Hurrah, a copy of Herausforderungen und Ziele der Musikarchäologie (Challenges and objectives in music archaeology) is waiting for me at the library! It includes, among other papers about ancient instruments, “The Discovery and Conservation of the Prittlewell Lyre” by Elizabeth Barham. I am quite excited as this lyre was part of a princely Anglo-Saxon burial discovered in Prittlewell, England in 2003. It was excavated in a block of earth and I am excited to read the details of its conservation. This coincides with taking up the lyre again, this time with the assistance of a regular music teacher. A friend of ours who teaches guitar and also has a background in medieval music has agreed to help. I now have new strings and am getting set up for regular practice.Here’s Michael J. King playing one of his lyres. His videos on stringing were invaluable.https://youtu.be/pfrnQT3BsQ8
Lyre, lyre
