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In my ongoing quest to find historical instruments similar to our cigar box guitars and diddley bows, I recently stumbled across the Tromba Marina.  This one-string, bowed instrument originated in Europe during the 1400's.

According to Wikipedia, "a tromba marina, marine trumpet or nuns' fiddle, is a triangular bowed string instrument used in medieval and Renaissance Europe that was highly popular in the 15th century in England and survived into the 18th century.

"The tromba marina consists of a body and neck in the shape of a truncated cone resting on a triangular base. It is usually four to seven feet long, and is a monochord (although some versions have sympathetically-vibrating strings).

"It is played without stopping the string, but playing natural harmonics by lightly touching the string with the thumb at nodal points. Its name comes from its trumpet like sound due to the unusual construction of the bridge, and the resemblance of its contour to the marine speaking-trumpet of the Middle Ages."

The bridge is quite bizarre because it has two legs, with one sanded short enough to buzz against the soundboard.

Here are two videos featuring music and construction of modern versions of the Tromba Marina.

ABOVE: In 1674, the London Gazette advertised the following concert: ‘A Rare Concert of four Trumpets Marine, never heard before in England! If any persons desire to come and hear it, they may repair to the Fleece Tavern, near St James’s about two of the clock in the afternoon, every day in the week, except Sundays. Every concert shall continue an hour and so begin again.’

From summer 2020 The Society of Strange and Ancient Instruments will be touring a re-imagining of this 'Rare concert'. They'll present old and new music for these magnificent instruments alongside 17th-century airs and dances played on other strange and ancient instruments. This video shows master luthier, Shem Mackey, constructing one of the trumpet marines to the accompaniment of a rondeau by Jean-Baptiste Prin arranged for four trumpet marines.

More information can be found at www.strangeandancientinstruments.com

Below:  The Tromba Moderna:  Actuated medieval instrument. A replica of a Tromba Marina from Musikmuseet Copenhagen, with build in pick up, speaker and dsp processing. Made as an interactive exibition for the museum. Made by Alex Baldwin, Peter Williams, Troels Hammer & Edvinas Peciulis