Hungarian folk musical instruments part 1 - decriptions of whizzer, bagpipe, cimbalom, zither, hit gardon etc

Hungarian Folk Instruments
Part One

by
Emese Kerkay

This article is reprinted from the publication 'Magyar Nepi Hangszerek - Hungraian Folk musical Instruments' by Emese Kerkay. It was originally published by the American Hungarian Museum, Passaic, New Jersey, US and is reproduced here by their permission.

Hungarian Folk Musical Instruments

Part One (for Part Two click here)

Kodaly Zoltan wrote: 'The Hungarians are not especially instrumental music-lovers. Even poor people rather listen to music, than play with their own hands. Therefore compared to the richness of folk singing our instrumental music is moderate. However it is extremely significant because of the ancient traits preserved by instrumental music.'

People use self-made instruments (drum, Jaw harp, horn, pipe, bugle, recorder, zither, bagpipe, cymbalom, hurdy-gurdy) and manufactured ones (violin, clarinet, cymbalom, bugle, accordion, harmonica). Folk music and written music is played on both kind. Nowadays Hungarians prefer singing to playing musical instruments. While everybody participates in singing, they mainly listen to instrumental music, although the names of musicians and musical instruments emerging from Medieval records point to a well developed Hungarian instrumental culture in the
remote past.

Folk musicians could not make a living from making music, 'because people do no pay for what they make themselves'. At the beginning of the 20th century even a gypsy musician played only for food, drink, kerchiefs and 5 forints at weddings - all by himself. With the spreading of gypsy musicians, - who at first lived close to cities - the use of instruments declined further.

Russian archeologists excavated sterling silver objects in Staraya Riazan, made by Hungarians before the time of their settlement in the Carpathian-Basin, this is indicated by the designs and figures on the objects. The most significant piece is a bracelet, with the first known portrait of a Hungarian musician, who plays the zither while watching a dancing girl. This also proves that Hungarians were fond of instrumental music in ancient times.

WHAT DO HUNGARIANS PLAY ON THEIR INSTRUMENTS?

• Minstrel music
• Slow, sorrowful songs, mainly on recorders
• Songs appropriate for dancing Hungarians love music and dance since ancient times. This heritage is demonstrated on the above mentioned bracelet. Chronicles write about the Hungarian soldiers' visit to the monastery of St. Gallen in the 10th century. Their music and dancing was a memorable and joyful event for friar Heribald. The legend of St. Gellert mentions the Hungarian symphony: it is about a girl who is singing while handling a quern (11th century). In a codex it is written, that after the death of St. Istvan (1038) it was prohibited in Hungary to dance, play the violin, pipes and drums. Medieval sources write about minstrels wandering round the country playing the violin, lyre, lute and pipe and accompany sorrowful and joyful songs with their instruments. The list goes on up to the 19th century herdsmen's artwork.

HUNGARIAN FOLK MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Part One
WHIZZER, THUNDERSTICK (bugattyu)
CIMBALOM, HAMMERED-DULCIMER (cimbalom)
ZITHER (citera)
DRUM (dob)
TRUMP, JAW HARP, JEW'S HARP (doromb)
BAGPIPE, BELLOWS PIPE (duda)
RECORDER, FLUTE (furulya)
HIT GARDON, PERCUSSIVE CELLO (ütögardon)

Part Two
VIOLIN (hegedü)
SUNFLOWER STALK VIOLIN (kóróhegedü)
REED VIOLIN (nádihegedü)
RATTLE (kereplö)
JUGHORN, JUGPIPE (köcsögduda)
BUGLE, SHEPHERD'S HORN (kürt, pásztortülök)
SHEPHERD'S PIPE (sípok)
OBOE-LIKE SHAWM (tárogató)
HURDY-GURDY, REVOLVING LUTE (tekerö)
SHEPHERD'S PIPE (tilinkó)
OBOE-LIKE SHAWM, TURKISH PIPE (töröksíp)
LYRE (koboz)

WHIZZER, THUNDERSTICK (bugattyu)

The whizzer still plays a role in the ceremonies of nature peoples. A piece of wood or shingle is tied to a string and while twirled it makes a humming sound. To this musical instrument family belong the clackers, whirligigs, plectrums and today's rattlers, clappers and spores, used for rhythm.

CYMBALOM, HAMMER-DULCIMER (cimbalom)

This relation of the zither originated in 13th century Persia and became known in Hungary in the 16th century. The instrument is used to make dance music together with a violin and clarinet. The small cymbalom without pedals was made by craftsmen for gypsy musicians. It was replaced by the large cymbalom which had four legs and pedals. Both cymbaloms are trapezoid shaped and their dimensions are 80 x 60 x 40 cm and 140 x 95 x 74 cm respectively. The sound-box is made of pine, the wrest plank of maple wood. The metal strings are played on with 35 cm long carved sticks. The curved tips are bare or wrapped with cotton for a different sound. The pedal-cymbalom was designed by Jozsef V. Schunda music instrument manufacturer of Budapest in the 1870-s.

