Sheer Folk

 

Per-Ulf Allmo and Jan Winter in their book “Lirans hemligheter” (the secrets of the hurdy-gurdy), 1985, ISSN 0282-8952, included a short study on the occurrence of the mystical term simfon and similar derivations of symphonia in Old Norse texts. Used to designate what seems to be a particular instrument, many are of the opinion that this term refers to the primitive form of the hurdy-gurdy. Though not one text in the Old Norse corpus is conclusive on this matter, the material is nonetheless interesting.

I share with you that little study, with reference translations I made for each bit and which are, to the best of my knowledge, faithful to the original. Being the terminology quite specific, I chose to leave the instruments´ name in the Old Norse/latin-influenced Old Norse of the original but in nominative form. My gratitude goes to Helgi Guðmundssonwho helped me in rendering nice translations and normalizing the Old Norse intertext.

In Erik Jonsson´s dictionary ”Oldnordisk orbog” (København 1863)  sinfón, simphón and symphón are interpreted as “some kind of musical instrument”. Whereas,  Finnur Jonsson in his “samfund til udgivelse af gammel nordisk litteratur udgivne rimur samt til de af dr. O. Jiriczek udgivne Bósarimur” (København 1926-28) defines simfon, sinfon as  “a kind of lyre (loanword from low-German simphonie)”.

1. Bósarimur (Bósí´s rimur)

Organs neytir ágæt þjóð ýtar trumbur þeyta, salterium og simfóns hljóð seggir pípna neyta.

A good people enjoys an organ, men the trumbur blow, the sound of salterium and simfón, the pípur the lads enjoy.

Note: The oldest Bósa-Saga was rewritten in Rimur style two times; one by the end of the 15th century and in 1692.  Stanza 61 is not found in the corresponding saga version.

 

 

Reference: Part IX: 61, Otto Jiriczek edition 1894.

 

 

Svmir leika sallterivm oc simphon, svmir troða organvm, svmir beria bvmbv, enn svmir blasa j trvmbo, svmir tefla, en svmir kasta; eptir bat ganga menn at sofa.  Herra Vilhialmr gengr nu i hollina med micille glede; sumir leiku sallterium eda sinphonium eda tradu organum, sumir beria bumbur eda bliesu i trvmur.

Some play the sallterivm and  the simphon, some play  the organvm, some hit the bvmba, and some blow the trvmba, some contest, and some throw; after that the men go to sleep. Sir Vilhjálmr now walks to the palace with great joy; some played the sallterium or the simphonium or played the organum, some hit the bumbur or blew the trumbur.

 

Reference: page 119, Eugen Kölbing edition, Heilbronn, 1881.

Note: The saga was translated from French in 1226 by a monk called Robert, ‘Roðbert aboti’. It is also known as The Saga of Julius the Old.

3. Göngu-Hrólfssaga (The saga of Göngu-Hrólfr)

Alskonar strengleika, hörpor ok gigjur, simphon ok salterium.

All kinds of string-instruments, hörpur and gígjur, simphon and salterium

Reference:Reproduced in Fornsögur Suðrlanda (Icelandic adaptations of romances from the Middle Ages) 11:359, København 1829

Note: The instruments are mentioned in the context of a wedding, but there also appear the often mentioned bumbur and pipur. The saga in question has a very romantic style and was written at the beginning of the 15th century. The form and content of the text supports the theory of the Danish historian Suhm that Göngu-Hrólfur (also known as Rollo in its Latinized form) is a fictional character. According to an Icelandic source, Hrólfur/Rollo was the fourth son of Sturlaugr inn starfsami, who ruled over Ringerike in Norway. According to Norwegian sagas, Göngu-Hrólfur is the name of the first duke of Normandy. He was thought to be the son of Ragnvald, Harald Hårfager´s jarl, and tooks his name from the fact that he was so big that no horse could carry him but he was forced to walk. In Norway he was a mighty Viking but when at one time harried a village against the king´s orders, he was declared an outlaw and was forced to flee abroad. That is how he arrived in the Hebrides.From there he led a fleet of Danish Vikings to Valland (the Scandinavian name for a part of the north of France, namely Poitou, Brittany and Normandy in particular) and conquered the locals. This allegedely happened sometime in the 10^th century, but the tradition –as recorded by Dudo of San Quentin -is posterior and uncertain.

