What is the history of the hurdy-gurdy?
Here’s the short version: Hurdy-gurdies were fairly common though most of Europe from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and has been played by everyone from blind beggars to the nobility. The court of France developed an interest for it in the early 18th century, and their style of instrument has become the “standard” instrument, though strong hurdy-gurdy traditions remain in other European countries. The earliest instrument of this design was the organistrum, played by two people, as shown in stonework and pictorial references as early as the 12 century in northern France and northern Spain. There’s a lot more information on the history of the instrument. The place to start looking is the bibliography.