It is both a harmony instrument and a melodic solo (virtuoso) instrument.

ZITHER (citera)

The zither is the most widely used folk instrument since ancient times. Every herdsman and farmer was able to construct one.

Anybody could learn to play it. There are three basic forms: through zither, small headed zither and bulging zither. The through zither was made of a single piece of poplar or bass-wood. Metal pegs were driven into one end to hold the steel strings, and tuning pegs were screwed to the other end. The players used a hammer, sharpened quill or a piece of horn to pluck the strings. The small headed (horse-, child-, side-headed) zithers, made of separate pieces of soft and hard wood were common on the Hungarian Great Plain and seem to be a Hungarian specialty. The bulging zithers are of Western influence and were used mainly in Transdanubia.

A good player could fill the room with the zithers distinct sound. In the 20th century it became the instrument of the poor. It was used at weddings and dances because its sound was excellent to support singing, dancing and merry making. The musicians were not paid, as the guests themselves - girls included - took turns in making music.

DRUM (dob)

It was a significant instrument of the ancient Hungarians, symbolizing the universe. The single bottom drum is mentioned in many children's rhymes which refer to our ancient beliefs. The double kettle drum used by the cavalry was made known in Western Europe by the Hungarians 500 years ago. In 1457, Hungarian emissaries caused great sensation with these drums in France. In 1542, King Henry VIII. asked for Hungarian drums from his ambassador to Vienna. The double bottom drums were used for announcements in villages.

TRUMP, JAW HARP, JEW'S HARP (doromb)

The Hungarians brought the 'trump-song' from Asia. The instrument can be found everywhere in the world. A narrow vibrating metal tongue is soldered to the lute-formed metal frame. The frame is held to the teeth while the tongue is plucked with a finger. The melody is formed by narrowing or expanding the cavity of the mouth.

BAGPIPE, BELLOWS PIPE (duda)

This ancient and significant instrument of the Hungarians has its origins in the Near East in antiquity. Up to the 16th century it was the military instrument of the hussars (cavalry), when it was replaced by the shawm (töröksíp). For centuries the bagpiper was extremely popular and appreciated by every level of society. In the 19th century, a single bagpiper was often the 'whole orchestra' at weddings, carnivals and dances. Herdsmen bagpipers gave homage to the Christ-child in Nativity plays. It was also used for army recruiting. By the 20th century bagpipe music almost disappeared.

The Hungarian type of pipe has three blow-pipes: the melody-pipe, the assistant (contra) pipe and the drone or bass-pipe.

The melody (chanter) and the contra-pipe are connected by a double pipe-stem, and inserted into the bagpipe head, usually goat or ram heads; on the Great Plain maiden and mustached man heads can also be found. The air is blown into the leather bag through the mouthpiece (blower) made of reed or elder. The bag is made out of a single goat, sheep or dog skin with the fur on the inside. The drone stands separately. The Hungarian bagpipe produces three notes at the same time, two through the double pipe, and one through the drone. The piper never played together with another piper, probably because it was almost impossible to tune up the pipes.

RECORDER, FLUTE (furulya)

Two kinds of shepherd's flutes or recorders are used: the long-woodwind-flute (hosszú furugla), made of elderberry, is nearly one meter long and has five holes at the end. The lower octave sound of the instrument is nearly always accompanied by the player's murmuring and growling voice. It can be played only with a lifted head and stretched arms. The small recorders or six hole pipes - which fit the player's fingers perfectly - are from 30 - 60 cm in length. The smaller ones are called piccolo. The recorders are made of elderberry and maple wood. It is the favorite instrument of herdsmen.

The double recorder is used in Transdanubia, Transylvania, Transdanubia and by the Csángós. The side with 4 holes plays the melody, the other with 2-3 the accompanying tune. It is an ancient Asian peculiarity, that - especially in Transylvania and Somogy - the musician produces a murmuring sound of the throat while playing. This guttural ostinato serves to color and strengthen the sound of the flute. The combination tunes produce three clearly audible parts.

HIT GARDON, PERCUSSIVE CELLO (ütögardon)

The gardon is an ancient stringed percussion instrument of the Székelys of Csík and Csángós of Gyimes. Gauged like a trough from one piece of beech, maple or willow wood, its shape resembles a cello. The three strings tuned to one tone are hammered with a stick, while a thinner string is plucked simultaneously so that it recoils on the finger board. It sounds like the double bottom kettle drum. Together with the violin the gardon is used to make dance music. The band has two members: the husband plays the violin, the wife hits the gardon.

For Part two of this article click here