considering the above, the color scheme of the vielle’s keyboard was probably oneof the devices used to highlight women’s hands while playing. Taken together, the shape of the
instrument, which had long attracted women’s attention, was applied to the body of the vielle,
and the decorations on the pegbox and near the keyboard were intended to attract women to play.
As discussed in section 2, the fingering of the clavecin and vielle is operationally similar,
despite the functional differences. The clavecin was the preferred instrument of the upper classeven before the vielle was incorporated into upper class society. Dupuis, who wrote Principes

36

See note 6.
See note 7.
38
Green, op. cit., p. 12.
39
Green, op. cit., p. 12. and Freia Hoffmann (trans. by Yoko Sakai and Yuko Tamagawa), gakki to shintai:
shiminsyskai ni okeru josei no ongaku, shunjusya, 2004, p. 178 (original: Instrument und Körper, Frankfurt: Insel
Verlag, 1991).
40
Terrasson, op. cit., p. 250.
41
Hoffmann, op. cit., p. 40.
37

50

KIMURA Haruka

pour toucher de la vièle, not only taught the vielle, but also the clavecin(42). This suggests that
Dupuits may have devised a fingering system for vielle based on his own knowledge of clavecin
performance. The fact that the vielle was an instrument that could be played simply by applying
the same fingering technique as the clavecin would have made it easy for the upper class to playand been familiar to them. Considering that women tended to play the clavecin, the vielle, which
could be played by applying the same fingering, could have become a more accessible instrument
for them. In other words, the establishment of the fingering system was intended to bring the
instrument into the lives of the upper classes while simultaneously inviting women to play it.

Conclusion
This study focused on the fact that the vielle, which had been played by the lower classes
until the 17th century, was played by the upper classes, especially women, in 18th century France.
First, improvements made to the instrument in the 18th century made its external elements, suchas shape and ornamentation, more desirable to women. Furthermore, the complexity of the
keyboard arrangement due to the expansion of the register led to the establishment of a fingeringsystem, which was similar to that of the clavecin, was an instrument already popular among theupper classes at the time. It is thought that the vielle was introduced into upper-class society as
an easy instrument that could be played in a more familiar way. Considering the fact that womenin particular preferred to play the clavecin, it can be concluded that the vielle tended to be moreaccessible to them. This study can be positioned as a concrete reinforcement of the theory thatthe vielle tended to be played by women, which has been argued in previous studies.
The vielle evolved by absorbing the characteristics of various instruments that were alreadypopular among the upper class. It took the shape of lutes and guitars, the ornamentation of thebass viol and other stringed instruments, and the fingering of the clavecin as references. In 1752,
after repeated improvements, the vielle achieved a range equivalent to that of the flute and amechanism that enabled it to express itself as richly as the violin( 43 ). The results of these
instrumental improvements are thought to have contributed significantly to the formation of thevielle repertoire. The music of the vielle played in the countryside in the 17th century was
unscored, but as the upper classes began to play this instrument in the 18th century, it wastransformed into music that could be written down in music scores. Many chamber works
composed in the 18th century were designed to be played on a variety of instruments, and the title
page of the score usually lists the instruments on which the work could be played. The vielle
gradually appeared on the title pages of such scores ( 44 ). From the above, it is clear that
improvements to the vielle were essential for the upper class to enjoy their own music. Thus, in
improving instruments and devising fingerings to incorporate them into the lives of the upper
42

David Fuller “Dupuits (des Bricettes), Jean-Baptiste,” in New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians,
2nd ed., eds. Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell, London: Macmillan, 2001, vol. 7: p. 733.
43
Anon., « Viele nouvelle, » Mercure de France, Paris, Juin 1752, p. 161.
44
Green organized the works published in France in the 18th century that were playable on the vielle (Green,op. cit., pp. 67–88). Of these, 186 works available in the digital archives of the British Museum, the British Library,
and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France were surveyed.

Women Playing the Vielle (French Hurdy-gurdy) in 18th-Century France

51

class, the reference to instruments favored by women in particular may have been a factor in thevielle becoming a favorite among them.

Acknowledgment
This paper was supported by a JSPS Fellowship (21J12656).
Figure Sources
All examples were prepared by the author based on Dupuits’ manual (Jean-Baptist Dupuits,
Principes pour toucher de la vièle avec six sonates pour cet instrument qui conviennent aux violon,flûte, clavecin, &...) (Oeuvre Ir, Paris, 1741, p. 2). Other sources for illustrations are listed below.
Fig. 1. Georges de La Tour, Le Vielleur au Chapeau, 1626–1638, Huile sur toile, 162×105 cm,
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes. https://museedartsdenantes.nantesmetropole.fr/resultatsnavigart.html?displayArtwork=https%3a%2f%2fwww.navigart.fr%2fmuseedartsdenantes%2fartworks%3ffilters%3dauthors%253ALA%2520TOUR%2520Georges%2520de%25E
2%2586%25B9LA%2520TOUR%2520Georges%2520de%26page%3d1%26layout%3dgr
id%26sort%3dby_author (Final accessed March 27, 2023)
Fig. 2. Marin Mersenne, Harmonie universelle II, Paris, 1636–7, p. 212.
Fig. 3. Jean Nicolas Lambert, Hurdy-gurdy [sic], mid- to late 18th century, size unknown,
Mount Holyoke College Art Museum.
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?museum=all&t=objects&type=all&f=&s=hur
dy+gurdy&record=0 (Final accessed March 27, 2023)
Fig. 4. Jean Nicolas Lambert, Vielle à roue, Milieu 18e, Longueur totale 59.2 cm, Philharmoniede Paris.
https://collectionsdumusee.philharmoniedeparis.fr/search.aspx?SC=MUSEE&QUERY=je
an+nicolas+lambert+#/Detail/(query:(Id:'1_OFFSET_0',Index:2,NBResults:2,PageRange:
3,SearchQuery:(CloudTerms:!(),FacetFilter:'%7B%22_107%22:%22JeanNicolas%20Lambert%22%7D',ForceSearch:!t,Page:0,PageRange:3,QueryString:'vielle%2
0à%20roue',ResultSize:50,ScenarioCode:MUSEE,ScenarioDisplayMode:displaymosaic,SearchLabel:'',SearchTerms:'vielle%20à%20roue',SortField:!n,SortOrder:0,Templa
teParams:(Scenario:'',Scope:MUSEE,Size:!n,Source:'',Support:'')))) (Final accessed
March 27, 2023)