What a coincidence!

[conuly]

Earlier this week, or maybe just last week, somebody at /r/whatsthatbook was looking for Cart and Cwidder, and I said that I suspected a "cwidder" was really supposed to be understood as a crwth, and that's what today's word of the day is! Also, they have a video of somebody playing a crwth in the corner. I'll embed it here.

Watch on YouTube

If you look up videos, they all seem to hold the instrument differently from each other.

Comments

[greenwoodside]

Oh, that's good. I've seen the crwth referred to before many times, but never seen a reconstruction played.

[conuly]

There are several videos on YouTube! It’s interesting to see how differently they all handle it.

[hudebnik]

More specifically, "cwidder" probably isn't from "crwth" directly but rather from "crwther", which in English was often spelled "crowder" or "crowther", and meaning (as you would expect) "a person who plays the crwth".

I had a friend in elementary school named Kai Larson-Crowther.

Oh, and we picked up a used crwth at an early music workshop a few years ago. Haven't got it in playable condition yet, but this post describes the process of getting it to hang up on our TV cabinet, with pictures.

[conuly]

Maybe. In the book, cwidder definitely refers to the instrument. But DWJ isn't around to ask anymore, so.

[frandroid]

It has such a full sound!

[conuly]

It’s nice to be able to put a sound to the name :)

[elainegrey]

Oh thank you!

I can see how the hurdy-gurdy with its drone strings and cranked bow could evolve from this.

[conuly]

Wait, did it!?

[elainegrey]

Internet doesn't say so, but love the drone strings!

[adafrog]

Neat.

[conuly]

:)

Wow!

[ysabetwordsmith]

That sounds amazingly more complex than a violin.

Re: Wow!

[conuly]

:)