organistrumn.

1867 Jrnl. Soc. Arts 3 May 383/1 The hurdy-gurdy..was called, in the early middle ages, the organistrum, and was no doubt used for organizing, i.e., accompanying melody in octaves, fifths, and fourths,—an effect once thought pleasing. The organistrum is common in mediaeval sculpture.

1870 C. Engel Descr. Catal. Musical Instruments S. Kensington Mus. 38 The organistrum had three strings, producing three different tones, which appear to have consisted of the tonic, fifth, and octave.

1938 R. E. M. Harding Origins Musical Time & Expression ii. 37 Sometime towards the beginning of the thirteenth century the Organistrum was shortened and improved so that it could be played by one performer alone. In this modified form it was known as the Symphony.

1938 R. E. M. Harding Origins Musical Time & Expression Index 115/1 Vielle (or Hurdy-Gurdy): a degeneration of the Organistrum.

1940 C. Sachs Hist. Musical Instrum. (1942) xiv. 272 The hurdy-gurdy then [sc. in the 13th cent.] was no longer called organistrum, but symphonia in Latin (or rather Greek), chifonie in French and cinfonia in Spanish.

1960 Times 10 June 4/5 The New York performers [of the Ludus Danielis]..have added an orchestra consisting of a trumpet, soprano recorder, oboe, carillon, handbells, viola, hurdy-gurdy (organistrum), [etc.].

1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia X. 437/1 The organistrum, a large medieval hurdy-gurdy operated by two players: one turned a crank rotating a wheel that rubbed against one or more strings to make them sound, while the other produced different notes by turning the key-shaped levers that stopped the strings at various points.

1990 C. Laird Forgotten Son (1992) xv. 180 Have you ever seen an organistrum?

2005 R. Jackson Performance Pract. 285/1 The organistrum was a three-string, fiddle-shaped instrument rotated by a crank.