The nyckelharpa, which means "keyed fiddle" in Swedish, is a type of string instrument that looks similar to a fiddle or violin but is larger. It has keys along its neck that press against strings to change the pitch when played, much like a hurdy-gurdy. The keys slide under the strings, and the tangents attached to them are placed perpendicular to the keys, reaching above the strings. When a key is pressed, the tangent touches the string, shortening its vibrating length and altering its pitch. The instrument is usually held under the arm, suspended from the shoulder with a sling, and played with the bow held in the arm that is overhanging the instrument.

The origin of the nyckelharpa is unclear, but it has a strong connection to Sweden, where it became a popular folk instrument. Early images of the instrument appear in Sweden, with the oldest known depiction found on a 14th-century church door. Although it was not widely used in Sweden compared to the violin, the nyckelharpa gained popularity in the province of Uppland during the 17th century. Over time, it spread across Sweden and became a common instrument in folk music by the 19th century. By the early 20th century, it was considered a key instrument in Swedish folk music, alongside the violin. The oldest surviving nyckelharpa, made in 1526, is part of the Zorn Collections in Mora Municipality, Sweden.

The nyckelharpa also appears in historical art from other European countries, including Denmark, Germany, and Italy. The earliest known image of the instrument is a 1408 fresco in Siena, Italy, showing an angel playing a "keyed viola." Recently, luthiers (makers of string instruments) have created new versions of the nyckelharpa based on historical designs, similar to how archaeologists reconstruct ancient objects.

Etymology

The instrument is called "Nyckelharpa" in Swedish. The name comes from two parts: "nyckel," which means "key" or "tangent," and "harpa," an old word for a string instrument, like a lyre. In Old Norse, the word was "harpa," and in Old English, it was "hearpe," both meaning "plucked string instrument." The word "harpa" is also used in other Nordic instruments, such as "tagelharpa" ("horsehair-harp") or "jaw harp," where "harp" simply means "instrument."

Other names for the instrument include "knaverharpa," which uses "knaver" instead of "nyckel." "Knaver" means "tangent" in this context and is related to the English word "knob," as seen in "doorkey" (a doorknob). Another name is "nyckelgiga," meaning "key-fiddle." The word "giga" comes from Middle Low German and is related to the German word "Geige," which means "fiddle."

History

The development of keyed string instruments began during the High Middle Ages. Instruments like the duo-played organistrum, which is a type of hurdy-gurdy, appeared in the late 900s or early 1000s. These instruments were popular in Southwestern Europe and later evolved into the solo-played "symphonia" hurdy-gurdy in France or Spain by the 1200s. These instruments had diatonic tangents, which are specific types of keys. At some point, the keyboard of a hurdy-gurdy was combined with a bowed string instrument, creating the first keyed fiddle or a proto-nyckelharpa. It is unclear where this instrument first appeared, but the spread of hurdy-gurdies and bowed string instruments in Europe during the later Middle Ages suggests that the instrument may have been invented independently by multiple people.

In the Late Middle Ages, the first known images of nyckelharpor, or "keyed vielles" as they looked, appeared. The earliest possible image is a relief on a portal of the Källunge Church in Gotland, Sweden, dating to around 1350. It shows two musicians playing bowed string instruments that look similar to nyckelharpor, with keyboxes (covers above the strings) like a hurdy-gurdy. However, the relief is worn and damaged, making it hard to confirm if these are nyckelharpor.

Other early images include a fresco in Siena, Italy, from 1408, showing an angel playing a vielle-like nyckelharpa with five keys and a keybox.

Throughout the 15th century, more images of nyckelharpor appeared in church paintings, especially in Sweden and Denmark. For example, a painting in the Emmislöv Church in Sweden, dated 1450–1475, shows a nyckelharpa musician. Another in Lagga Church, Sweden, from 1498, and paintings in Tolfta Church, Sweden, from around 1460–1525, also show nyckelharpor. Most Swedish paintings from this time do not show keyboxes, while Danish depictions, like those in Rynkeby Church from around 1560, include keyboxes.

