Orfeo

53. 2001. 'The lyre remains from Grave 32 [at Snape
Anglo-Saxon Cemetery, Suffolk]'.

[215-223 in W. Filmer- Sankey & T. Pestell, Snape Anglo-Saxon Cemetery:
excavations and surveys 1884-1992.]

In the course of excavations on the site of the early Anglo-Saxon cemetery at
Snape, Suffolk, between 1985 and 1992, the sandy subsoil was found to preserve
dark shadows in places formerly occupied by organic materials. Such traces would
not normally survive in the humid conditions and gravel soils of this part of the world;
and in this region of coastal Suffolk high acidity is equally damaging to bone - and
even bronze. But here through lack of disturbance (the soil is almost sterile) organic
materials have persisted as stains, and even as fragments wherever the decay of
copper-alloy objects, or attachments, has acted as a preservative. Amongst the
items to benefit from these factors are the wooden structures and textile linings of
the graves, and some of their contents. One remarkable stain was detected in grave
32. Removed en bloc to the laboratory the fragments it contained were found to
resemble the remains of the lyres from nearby Sutton Hoo, Bergh Apton and Morning
Thorpe. The identification is supported by their placement in the man's arms, originally
covered by his shield. Other objects in the grave, including his spear - but no sword
- offer further indications of his rank amongst the East Angles of the late 6th century.

The instrument was finely made. Its use of at least two different timbers invites
comparison with the object of the problematical Old English riddle Exeter Book 53.
The number of strings is not evidenced (elsewhere 6 seems the norm) but details
which it shares with the constructions of the Bergh Apton and Morning Thorpe finds,
and even Cologne, suggest elements of tradition, at least in manufacture. The
presence of fragments of a strap, perhaps a wrist strap, reinforce evidence first
identified at Bergh Apton, further underline the importance of the player's left hand,
as well as the right, in playing.

The paper asks how far these modest Anglo-Saxon lyre graves, together with the
almost contemporary royal lyre grave at Sutton Hoo, may relate to the performance
and patronage of Old English heroic verse such as Beowulf, and considers the
possible cultural implications of the growing concentration of such finds in this small
part of England. It is tempting to identify such warrior musicians with the scop of OE
tradition. Poetry and music were no doubt allied arts, and at least in the later
Anglo-Saxon period the scop is known to have played an instrument called hearpe,
as well as reciting verse. But although we may increasingly suspect that these lyres
are indeed the hearpe of the texts, archaeology has yet to afford clear proof of such
an association.

49. 1999. 'Musical finds from medieval Scotland.'

[5-6 in C. M. Hall & L. Gilmour (eds.), Wha's like us, or just the same? Scottish
medieval small finds: abstracts of the meeting (of the Finds Research Group) at
Perth, 1998. Oxford: UK Finds Research Group 700-1700. Datasheet 26.]

Although Scotland's medieval finds record has seemed slow to yield hard evidence
to match historical and pictorial records of her rich musical heritage, finds from south
of the border and across the sea may help us to fill in some of the persistent gaps
and to begin to predict some of the forms which we should be looking out for. A
contention of the paper is that whilst these putative material residues to come will

inevitably express national, regional and even local differences, they are also
likely to correspond in broad terms to certain English, Irish, Scandinavian and still
more remote patterns, not least because of trade connexions. Moreover, Scottish
instruments may be expected in some of those places to which Scots
themselves travelled.

Amongst the most significant finds so far are tuning pegs of copper alloy from
Castle Sween, Argyll, and Finlaggan Castle, Islay, conforming closely to
specimens found in Wales and Ireland. They are almost certainly from harps; but
experience suggests that we should also expect to find their equivalents in bone,
of various kinds and representing a wider range of instruments. Not far from the
Castle Sween peg was a spool of wire which was likely intended for stringing a
harp; another was found at Fast Castle, Berwickshire. The keys used to tune
them are also to be expected, typically of metal; and likewise wooden remains of
the parent instruments - such as was found in a bog in County Antrim in the 19th
century. Other stringed instruments to be looked for include especially those of
fiddle kind (we are still, for example, unclear as to the exact form of the Shetland
Gue) while trumpets, horns, bone flutes, Jew's harps and all manner of
percussion instruments are proving regular finds elsewhere in the North Sea
area. A Jew's harp was also among the finds at Fast Castle. Ancient bells have
long been attested. Paradoxically bagpipes remain elusive; but they doubtless
existed in medieval Scotland, just as they must in Northumberland where finds
are also absent. It would take only a few small fragments to begin to elucidate
their still-problematical origins. In other words, present lacunae cannot represent
real historical absences.

48. 1999. 'Getting to Grips with music's prehistory:
experimental approaches to function, design and
operational wear in excavated musical
instruments.'

[133-138 in A. Harding (ed.), Experiment and Design: Archaeological Studies in
Honour of John Coles. Oxford: Oxbow Books.]

Excavated remains of musical instruments provide us with an intriguing
opportunity to examine evolution of design in a group of highly elaborate
artefacts and to consider the nature of the complex musical and communications
systems which they were manufactured to serve. A practical, experimental
approach is essential. Amongst many recent European discoveries are
numerous small pipes of bone, whose finger-holes enable them to produce those
series of musical pitches which make up the very frameworks of melody. Such
tunings are direct consequences of finger-hole placement, shape and size;
markers and adjustments suggest they were predetermined. Amongst the most
remarkable finds are remains, many complete or almost complete, of flutes and
reed-pipes of Anglo-Saxon, Roman and still earlier date. Continental finds include
pipes of bird bone for which dates in excess of 30,000 years ago are now
emerging. Surface-wear replication is yielding new clues as to how they were
played - and sounded.

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