So, there is very little normal information on the lira on the Internet, and therefore I will express myself in the dry language of the well-known library - Wikipedia ...
Lyra- stringed musical instrument in the form of a curved frame with strings of various tunings stretched from the inside, well known in classical antiquity and later. The oldest specimens were excavated by L. Woolley's expedition in Ur. It is a symbol and attribute of poets, the emblem of military bands.
IN Ancient Greece recitation was accompanied by playing the lyre. The lyre of classical antiquity was usually played by plucking the strings with a plectrum, like playing a guitar or zither, rather than by plucking the strings, like playing a harp. The fingers of the free hand muted the strings that were unnecessary for a given chord.
In Ukraine and Belarus, the lyre is an ancient string folk instrument(XVII centuries) with a large elongated body, otherwise called "snout". In Europe, this instrument is known as the Hardy-hardy. Three strings of various tunings are stretched over the body, placed in a special box. A small keyboard with 8-11 keys is attached to the side of the drawer. The player with his left hand presses the keys, and with his right hand he turns the handle, which sets in motion a special wheel, covered with hair, leather and rubbed with rosin. The wheel rubs against the strings and makes them sound. The middle string changes its height by pressing the keys and serves to play melodies. The extreme strings do not change their pitch during playing. The sound of the lyre is strong, sharp, somewhat nasal in tone.
According to Greek myth The first lyre was invented by the baby Hermes. He took an empty tortoise shell, fitted cow horns and a crossbar on both sides, and strung three strings. The adventurous continuation of this myth tells how Hermes kidnapped the herd that Apollo was herding, and then exchanged this herd for his invention, the lyre, to which Apollo added the fourth string. This myth is even retold in Leopold Mozart's Violin School, published in 1756!
Later, the lyre had, as a rule, seven strings, and it looked like this (on the left is a reconstruction of the remains of an instrument found during excavations in Attica; an exhibit from british museum; on the right is a young Apollo with a lyre; kylix from Delphi):
In Crete, the lira was already known around 1400 BC. (image on a fresco in the tomb of the Holy Trinity), but the instrument itself, apparently, is even older.
According to legend, the legendary Greek musicians of divine or semi-divine origin played the lyre: Orpheus (who allegedly was given the lyre by Apollo himself) and Amphion, who built the walls of Thebes to the sounds of the lyre. The same legends, echoed in ancient musical treatises, brought to us even the structure of the so-called Orpheus lyre - in modern concepts these are the notes "mi, si, la, mi", taken from the first octave down.
However, Orpheus and Apollo were not always portrayed as playing the lyre, but this time we will pay attention only to it.
On the left - the death of Orpheus, who, apparently, is trying to save his lyre from the angry Bacchantes, exposing his defenseless chest to a blow (vase, Louvre). In the center - Orpheus among the Thracians.
On the right - Apollo and, probably, Orpheus, the latter in the hands of a lyre (Attica, 5th century BC).
The lyre was played either by plucking and plucking the strings with your fingers, or by striking them or plucking them with a bone plate - a plectrum (now called a plectrum by guitarists). In the latter case, the sound turned out to be more resonant, the resonance - longer, and the musician did not risk bruising or breaking the fingertips into blood. Orpheus in the central image plays just like that.
Eros, depicted in the next picture, clearly approaches his work professionally and uses the plectrum (the lyre usually sounded at weddings and other fun and joyful events). The plectrum, so that it does not fall at the wrong moment and is not lost, is attached to the lyre with a leather strap.
Although many prominent musicians used the lyre, increasing the number of strings on it to 9 (Theophrastus of Pieria) and even up to 12 (Melanippid), in the classical and Hellenistic era it was mainly a "home" instrument, since its sound was not loud. Beginners were taught on it - as in both pictures below. In the picture on the right, another one hangs on the wall stringed instrument- forming.
The lyre was also played by women, since it was not as heavy as the cithara and did not require great physical strength. Moreover, unlike wind instrument Avlos, or Avla (about him some other time), playing the lyre was not considered an obscene occupation for a decent woman, as long as some Muses were depicted with a lyre.