The earliest known written name for nyckelharpor appears in a German music dictionary from 1529 by Martin Agricola, which calls it a "Schlüsselfidel" (key vielle). A later work from 1619 by Michael Praetorius also mentions it as "Schlüsselfidel" and includes an image of the instrument with a keybox. Both authors lived near the German-Polish border, a region known for similar musical instruments. A wooden depiction of a nyckelharpa from Hildesheim, Germany, from 1529, was destroyed during World War II but later recreated from photographs.

Agricola and Praetorius were the only non-Danish or Swedish authors to mention the nyckelharpa during their time. They described it as an instrument used by lower social classes, with Praetorius even stating it was not worth mentioning as proper music. A Danish writer, Peder Syv, from 1663, compared "key fiddlers" to bagpipers, suggesting they were not respected musicians. However, the term "key fiddle" could also refer to a hurdy-gurdy in some contexts.

Nyckelharpor may have fallen out of use in Germany early on. A German-born man in Sweden, Stefanus Cyrillus Rettig, recalled seeing old nyckelharpa instruments stored in cupboards in Germany during his youth, but they were considered very old and forgotten.

Written records from the late 17th and early 18th centuries mention nyckelharpor in areas of Finland where Swedish was spoken. These instruments were sometimes called "nyckijl pijga," but the correct name is likely "nyckelgiga" (key fiddle), a term also used for nyckelharpa. An instrument called the Esseharpa from Finland, dated to the late 17th century, supports this.

In Sweden, the nyckelharpa was not widely used in the early 17th century, as the violin was more popular in folk music. However, it became a favorite among spelmän (Swedish folk musicians) in Uppland, a region that became a center for nyckelharpa music. The instrument appeared in records from 1603 onward, with details found in court records and writings from the 1680s to 1717. Over time, the term "nyckelgiga" was replaced by "nyckelharpa."

From Uppland, the nyckelharpa spread to other parts of Sweden and became a respected instrument by the 19th century. It was played at concerts in Stockholm, and the first detailed description of the instrument was published in 1899.

By the early 20th century, the nyckelharpa became a key instrument in Swedish folk music, similar to the violin. Improvements by August Bohlin in the 1920s and 1930s made the instrument chromatic (able to play all musical notes) and more like a violin. Composer and maker Eric Sahlström used this new version to help the instrument reach a modern audience.

Reconstructional archaeology

In the 21st century, more people have become interested in rebuilding early designs of the nyckelharpa, a type of musical instrument. This has led to many copies of preserved historical examples, such as the moraharpa and esseharpa, as well as efforts to recreate designs only seen in old paintings, like one from Siena, Italy. These projects are similar to a type of archaeology called reconstructional archaeology, even though the copies are not always exact matches of the paintings.

The nyckelharpa shown in the painting from Siena, Italy, is called "viola a chiavi di Siena" in Italian, which means "Sienan keyed viola," or "Siena-Harpa" for short. This reconstruction was made as part of an international research project around 2020 by a professional luthier named Alexander Pilz, who is an experienced maker of nyckelharpor based in Leipzig, Germany. Since then, the Italian design has become more popular, and other luthiers have also created copies of the painting’s design in recent years.

Technique

The nyckelharpa is typically held with a strap around the neck and supported by the right arm. Didier François, a musician from Belgium who plays both the violin and the nyckelharpa, uses a unique way of holding the instrument. He holds it vertically in front of his chest. This position allows both arms to move more freely. It also changes how the instrument sounds.

Some players use a special bracket to hold the nyckelharpa away from their body. This lets the instrument swing freely, which makes the sound seem more open because the vibrations are not blocked.

Each string on the nyckelharpa has a specific role. Melody strings are used to play different notes when pressed with keys. Each key stops one melody string, allowing a variety of pitches when the string is bowed. Drone strings are bowed but not pressed, so they only produce one note. Resonance strings are not bowed or pressed. Instead, they enhance the instrument’s sound by vibrating in response to notes played on other strings.

