The Death Of King Arthur (hurdy-gurdy)

The instrument you see and hear in this video is a “solid-body” alto Artus hurdy-gurdy (aka “vielle à roue”) from the workshop of French luthier, Philippe Mousnier. This instrument is to the traditional hurdy-gurdy what the Stratocaster is to the classical guitar. It has no soundbox but is provided with electromagnetic pickups that allow the player to take advantage of all the devices and FX that can be applied to the electric guitar. Everything you hear in this performance was performed live. There are no overdubs or additions. I used two linked Digitech Whammy pedals, and a Roland PK-5 pedalboard which allow me to play complex harmonies and to change key. In a way, this is not a hurdy-gurdy at all but a new and incredibly versatile instrument.

For a singer, one of the advantages of a solid body is that the unamplified volume output is low. Traditional acoustic gurdies are very loud, so their sound bleeds into the vocal mike and competes with the singer.

The Artus is also provided with a retractable wheel, which lets the player change the timbre and volume output of the strings - something that cannot be done on a traditional hurdy-gurdy. Philippe Mousnier, who made this instrument, has a short YT video explaining how all of this works.

The story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is one of the world’s most enduring legends. This video deals only with the death of the King as told by the British poet Alfred Lord Tennyson in his epic poem - LE MORTE D’ARTHUR - which he based on an earlier work by Sir Thomas Malory. I have edited the story in order to keep it under six minutes and avoid putting everybody to sleep.

Sorry about the “popping” on the audio. I was too close to the mike. That’s the problem when you are your own sound engineer! 😀

[onepiecefan]

Can we start a crowdfunding effort to get this guy to perform a full epic poem this way? These excerpts are phenomenal but they leave me craving more of the story to be told in this style.

[AncientLiteratureDude]

This is how, in my mind, the great epics of old were meant to be recited. One voice, one instrument, one soul.

[meadandmilk]

What is now known as Glastonbury was, in ancient times, called the Isle of Avalon. It is virtually an island, for it is completely surrounded by marshlands. In Welsh it is called Ynys Afallach, which means the Island of Apples and this fruit once grew in great abundance. After the Battle of Camlann, a noblewoman called Morgan, later the ruler and patroness of these parts as well as being a close blood-relation of King Arthur, carried him off to the island, now known as Glastonbury, so that his wounds could be cared for. Years ago the district had also been called Ynys Gutrin in Welsh, that is the Island of Glass, and from these words the invading Saxons later coined the place-name "Glastingebury". (Gerald of Wales - De Instructione Principis)

[jakobroynon-fisher]

"Now I am alone, my King!" Bedivere loudly cried, "Whither shall I go, my King, now that our world has died?"

That part hurts for me, having lost a lot of my old friends over the years. It gets worse when you remember that Bedivere was one of King Arthur's first and was the last of his Knights at his King's side.

[wagstaff]

This use of the hurdy gurdy is ethereal, I've never heard it played like this

[SilentShufflr]

I would love to hear the entirety of Le Morte d'Arthur this way. Would pay top dollar at a performing arts center or concert hall just for that.

[andreebohlin]

Musician with an ancient soul, you can feel the experience and histories his expression gives. Thank you for that <3

[commanderdeckard]

I could honestly sit through an hours long concert of him playing the whole tale of arthur. The Once and Future King is one of my favourite books of all time.

[bullwinkle]

This is outstanding musicality. The voice is perfect for this genre of music. The sights, sounds and smells of the castle are abound with this most creative interpretation. Thank you.

[kristoffer]

Wish I could hear the whole Arthurian legend recited like this.

[ubelmensch]

I never got so early to a video by someone returning after nine months.

[AliceAwesome]

I played this for a report of mine and my professor was impressed, saying that it sounds very much like what would have been performed during the time of the tellings of the story of King Arthur. And I was happy to have played it and him say that, as he's a medievalist. So bravo, Mr. Peter!

[thetribunaloftheimaginatio]

First Gilgamesh, and now King Arthur. The tales of kings and heroes can and SHOULD be told from now 'til the heat-death of the universe... even if they get tweaked a little sometimes.

Hey, I like the Final Fantasy version of Gilgamesh, and one of my favorite animated series as a kid was "King Arthur And The Knights Of Justice, " which was basically an Arthurian-flavored "Masters Of The Universe"/"Power Rangers" mashup.

"And then, from the field of the future, a new king will come to save the world of the past!"

[SCOTTBULGRIN]

Minstrel, Bard, and all around Renaissance Man. Thank You Peter.🎼🙏

[monty]

God, Benevere's grief over his world falling apart somehow brings me catharsis over this whole hellish year

[emanuelherrerias]

And now, Of the death of Arthur I shall sing.
And how, To the island Avalon he sailed.

The once and future king.

By mountain and by winter sea, rode the din of shield and sword. Till Arthur's table man by man all fell about their lord.

Then bold Benevere seeing his liege, with wound too deep to heal. Bore the king by light of moon, to a chapel near the field.

Then said the king " Take now my sword and with what strength you can; Into the deepest water fling Excalibur my brand"

With all the strength that he could find.
To end he knew not where. Benevere cast the Royal Blade in the morning twilight air.

So fell the brand Excalibur.

But then there rose a hand. Up from the waters dark and deep. It caught the mighty brand.

Three times it wield Excalibur, and through the air it gleamed. Then to waters black it sank; no more to be seen.

Behold a dusky barge appeared. Through shadow moving on. King Arthur breathing hard then said " Tis time that I were gone."

"Lays me in the barge" he said. So to the barge they came.

Three gentle maids stretched out their hands and called the king by name.

"Now. I am alone my king!" Benevere loudly cried. "Wither shall I go my king. Now our world has died."

There long stood Sir Benevere. In sadness; looking on.

Until the ship was one black dot against the verge of dawn

[ac]

A bard, in antiquity, is an official of a bardic system, specialized in the administration, the education, the laws, the arts and the letters; in everything related to memory, culture, justice, science and poetry (literally: lay authority, author of Lays, secular).
late and by extension, the word bard is used as a synonym for poet or singer Breton (barz), Welsh (bardd).
In modern Gaelic languages, a bard (bard) or a bardesse (bana-bhàrd) is a person who composes poetry, declaims it or
puts it to music, most often to the harp (clàrsach).
Gaelic words are derived from Old Irish and resemble Gallic Bardos and Greek Frázw.

[roughryder]

Why does this man not have a CHECK beside his name? I see people with less than a fraction of this guy's skillset that have millions of subs.

[fatihbasarkutlu]

Incredible to hear another song from you, waiting for more. Keep it going! ^^

[pepperonitony]

Mr. Pringle, this is one of the most heavenly things I have ever heard. Thank you very much for posting