Rota musical instrument- or mole is a medieval Celtic stringed instrument, the body of which resembles a wheel. R. of the early period had a large number of strings (up to 17), which were touched by a plectrum. R. came from the lyre. Later, the number of strings began to decrease (up to 3), and ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
Lyra (musical instrument)- Lyra (Greek lýra), 1) ancient Greek stringed plucked musical instrument. Has a flat rounded body, 7 11 strings. Tuning on a five-step scale. Playing on L. accompanied the performance of works of epic and lyric poetry ...
organist- Main article: Wheel lyre Organist on the bas-relief of the Cathedral of St. Jacob, 1188 Organist, organistrum (... Wikipedia
Organistrum- Main article: Lyre Organistr, organistrum (Latin organistrum) is a medieval stringed instrument that combines the properties of friction (bow) and keyboard, the oldest Western European analogue of the hurdy-gurdy. The term organistrum ... ... Wikipedia
MUSICAL TERMS- The dictionary contains the most commonly used terms. See also MUSICAL FORM; MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; MUSIC THEORY. In Italian terms, language affiliation is not indicated. AUTHENTIC 1) authentic cadence in the major-minor system ... Collier Encyclopedia
LIRA- ALBEGALA, or LYRA (Spanish). northern constellation. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. LYRA (Greek lyra). 1) the oldest stringed musical instrument. 2) northern constellation. 3) a bird with a tail ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
jig- (English jig), 1) an old pair (solo sailors) dance of Celtic origin, preserved in Ireland. Time signature 6/8, 9/8 or 12/8. In the 17th century entered as the final part of the instrumental suite. 2) Western European ... encyclopedic Dictionary
celtic music- Direction: Folk music Subgenres: Irish music Scottish music Music of the Isle of Man Cornish music Breton music Welsh music Music of Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria ... Wikipedia
ZHIGA- (eng. jig) 1) an old pair (solo sailors) dance of Celtic origin, preserved in Ireland. Time signature 6/8, 9/8 or 12/8. In the 17th century entered as the final part of the instrumental suite.2) Western European ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Lyra- I Lira (Greek lýra) 1) ancient Greek stringed plucked musical instrument. Has a flat rounded body, 7 11 strings. Tuning on a five-step scale. Playing on L. accompanied the performance of works of epic and ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Rota, Celtic stringed instrument or mole- a medieval Celtic stringed instrument, the body of which resembles a wheel. R. of the early period had a large number of strings (up to 17), which were touched by a plectrum. R. came from the lyre. Later, the number of strings began to decrease (to 3), and the plectrum was replaced by a bow. In the manuscript of the abbey of St. Blaise, dating back to the 8th century, is an image of R. with one string. During the era of Moorish rule in Spain and the Crusades, R. merged with the Arabic three-stringed instrument rebab, receiving the name "Fidula" (from the Latin word fides - string). This name subsequently passed into fidel, viel, viola; that is why R. and the rebab are considered the ancestors of the viola, from which the violin developed - violino, that is, the small violin. The player held R. as they hold our violin.
Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron. - St. Petersburg: Brockhaus-Efron. 1890-1907 .
See what "Rota, a Celtic stringed instrument" is in other dictionaries:
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Or the mole, a medieval Celtic stringed instrument whose body resembles a wheel. R. of the early period had a large number of strings (up to 17), which were touched by a plectrum. R. came from the lyre. Later, the number of strings began to decrease (up to 3), and ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
- (it. rota wheel). The highest papal court, in which the judges sat in a circle, and the floor was paved with mosaics in circles. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. ROTA (German). Part of the battalion, with about a hundred soldiers. ... ...
ROTA or MOLE (Rotta, ratta, chrotta). Celtic stringed musical instrument derived from the lyre; at first it had a large number of strings, and then gradually decreased and reached three, like an Arabic rebab. Dictionary of foreign words, ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
ROTA, CELTIC STRING INSTRUMENT
or mole - a medieval Celtic stringed instrument, the body of which resembles a wheel. R. of the early period had a large number of strings (up to 17), which were touched by a plectrum. R. came from the lyre. Later, the number of strings began to decrease (to 3), and the plectrum was replaced by a bow. In the manuscript of the abbey of St. Blaise, dating back to the 8th century, is an image of R. with one string. During the era of Moorish rule in Spain and the Crusades, R. merged with the Arabic three-stringed instrument rebab, receiving the name "Fidula" (from the Latin word fides - string). This name subsequently passed into fidel, viel, viola; that is why R. and the rebab are considered the ancestors of the viol, from which the violin developed - violino, that is, the small violin. The player held R. as they hold our violin.N. WITH.