4. Heilagra manna sögur (The sagas about holy men)

Leikarinn tok nu i sinfons stað söngfæri i sæmiligs siðferðis.

The player took then instead of the sinfon a finer[1] instrument.

Reference: Part 11:444, published in  København 1825-1835.

Note: Heilagra manna sögur is a collection of old Icelandic stains ‘ lives. According to A. Faulkes and A. Finlay, these legends were initially written in the language of the Church, Latin, and when the need arose they were subsequently translated into the vernaculars. Translated saints’ lives are thought to have been among the earliest sagas written in Iceland. In a well-known passage in Origins of Icelandic literature Gabriel Turville-Petre (1953, 142) put forward the view that saints’ lives influenced native written literature: ‘In a word, the learned literature did not teach the Icelanders what to think or what to say, but it taught them how to say it.’

5. Herburts Rímur (Herburt´s Rímur)

Sinfóns þaut enn sæti streingr Siðan heim frá kirkju geingr Artus kóngr ok oll has þjóð; Eptir sitr hit væna hljóð

A sweet sound was still bursting from the Sinfón When they later walked home from church, King Arthur and all his men; After (they had left), the sweet sound still remained

Reference: Part III:8.

Note:Herburts rímur or þáttr portrays a familiar episode from the saga of Dietrich of Bern. This story is believed to be of German origin but spread considerably throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. Dietrich is a folk-fantasy reflection of the historical Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths and conqueror of Italy, who died in 526. Bern is a corruption of the name of Italian Verona. The sagas about Dietrich and his heroes reached the North already during the 12^th century, but it was during the 13^th century when an Icelander or Norwegian produced a written version compiling different oral versions. The earliest Swedish translation is from the 15^th century.

6.  Konráðs Saga (The saga of Konráð)

Sumir slá hörpur eða gigjur, sumir simphon eða psalterium ok timpanum.

Some stroke hörpur or gigjur, some simphon or psalterium and timpanum.

Reference: Fornsögur Suðrlanda p. 83, København 1829

Note: This is a very obscure saga or rather sögubrott, that you can find here (from page 288 onwards).

7. Saga Sigurdar Jórsalafara (The saga of Sigurd the Jerusalem-farer)

þar við ero höfþ allskonar söngfæri: organ, sinfon ok gigjur ok allskonar strengleikar

There are kept all kinds of instruments: organ, sinfon and gigjur and all kinds of string instruments

Reference: Fornmannasögur Norðurlanda (Sagas of the ancient men of the North) VII:97, København 1825-1835.

Note:It was a monk called Thjodrek who put in writing this very special saga where we learn that Sigurd made a Journey to Jerusalem, conquered many heathen cities, and among them Sidon; that he captured a cave defended by robbers, received presents from Baldwin, returned to Norway in Eystein’s lifetime, and became insane, as a result, as some say, of a poisonous drink.

8.   Strengleikr, eda Ljóðabók (“String-instruments”, or “Soundbook”)

. .. i horpum oc i gigium, symphoniis oc organis hin fægrstu strængleiks lioð.[2]

. .. in harpa and in gigia, symphoni and organ, the most beautiful sounds from string instruments.

Reference: R. Keyser and C.R. Unger edition, Kristania 1850.

Note: a collection of 21 tales of Norse prose from around 1250 based on the Lais of Marie de France

 

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[1] Actually “sæmiligs siðferðis” gives the idea that this other instrument is more refined in cultural sense and possibly with a long tradition or well-seen in general.

[2] In the De la Gardie version (DG 4–7), we find “i horpum gigiom. Simphanom. Organom. Timpanom. Sallterium. ocCorom. oc allzkonar oðrum strænglæikumer menn gera ser oc oðrum til skemtanar þæssa lifs oc lykr her forr roeðo þæssarre.”

Most of the information on this article is taken from “Lirans hemligheter – En studie i nordisk instrumenthistoria” by Per-Ulf Allmo and Jan Winter, 1985, ISSN 02828952, published by AllWins förlag HB, Stockholm, Sweden. You can buy the book here.All translations from Swedish into English are mine.