# Da Vinci-Inspired Piano Hybrids A Polish Pianist has Recreated a 500 Year-Old Instrument By Tiffany | Published 2013-11-26 | Unique Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/viola-organista References: [uproxx](http://www.uproxx.com/music/2013/11/da-vinci-real-viola-organista/) Approximately 500 years ago, 15th-century artist Leonardo Da Vinci designed an instrument in his Codex Atlanticus, a hybrid between a cello, a harpsicord, viola and an organ called a viola organista. It was never attempted to be built until now. Thanks to Slawomir Zubrzycki, a Polish concert pianist has spent three years of his life building the instrument, spending approximately 5,000 hours in total. Visually, it looks like a [small grand piano](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/roli-piano); it doesn't, however, have hammered strings. Similar to the bows of the violin, there are actually four spinning wheels wrapped in horse tail hair. To turn these wheels, the pianist is required to step on a pedal connected to a crankshaft. On speaking about the viola organista, Zubrzycki says, "I don't know what Da Vinci would say about that, but the instrument is very expressive, [w]hen I want to make something, my instrument makes something more — like it's talking to me." The instrument first debuted in Krakow, Poland. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.8/10 - Popularity: 11% | Activity: 35% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Unique](https://www.trendhunter.com/unique) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Da Vinci-inspired Instruments:** Opportunities for artists and musicians to create innovative hybrid musical instruments inspired by historical designs. - **Mechanical Innovations in Music:** New potential for music instrument manufacturers to incorporate DIY and mechanical elements into their designs. - **Experimental Sound Creation:** Increasing interest among audio enthusiasts to explore non-traditional musical sounds and techniques. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Music Instrument Manufacturing:** An opportunity for manufacturers to use innovative designs drawn from historical documents to create new products. - **Artisanal Musical Instrument Making:** A growing niche for artisanal instrument makers to create one-of-a-kind instruments inspired by the viola organista and other hybrids. - **DIY Music Instrument Building:** A new opportunity for DIY enthusiasts to incorporate DIY and mechanical elements into their music instrument designs. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Sculptural Art Pianos](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/steel-and-stone-piano-v2.md) - [Radical Majestic Instrument Structures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ravenchord.md) - [Historic Bird-Like Contraption Recreations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/flying-machine-set.md) - [Collaboration Piano Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/concept-model-piano.md) - [Digital HD Display Pianos](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mozart-console-piano.md) - [Portable Music Course Pianos](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/duolingo-5.md) - [Shreddable Steampunk Guitars](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/steampunk-guitar.md) - [Talking Robotic Pianos](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/chopstix.md) - [Stealthy Rare Wooden Instruments](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/torch-t01.md)