Brockhaus and Efron. Brockhaus and Euphron, encyclopedic dictionary. 2012
See also interpretations, synonyms, word meanings and what is ROTA, CELTIC STRING INSTRUMENT in Russian in dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference books:
- TOOL in the Dictionary of thieves' jargon:
- 1) playing cards, 2) ... - TOOL in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
DEBT - see DEBT INSTRUMENT ... - COMPANY
(Rota) Nino (1911-79) Italian composer. Music for films: "The Road", "Nights of Cabiria", "War and Peace", "The Machinist", "Rocco and His Brothers", "Sweet … - TOOL in the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary:
(from lat. instrumentum - a tool) a tool of human labor or an actuator of a machine. There are tools: manual, machine and mechanized (manual machines). … - TOOL in big Soviet encyclopedia, TSB:
(from lat. instrumentum - a tool), a tool of human labor or an actuator of a machine, which "... captures the object of labor and purposefully changes it" ... - COMPANY in the Modern Encyclopedic Dictionary:
- COMPANY
(Rota) Nino (1911-70), Italian composer. The author of heartfelt, melodic music for the films of F. Fellini ("Nights of Cabiria", "Sweet Life", "Amarcord" ... - TOOL in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
[from the Latin instrumentum instrument] 1) a tool for work (tools for plumbing, surgical, etc.); 2) musical instruments - piano, grand piano, clarinet ... - COMPANY in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
s, w. A unit in the infantry and some other branches of the military, usually part of a battalion. Company - related to the company, ... - TOOL in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
a, m. 1. A tool (predominantly manual) for production of some and work. joiner and. Surgical and. 2. collected The collection of such weapons. Collect… - COMPANY in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, -s, w. A military unit that is usually part of a battalion. Rifle, motorized infantry, tank, mortar, sapper r. Whole r. someone (transl.: ... - TOOL in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, -a, m. 1. A tool for the production of some kind of. works. Manual and. machine and. Control and measuring and. Surgical and. 2. collected That … - CELTIC in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, th, th. 1. see the Celts. 2. Relating to the Celts, their languages, way of life, culture, as well as places... - STRING
STRING ORCHESTRA, an orchestra consisting of stringed bowed instruments - violins, violas, cellos, ... - STRING in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
STRING SENSOR, will measure. stretched transducer steel string and el.-mechan. converter that excites the vibrations of the string and converts them into electric. … - COMPANY in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
ROTA (Rota), city and port in the south of Spain, in authorship. region Andalusia. OK. 30 t.zh. Winemaking. Military-mor. base ... - COMPANY in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
ROTA (Polish rota), osn. tactical unit in motorized rifle. (motorized infantry, infantry), tank, engineer and other troops. Consists of several platoons and... - COMPANY in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
ROTA (Rotha) Paul (1907-84), English. documentary filmmaker, film critic. R.'s work is characterized by a social orientation. F .: "Shipyard" (1934), "World of abundance" (1943), "Promised Land" ... - COMPANY in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
ROTA (Rota) Nino (1911-79), Italian. composer. Pupil of I. Pizzetti, A. Casella. Music for films (st. 100): "Road", "Nights of Cabiria", "War ... - TOOL in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
INSTRUMENT (from lat. instrumentum - a tool), an instrument of human labor or will perform. machine mechanism. There are I .: manual, machine and mechanized (manual ... - TOOL in the Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron:
? the ability to use tools to facilitate labor is one of the characteristics of man: Franklin even defines man as "an animal that makes its own ... - STRING
string, string, string, string, string, string, string, string, string, string, string, string, string, string, string string, string, string, string, string, string, string, string, string, ... - COMPANY in the Full accentuated paradigm according to Zaliznyak:
ro"ta, ro"you, ro"you, ro"t, ro"te, ro"there, ro"that, ro"you, ro"toy, ro"toyu, ro"tami, ro"te, ... - CELTIC in the Full accentuated paradigm according to Zaliznyak:
ke"Ltish, ke"Ltish, ke"Ltish, ke"Ltish, ke"Ltish, ke"Ltish, ke"Ltish, ke"Ltish, ke"Ltish, ke"Ltish, ke"Ltish, ke"Ltish, ke" Lithuanian, Celtic, Celtic, Celtic, Celtic, Celtic, Celtic, Celtic, Celtic, ... - TOOL in the Full accentuated paradigm according to Zaliznyak:
tools, tools, tools, tools, tools, tools, tools, tools, tools, tools, tools, tools, tools, tools, tools, tools, ... - COMPANY in the Anagram Dictionary.
