Like other Celtic groups from around the world that perform the music of their community, the musicians of Le Vent du Nord (The Wind Of The North) perform on instruments that are as authentic as possible to the region. These include instruments most of us are familiar with; guitar, violin, accordion, and squeeze box, and one we may not have heard before - a viellie a roue, or hurdy gurdy. The only references to hurdy gurdies that I've ever come across before had been the Donavon song "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and street vendors with dancing monkeys. I had always considered it to be along the lines of a player piano in that you couldn't actually play the instrument - but turned the crank so it could play a scripted piece of music.
Although the hurdy gurdy is a stringed instrument it actually sounds more like a set of bagpipes. When the player turns the crank it in turn causes a wooden wheel to rotate and rub against a set of strings similar in action to that of a violin bow. Instead of fingering the strings for notes, the musician uses a key mechanism. The droning sound that we associate with pipes is produced by four additional strings sounding individual notes continuously as a backdrop for the melody. Some hurdy gurdies also have sympathetic strings, which while not actively played, resonate with the instrument as it's played.
Now, I have to tell you that I've never been much of a fan of straight traditional Quebecois music as I've heard it played in the past. Reels and other fiddle music that are normally associated with square dances usually end up boring me to tears. It turns out that while the barn dance may have been one of the mainstays of rural life in Quebec, it isn't the only type of music that was played. Either that or the four men in Le Vent Du Nord have the talent to make the reels and hornpipes that used to turn into an irritating drone on par with the sound of a mosquito after a couple of songs, a lot more interesting then anyone else has in the past.
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