Variants

There are many different types of nyckelharpa being made and played today. These types vary in the number and arrangement of keys, strings, and the overall shape of the instrument. They can be grouped into two main categories: those with resonance strings and those without resonance strings. Other related instruments belong to the "keyed bowed chordophone" family but may not be classified as nyckelharpor.

The types listed below refer to Swedish or Nordic versions as "variants," while other types are called "derivatives."

The most common types of nyckelharpa have resonance strings. These can be further divided into subtypes, with four main variants:

• Kromatisk nyckelharpa ("chromatic key harp") – This is the most common type. It has three rows of keys and three melody strings tuned to A1, C1, and G. There is one drone string tuned to C, which is used only occasionally. It also has 12 resonance strings, one for each note in the chromatic scale.
• Kontrabasharpa ("double bass harp") – Popular in the 17th and 18th centuries, this type has a high-arched top and two oval-shaped soundholes called oxögon. The name refers to the drone string that always resonates below the melody strings during play. Two melody strings are placed on either side of the drone string, allowing melodies to be played as double stops without clashing.
• Silverbasharpa ("silver base harp") – Popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, this type is named for its silver-wound bass strings. It resembles the modern nyckelharpa but has an older, more arched top and two oxögon. Only the top two strings are stopped, limiting its music to the key of C. Some versions may have diatonic keys or stop both melody strings at once.
• Oktavharpa ("octave harp") – Invented in 1996 by Lennart and Johan Hedin, this type is a modern three-row nyckelharpa tuned an octave lower, similar to a cello. It is the lowest-pitched variant.

Resonance strings, or sympathetic strings, were added to the nyckelharpa in the second half of the 16th century. These strings are not directly bowed but vibrate along with the other strings. The number of resonance strings can range from six to twelve, depending on the instrument's design. Some modern nyckelharpor have four or five rows of keys, but these have not replaced the three-row version as the standard.

Other types of nyckelharpa do not use resonance strings. Examples include:

• Moraharpa ("Mora harp") – The most common derivative, based on an instrument from Mora Municipality, Sweden, dating to the 17th century. It has a straight bridge, one melody string, two drone strings, one row of keys, and a lute-like body.
• Esseharpa ("Esse harp") or ähtävän harppu ("Ähtävä harp") – A Finnish/Fenno-Swedish derivative from the former municipality of Esse (Ähtävä). It is small, cone-shaped, and has four (or three) strings and one row of ten to fifteen keys.
• Vefsenharpa ("Vefsn harp") – A Norwegian derivative from Vefsn Municipality. It resembles the Esseharpa but has inward curves on its body.
• Viola a chiavi di Siena ("Sienan keyed viola") or Siena-Harpa ("Siena harp") – A derivative based on a 1408 fresco in Siena, Italy. It has three melody strings, one drone string, and one row of keys.
• Viola d'amore a chiavi ("keyed viola d'amore") – A derivative created by luthier Alexander Pilz from Leipzig, Germany. It uses gut strings and is designed for Renaissance-Baroque music. Its sound is closer to the viola da gamba, hence its name.

In films

In the live-action film Toledo, Indi, the mascot of Atlético Madrid, plays a musical instrument when the class is visiting the Puy du Fou theme park.

Gallery

• Bronwyn Bird, a member of the group Blue Moose, plays the nyckelharpa at a concert in 2007. Photograph by Georgie Grd.
• Marco Ambrosini plays the nyckelharpa at Burg Fürsteneck, Germany, using an instrument built by Annette Osann.
• Didier François demonstrates a unique playing method at the International Days of the Nyckelharpa event at Burg Fürsteneck in 2023.
• Mia Gundberg Ådin (Huldrelokkk) performs the nyckelharpa at the music festival Bardentreffen in Nuremberg in 2015.
• Ana Alcaide in 2022.