- TOOL in the Popular Explanatory-Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Russian Language:
-a, m. 1) A tool, a device used in everyday life and in various areas of human productivity or some kind of. other special activities, and ... - COMPANY in the Dictionary for solving and compiling scanwords:
One hundred warriors, one ... - TOOL in the Thesaurus of Russian business vocabulary:
Syn: tool, mechanism, ... - TOOL in the New Dictionary of Foreign Words:
(lat. instrumentum) 1) a tool for work (and. plumbing, surgical, etc.); 2) a special device designed to extract music. … - TOOL in the Dictionary of Foreign Expressions:
[lat. instrumentum] 1. tool for work (and. plumbing, surgical, etc.); 2. a special device designed to extract music. sounds... - TOOL in the Russian Thesaurus:
Syn: tool, mechanism, ... - TOOL in the Dictionary of synonyms of Abramov:
tool, projectile, tackle, device, harness, fixture, organ, apparatus, machine. Wed . Cm. … - STRING
two-string, two-string, multi-string, one-string, seven-string, three-string, four-string, … - COMPANY in the dictionary of Synonyms of the Russian language:
author, division, ... - TOOL in the dictionary of Synonyms of the Russian language:
Syn: tool, mechanism, ... - STRING
adj. 1) Related by value. with noun: string (1), associated with it. 2) a) Having strings as its main element (o ... - COMPANY in the New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language Efremova:
and. 1) A military unit that is part of a battalion or other larger military unit. 2) trans. Use when pointing to... - CELTIC in the New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language Efremova:
adj. 1) Relating to the Celts, associated with them. 2) Peculiar to the Celts, characteristic of them. 3) Owned... - TOOL in the New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language Efremova:
m. 1) A tool - usually manual - for the production of some kind of l. works. 2) unfold Musical instrument. 3) trans. The tool used for… - ...STRING in the New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language Efremova:
The final part of complex adjectives, introducing meaning: having as many strings as indicated in the first part of the word (three-string, seven-string, eight-string, etc.) ... - COMPANY
rota, ... - CELTIC in the Dictionary of the Russian language Lopatin.
- TOOL in the Dictionary of the Russian Language Lopatin:
tool, ... - STRING in the Complete Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language.
- COMPANY in the Complete Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language:
company, ...
Love ... An amazing magical feeling that gives people incredible pleasure, hope for happiness and bliss. Mankind knows many wonderful stories about love, treats them with reverence and keeps them in its memory. Beautiful legends about the selfless feeling of Tristan and Isolde, Jotha and Akbar, Romeo and Juliet are carefully passed down from generation to generation. There are many love stories, but there is one more that deserves special attention. It has come down to us since ancient times, from ancient Greece. This is a legend about the famous Greek singer Orpheus and his beloved wife, the nymph Eurydice. Legend has it that Orpheus, having lost his beloved, who died from a snakebite, decided on a desperate act: he descended into underworld to ask Hades, the god of the dead, to return Eurydice to him. Orpheus's faithful companion and assistant on this difficult journey was his lyre, the magical sounds of which could stop rivers, enchant nature, animals and birds. What kind of tool is it that has such magical properties? According to ancient Greek myth the lyre in infancy from a tortoise shell, bull horns and three sinew strings was created by the god Hermes, who has many talents. Then he exchanged it for a herd of divine cows belonging to the god of higher spirituality and arts, Apollo, fascinated by the sound of the instrument, which in turn gave, but already a seven-stringed instrument, the legendary Orpheus, who brought the lyre to the world of people.
Sound
What is the sound of the lyre - an instrument of divine origin, which our distant ancestors loved very much? Her voice is very gentle, iridescent and charmingly soaring. It was believed that the wonderful sounds of the lyre cleansed and healed the soul, filling it with heavenly harmony. The lyre was played while sitting or standing, holding the instrument in relation to the body at a slight angle. During the performance, various sound extraction techniques were used, such as string plucking and plucking: right hand swiped along the strings, and with the left they muffled unnecessary sounds.
Photo:
Interesting Facts
- The lyre was often depicted on ancient coins.
- The lyre is currently used as a folk instrument in some parts of northeast Africa.
- The oldest lira preserved on the European continent is about 2.5 millennia old.
Folk music and instruments of the North European Middle Ages
She was found in Scotland in 2010.
- The lyre is mentioned in the old English poem "Boevulf", written at the turn of the first millennium of our era. This ancient poem, consisting of 3182 lines, has come down to us in full.
