Sunday morning music

 

Today we have something completely new to me:  the smallest member of the violin family, known as the "pochette".  That's the French word for a small pocket, into which the instrument was designed to fit.  According to Wikipedia, "Also known as a pocket fiddle it was developed to be used by dance masters in royal courts and other places of nobility, and by street musicians, from about the 15th century until around the 19th century, with it being especially popular in the 1800s."

The "Breaking Violins" Web site avers that the pochette "helped Scots become Englishmen":

They were primarily made for fiddle teachers and those players who were dance masters. Both required some mobility – made easier with a pocket-sized instrument – and one can only imagine the impromptu dances that resulted by having this little fiddle handy when the libations lent to merriment.

Importantly, when Scotland was basically annexed by England in 1707, the pochette played a role in helping proper Scots to “English-ize” and be accepted in the larger new society. Knowing how to properly dance (as well as to drop the brogue and sound a little more like their countrymen to the south) was considered a social advantage. So a cottage industry arose among dance teachers, accompanied by their pochette-toting musicians, to teach Scottish nobles and merchants baroque dance moves in duple, triple and compound duple rhythms. The modern day equivalent is the personal fitness trainer who brings a sound system with him or her for a home workout.

There's more at the link.

There doesn't appear to be any music composed specifically for the pochette.  Instead, it was used for solo and impromptu renditions of better-known violin pieces, typically as accompaniment to dancers learning the steps.  There are several video clips on YouTube of the instrument at work.  In no particular order, try these.

An interesting twist on musical history, albeit not one likely to be chosen for listening pleasure.

Peter