The Minstrels’ Gallery
The Minstrels’ Gallery high up in the north wall of the nave was created in the mid 14th century. Along its front, twelve angels are playing medieval instruments, giving the balcony its modern name and perhaps suggesting its function as a location for musicians and singers. It is the only medieval gallery of this type in England.
Photo by Peter Smith, Newbery Smith Photography
The original purpose of the gallery and the large space behind isn’t documented and remains a subject of debate. Today, music sounds out from more than 600 organ pipes housed behind the gallery and during evensong on Christmas Day choristers sing from here.
It can be difficult to identify musical instruments in medieval sculpture: terminology may have been inconsistent, instruments evolved, and restorations and damage to carvings may have obscured their original appearance.
The identifiable instruments being played by this angelic band include a gittern and a citole, which are plucked stringed instruments, and a medieval fiddle played with a bow. The medieval bagpipes with a single upper drone pipe are simpler than modern highland bagpipes. Angels are often portrayed with a small portable organ, playing the keyboard with one hand whilst using the other to operate bellows, as seen here. The carving of the medieval tambourine (or timbrel) includes jingles around the edge arranged in pairs, a design which continues in modern tambourines. Modern hand-cymbals are usually held vertically but on the gallery the angel is playing small cymbals one on top of another.
Click below on the name of an instrument on the gallery to hear it played and see the angel closeup. From left to right, the instruments are:
1. Gittern
2. Bagpipes
3. Pipe
4. Fiddle
5. Harp
6. Medieval trumpet (broken carving)
7. Medieval trumpet
8. Portative organ
9. Citole
10. Shawm (broken carved mouthpiece)
11. Timbrel
12. Cymbals
These details supplement information provided in the cathedral on the stand Angel band.