Two female musicians playing a psaltery and portative organ, musician playing lute

Summary

: Two female musicians playing a psaltery and portative organ, musician playing lute

: Courtauld Institute of Art, England, United Kingdom
Location type : Museum

:

: 15

: 1400 -1410

: Sculpture

: Ivory

: Gothic Ivories

: Female musician playing a psaltery; female musician with plaited hair playing a portable organ; male musician playing a string instrument

: New links: http://www.gothicivories.courtauld.ac.uk/images/ivory/BFEAA299_1cbe165b.html . This comb features another music scene on the reverse, indexed in card 462.


:
http://www.gothicivories.courtauld.ac.uk/images/ivory/216ade57_1cbe165b.html


: Anna Devaux

Performer(s)
    • Performer information
    Type: musician

    Genre: female

    Posture: standing

    Character quality or function: lay

    Comment: This female musician is framed by two men, the one facing her puts his hand on the slit of her dress.

    Instrument information
    Instrument : psaltery - (Hornbostel-Sachs system: 314.122.1 )
    Number of strings: 10 ?
    Playing position: held with the left hand against the abdomen
    Playing method: strings plucked with the right hand
    Hand position: other
    Plectrum: no
    Psaltery shape: rectangular trapezoid
    • Performer information
    Type: musician

    Genre: female

    Posture: standing

    Character quality or function: lay

    Instrument information
    Instrument : organ - (Hornbostel-Sachs system: 412.1-8 )
    Bore: cylindrical
    Body: straight
    Playing method: other
    Instrument strap: frame with two legs. Pipe support: diagonal slat
    Comments: Organ held on the left arm, against the chest. Keyboard operated with the right hand, bellows operated with the left hand.
    Type of organ: portative
    Bellows: yes
    Number of bellows: 1
    Number of pipes: 5 (stepped)
    Number of rows of pipes: 1
    Playing mechanism: keyboard
    Keyboard type: indeterminate
    • Performer information
    Type: musician

    Genre: male

    Posture: standing

    Character quality or function: lay

    Instrument information
    Instrument : lute - (Hornbostel-Sachs system: 321.321 )
    Number of strings: 5 ?
    Position of pegs: indeterminate
    Playing position: against the abdomen, in the hollow of the right arm, handle to the left, horizontal
    Playing method: strings plucked with the fingers of the right hand. Fingers on the neck (fingerboard)
    Hand position: near rosette
    Plectrum: no
    Sound box shape: pear-shaped
    Back shape: domed
    Pegbox shape: cross
    Neck length: short
    Frets: indeterminate




Number of performers: 3

Organization of visual space involving performance: Alignment

Interactions between performers: 1 female musician-1 musician-body orientation-similar postures.

Comment: The musician playing the psaltery (1257) is isolated to the left with a man; the two musicians (1258 and 1259) form a couple who look at each other. The musicians are surrounded by couples holding hands, kissing or holding each other by the waist and arm.

Function of the sound: entertainment, seduction

Source of musical inspiration: lover

Context of the sound: erotic music, aristocratic music, courtly music

Comment: The attitude of the couples surrounding the musicians induces eroticism.

Comment: the same characters are represented several times in different roles: perfomators musicians and couples in seduction scenes.