This is a custom instrument made for me by Michael King of the UK. It's an Icelandic folk instrument called the langspil (which translates as long play, long bow, or long game). The oldest written descriptions of the langspil are from the 1700s. Langspils can be either bowed, strummed, or fingerpicked.
My langspil is a traditional shape with a single bentsided bout, and three strings. The bass and middle string are open drones, while the single melody string runs over frets. I requested it be made with a distressed white paint finish and kolrosing designs of a viking ship, a whale, a reindeer, and other Icelandic symbols. It has a VSL of 29" and I've tuned it here (bass to melody) to: C G Bb, played in aeolian mode in C. Here is a photo of my langspil:
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I just love its ancient melancholy voice, and it was fitting that it arrived to me in January... the majestic somber dead of Winter.
Please excuse my very crude bowing skills- I've never held a bow like this to bow a table instrument- it's quite hard to get an even tone. I hope to get better results with time and practice, but I wanted to let my friends have a taste of this wonderful instrument I'm excited about. Better examples later!
The Three Ravens is an English folk ballad, printed in the song book Melismata compiled by Thomas Ravenscroft and published in 1611, but the ballad is perhaps older than that.
