The purpose of this paper is to discuss musicians and musical instruments as depicted in the visual arts of the period 900-1450 and to consider what can be deduced from such evidence about musical life in medieval Europe. Since hundreds of images from the medieval period showing musicians or instruments are available, this paper will discuss only a small selection of the more interesting and reproducible images, in order to survey the types of instruments that appear to have been in use.
In order to have some logical procedure for discussing the images, one would need to impose some sort of arbitrary categories. One possibility would be in terms of the medium. The art of this period falls into a relatively small number of genres. First, there is the art of the cathedrals. In this category falls sculpture, bas-relief, stained glass, icons, frescos, and altarpieces. Second, there are illuminated manuscripts, as well as drawings done in the margins of psalters and other non-sacred texts. Finally, in the art of the early Italian Renaissance, there are what would now be considered secular paintings, ones not created primarily for religious reasons.
Another fairly obvious scheme derives from the fact that there are not a large number of ways in which to produce musical sound vibrations; hence, medieval instruments fall into the standard categories of strings, winds, and percussion, to which can be added the human voice and ensembles of various sorts. These can be broken into subcategories, in terms of whether the strings are plucked or bowed, whether the winds are of wood or brass or some other substance, and whether the wind is supplied by a mouthpiece or by some mechanical means, as in an organ.
The instruments could also be discussed in terms of dates, since there is evolution from simple forms to precursors of modern instruments. It is this last alternative which will be adopted, with the other schemes being used as ...