Lur

A lur, also lure or lurr, is a long natural blowing horn without finger holes
that is played by embouchure. Lurs can be straight or curved in various
shapes. The purpose of the curves was to make long instruments easier to
carry (e.g. for marching, like the modern sousaphone) and to prevent
directing the loud noise at nearby people.

The name lur is particularly given to two distinct types of ancient wind
instruments. The more recent type is made of wood and was in use in
Scandinavia during the Middle Ages. The older type, named after the more
recent type, is made of bronze, dates to the Bronze Age and was often found
in pairs, deposited in bogs, mainly in Denmark and Germany. It consists of a
mouthpiece and several pieces and/or pipes. Its length can reach between
1.5 meters and 2 meters. It has been found in Norway, Denmark, South
Sweden, and Northern Germany. Illustrations of lurs have also been found
on several rock paintings in Scandinavia.

Contents
Wooden lurs A Bronze Age lur found in
Bronze lurs Brudevælte Mose, northeast
of Lynge in Zealand,
Lurs today
Denmark[1]
See also
References
External links

Wooden lurs
The earliest references to an instrument called the lur come from Icelandic
sagas, where they are described as war instruments, used to marshal troops
and frighten the enemy. These lurs, several examples of which have been
discovered in longboats, are straight, end-blown wooden tubes, around one
meter long. They do not have finger holes, and are played much like a
modern brass instrument.

A kind of lur very similar to these war instruments has been played by A modern lur from Norway,
farmers and milk maids in Nordic countries since at least the Middle made of wrapped birch bark
Ages.[2] These instruments, called in English a birch trumpet were used for
calling cattle and signaling. They are similar in construction and playing
technique to the war instrument, but are covered in birch, while the war instruments are covered in willow.

Bronze lurs
Lurs made of bronze were used as musical instruments in ancient Greece, as well as in northern Europe where
a total of 56 lurs have been discovered: 35 (including fragmentary ones) in Denmark, 11 in Sweden, 4 in
Norway, 5 in northern Germany, and a single one in Latvia.

Lurs today
The word lur is still in the Swedish language, indicating any funnel-shaped implement used for producing or
receiving sound. For instance, the Swedish word for headphones is hörlurar (hearing-lurs), and a telephone
might be referred to as a lur in contemporary Swedish (derived from telefonlur, telephone handset). The
Norwegian and Swedish words for foghorn are respectively tåkelur and mistlur. The Danish butter brand
Lurpak is named after the lur, and the package design contains pictures of lurs.

The word lur has several other meanings in Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish that are not related to sound.

See also
Birch trumpet
Natural trumpet

References
1. "Bronze lurs - The Brudevælte lurs" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110927093305/http://abel.h
ive.no/trompet/lur/bronze/brudevaelte.html). Archived from the original (http://abel.hive.no/tromp
et/lur/bronze/brudevaelte.html) on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2007-10-21.
2. "The Wooden Lurs" (http://ojtrumpet.net/lur/wood/). ojtrumpet.net. Retrieved 2019-10-11.

External links
2007 CD by Odd Sylvarnes Lund of Lur and Bukkehorn music (https://web.archive.org/web/201
20217055307/http://www.folkemusikksenteret.no/default.asp?shop=1&enkeltID=SFSPCD071)
Information on recordings with modern use of the old instruments (http://per-olof.dk/lur/lurmusic.
htm)
The Nordic Lurs (https://web.archive.org/web/20131216090858/http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/lur/),
part of O.J.'s Trumpet Page

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This page was last edited on 19 February 2021, at 19:52 (UTC).

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