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_6 Musical machines

_2xx Macchine da guerra
601 ~ Mechanical drum ~ Codex Atlanticus, f. 837r (1503-1505)
	601_ca837r_01	601_ca837r_02 601_ca837r_03	The drawing is a cart equipped with a mechanical drum. When pulled or set in motion by a handle, the gears turn the two lateral drums which are fitted with pegs (cams). These pegs, which can be placed in various positions, move ten sticks (five on each side) that beat the large drum on the back. Changing the position of the pegs alters the rhythm of the music.

602 ~ Skull-shaped Lyre ~ Codex Asburnham I
	602_codAsb_01	602_codAsb_02	A design for a lyre that was most probably meant for use on stage rather than an instrument to be actually played. The idea of using animal parts as sound boxes in musical instruments has prehistoric origins.

603 ~ Harpsichord-Viola ~ Codex Atlanticus, f. 93r (1478-1482)
	603_ca93r_01	603_ca93r_02 603_ca93r_03	This comprehensive folio depicts the apparatus for a portable musical instrument. In the center of the bottom of the page, we see a view showing the case. The instrument is worn around the waist and played with both hands on a keyboard, in the same way as a piano. Inside, a complex system of cams and pulleys that raise and lower the strings to and from a moving horsehair bow, producing a sound similar to that of a viola. The internal bow moves continuously, thanks to a system of pulleys and a flywheel, which the player operates with his legs. This piano viola has only recently been discovered.

604 ~ Trumpet with pair of bellows~ Codex Madrid II , f. 76r
	604_MII76r_01	604_MII76r_02	The secret of this instrument is the pair of bellows. The movement of the musician's elbow works the bellows, which then produce a continuous sound.