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.