Through their extensive travels, the Vikings often came across other cultures with new and exciting musical instruments. This is another of the instruments Einar Selvik has used for composing his music. The name basically means “horsehair harp” because the strings are made from horse hair. TagelharpaĪnother string instrument from the Viking age is the tagelharpa. Einar Selvik from the group Wardruna is often seen playing the lyre. The lyre is basically a harp and, according to the Norse sagas, was thought of as a gentleman’s instrument. Examples found at Herning and Holing in Denmark were between 78cm and 79.5cm long (30-31 inches), compared to those at the Oseberg ship-burial which are 106.5cm long (42 inches). It was probably primarily used by farmers to call their livestock back to the farm, but is also thought to have been used during warfare to gather the troops for an attack. This trumpet-like instrument was made from one piece of wood which had been split lengthwise, the interior hollowed, and then the two halves banded back together very tightly with some willow bands of different lengths. The lur is one of the most talked about instruments from the Viking age. This is a small, portable, metal harp that was, and still is, played in the mouth and emits quite an unusual sound. It may also have been a type of hornpipe with a mouthpiece added to it. There is some speculation that it was part of a bagpipe as a similar one was found in Sweden with remnants of leather next to it, perhaps suggesting a leather bag. It is estimated to date back to the 11th century but it is unclear how it was used. The mysterious Skalmejen was discovered by archaeologists on the island of Falster in Denmark. The York panpipe has five pipes, and it is still is possible to play the ABCDE sounds on it.

The hole tops were bevelled slightly to form a comfortable rest for the musician’s lips. The pipe is made from a small slab of boxwood and the pipes were created by boring holes into the wood at different depths. PanpipeĪ panpipe dating from the 10th century was found at the Coppergate excavations (1976-1981) in York, England. Most had three holes in them, but some had up to seven. They were usually formed from animal bones, such as the leg bones of cows, deer, sheep or from large birds. Many flutes have been discovered in Scandinavia. A style of recorder was also made by boring four or five holes into a cow or goat horn. Some horns were simply used as blast horns, the type as depicted in the Bayeux tapestry c.1066. Archaeologists have discovered a wide range of musical instruments from the Viking Age, many of which resemble instruments that are still used today in parts of Eastern Europe.

Viking recorder music