The Nyckelharpa



Parts of the nyckelharpa

History of the Nyckelharpa

By Per-Ulf Allmo

The article gives an overview of the state of research on the history of the nyckelharpa. From medieval times, images have been preserved in churches in Italy, Sweden and Denmark. Hints and guesses point to German sources. During the Renaissance, the nyckelharpa is mentioned and illustrated in the music treatises of Agricola and Prætorius. Since the Baroque era, evidence of the nyckelharpa, including surviving instruments, has been found only in Sweden; in Uppland province, there is also a continuous tradition of playing.

- History of the Nyckelharpa (English) - Historische Spurensuche - Von der Schlüsselfidel zur Nyckelharpa (German) - Nyckelharpans historia (Swedish)

The Nyckelharpa in the CADENCE Project

By Esbjörn Hogmark



- The Nyckelharpa in the CADENCE Projekt