Dulcimer

Dulcimer are a string percussion musical instrument of trapezoidal shape. The sound is extracted by hitting two wooden sticks or beaters with expanding blades at the ends.

They are common among many peoples of Eastern Europe, especially among Moldavian and Romanian Leutars, Hungarians and Hutsuls. They are also used in Belarus and Poland. In Russia, the tradition of playing dulcimer was revealed in the region of the Lake district on the Russian-Belarusian border: in the south of the Pskov region (dulcimer accompany singing, violin and/or harmony) and in the Smolensk region. In general, the eastern border of the distribution coincides with the boundaries of the historical Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. dulcimer are also used in the folk music of the Swiss region of Appenzell.

dulcimer-like instruments are first found in ancient Mesopotamia: the Sumerians (the earliest image is the turn of the IV millennium BC) of the ancient Babylonians and (IX century BC) Assyrians and (VII century BC). Nevertheless, Mesopotamian dulcimer were triangular in shape (for which they received the name "triganon"), with strings located across the body of the instrument, not along, and more resembled a harp. The ancient Greek scientist Pythagoras invented a musical instrument monochord with approximately the same principle of action as a dulcimer; however, it had only one string and served not for playing music, but for determining frets and intervals. A similar instrument, which was a rod bent like a hunting bow with a string of vegetable fibers stretched between the ends, is called a "musical bow" and is common among the peoples of Africa, Southeast Asia and the Indians of South America (in Brazil it is called berimbau). dulcimer of the modern type penetrated into Europe during the early Middle Ages. However, thanks to whom specifically - Gypsies, Arabs or crusaders returning from the crusades, it is unknown.

dulcimer were quite popular among feudal lords, especially among ladies. The Czech writer Pavel Zhidek, describing the instrument in his encyclopedia "The Book of Twenty Arts" of 1461, speaks of its "very sweet harmony", praises its pleasant sound. In his opinion, the instrument was ideally suited for court and burgher music. Since the 16th century, dulcimer have been used not only as a solo instrument, but also as an accompanying and ensemble instrument. By that time, they had penetrated into popular music, especially in Eastern European countries. In the opera genre, dulcimer were first used in 1753 in a Spanish opera, where the prima donna was accompanied.

In the XVII century, a local variety of dulcimer appeared in Germany — hackbrette. At the end of the XVII - beginning of the XVIII centuries, the German composer and dance teacher Pantaleon Gebenstreit, known at that time as a virtuoso dulcimerlist and improviser, invented a kind of dulcimer controlled by keys, and subsequently received his name — pantaleon or pantalon. Pantaleon served as the prototype of the piano.

In Russia, according to the research of Ivan Zabelin, dulcimer penetrated in the XV century. During the XVI-XVII century. there are numerous references to dulcimer at the royal court. Thus, among the musicians of the Funny Chamber who worked during the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich, the dulcimerlists Tomilo Besov (1613-1614), Milenty Stepanov (1626-1632) and Andrey Andreev (1631) are mentioned. Later, during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, there was interest in pantaleon. He was especially popular in 1755-1757, when in Russia, under a contract for three years, the pantaleon virtuoso Johann Baptist Gumpenhuber, who was also engaged in improving horn music, served as a court musician.. Later, interest in it faded, and only in 1765, according to the research of P. Stolpiansky, pantaleons began to be sold in music stores in St. Petersburg, in addition to clavichords, and there were "standing pantolones" and "second-hand pantolones".

The first professional concert dulcimer were built in 1870 by the owner of the Pest musical instrument factory Jozsef Shunda and his nephew Wenzel Shunda, and by 1874 mass production of a new type of dulcimer was established. This new species was well appreciated by Franz Liszt shortly before his death. Already in the twentieth century, Lajos Bohak and his son, also Lajos, were engaged in improving dulcimer.

Once again, the dulcimer was introduced into the opera orchestra by Ferenc Erkel — in the opera "Ban Bank". Ferenc Legar also used this instrument — in the operetta "Gypsy Love" (Introduction and aria of Zorika, act one), dulcimers accompany the violin solo. dulcimer are also used in the works of many other composers (Igor Stravinsky, Claude Debussy, Bela Bartok, Zoltan Kodai).