Some experts have speculated about what kinds of music the Viking peoples made. The most obvious conclusion is that they sang songs, especially on their longships while rowing. Singing helped pass the time and helped the rowers keep a steady pace. One particular type of singing that might have been used is a �lokk,� a high-pitched song used to call animals such as cows and sheep. (14) This type of music is still used today, although it is now used more for songs than for calling animals. Also, the Icelanders may have sung their sagas and poems rather than have read them aloud all the time.
Several instruments may have been used during the viking age. One of the most prevalent instruments was the harp, which was used as a solo instrument all around Northern Europe. The music played on the harp was thought to have certain magical powers. (10) Another instrument, one that is still played today, is the lur (also called lyr).
The lur is made of two hollowed pieces of wood fitted together with bark. The mouthpiece is narrower and smaller than the opposite end. The instrument is played by blowing air into the mouthpiece, much like one would play a trumpet. (10) The instrument has had many uses in its history. The Viking kings used it to signal the start of battles and other events, and it was also used as a signal when the Vikings were at sea. The lur was also commonly used as a herding instrument to call animals and scare predators away. (2) Eventually the use of the lur as a farming tool died out, but the use of the lur as a musical instrument did not stop. In fact, the lur became used for music more frequently as time went on. This was especially true after finger holes were added to it, allowing a person to play notes.
A meter-long cylinder made of two pieces of wood, thought to be a lur, was found at the Oseberg ship burial site. If this was indeed a lur, then it could be evidence that the Vikings did indeed use the lur. It is not known whether the instrument was used for music or for more practical purposes.
After the Viking age ended, many other types of musical instruments began to appear in Scandinavia. One of the earlier instruments was the langeleik, typically used in Norway. The langeleik is similar to a zither or dulcimer. It consists of a long case, one melody string and several sympathetic strings. (1) The langeleik probably dates back to the middle ages. The oldest one found so far was inscribed with the date 1524. It is thought that the langeleik was originally played at countryside dances until the fiddle took its place for that purpose.