- Ancient lyres can be seen today in the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archeology in Oxford (England), the archaeological museum in Heraklion (Greece), the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem (Israel), as well as in the historical museums of London (England), Pennsylvania (USA) and Baghdad ( Iraq).
- At the present time, lira is a word that has a lot of meanings: it is a symbol and attribute of poets; emblem of military bands; the monetary unit of Italy, the Vatican and Turkey; a constellation located in the northern hemisphere in which the brightest is a star called "Vega"; an Australian bird with a tail shaped like a lyre.
- There are a lot of musical instruments that have the word lyre in their name. However, it is worth noting that they have nothing to do with the ancient lyre, for example: wheeled lyre, Pontic lyre, Cretan lyre, Byzantine lyre, lyre da braccio, lyre da gamba.
Design
The lyre, which has a very original configuration, consists of a resonator body, which was originally made of tortoise shell and tightened with a bovine skin membrane. Later it began to be made in the form of a quadrangle made of wood. Two elegantly curved in the form of a collar racks were attached to the body, for the manufacture of which wood or antelope horns were used. At the upper end of the racks are connected by a crossbar, from which the strings are stretched to the resonator. The number of strings on instruments varies greatly: four, seven, ten, and in experimental instruments - twelve, eighteen or more.
Varieties of the lyre
The lyre family includes instruments of various types and sizes, but the most popular are helis, forming and cithara.
- Helis - this is the name of the most primitive lyre with a body made of tortoise shell, which was covered with ox skin. The instrument was light, small in size and was popular for playing music with women.
- Forminga - an instrument of ancient Greek storytellers - Aeds, which did not differ in particular sonority. It has a peculiar design that allows it to be held with the help of a dressing thrown over the shoulder.
- Kifara is an instrument with a flat heavy body, which could only be played by men. The number of strings varied from seven to twelve.
Story
The lyre, an instrument primarily associated with the culture of Ancient Greece and Rome, appeared in people's lives so long ago that today no historian can accurately name the time and place of its occurrence. According to some assumptions, the homeland of the lyre is Thrace, and according to others, the Middle East. It was in Mesopotamia, one of ancient civilizations, on the territory of the Sumerian Ur, during archaeological sites similar stringed musical instruments have been found, the manufacture of which dates back to the middle of the third millennium BC. Art historians subsequently gave them the name of Urish lyres. The instruments found were quite large, with eight to twelve strings and a resonator shaped like a bull's head. In Assyria, the bull was a symbol of fertility and enjoyed special reverence among the inhabitants of the country. In biblical stories, we find repeated mention that around the same time, the lyre was in great demand in Ancient Egypt, as well as a favorite instrument of the Jewish people. It was with pleasure that King David played music, who was a bright personality not only in the Old Testament, but also in world history.
The earliest image of the lyre that has come down to us dates back to the Minoan civilization (1400 BC) and is located in the famous sarcophagus of Agia Triada, which was originally located in the southern part of the island of Crete. There is a hypothesis that it was from Crete that the lyre began its spread throughout Greece and the Roman Empire, where it received its original configuration in the form of a horseshoe, and also took a very high place in the hierarchy of musical instruments used at that time. The lyre, which played an important role in the culture of these countries, was considered an Apollonian, noble instrument, learning on which was mandatory in the education of a "free" citizen. She was a sought-after instrument not only among the famous musicians of that time, but also among the "ancient bards", which included storytellers, charismatics and poets. And since the sound of the lyre accompanied not only singing, but also recitation, hence a certain type of ancient poetry was later called "lyrical". In addition, the instrument was actively used in home music-making: it was considered decent for decent women. Since the lyre was very popular, the craftsmen constantly modified it, made it in different types and sizes. The number of strings on the instrument varied and reached eighteen, but the seven-string lyre was still considered the most popular.
In the era of late antiquity, during the decline of the Greco-Roman civilization, the lyre gradually began to spread across Europe to the north, among the Celtic and Finnish peoples. There, it underwent some structural changes, since it was made from a single piece of wood. After the first millennium from the Nativity of Christ, the lyre changed significantly, somewhere from a plucked one it turned into bowed instrument, somewhere she added a neck to herself, and in her primary form she gradually disappeared from active use, but retained her aristocratic status.
Unfortunately, the lyre, which is the progenitor of many musical instruments, does not receive due attention at the present time, but people remember it and this is confirmed by the emblem of musical art in the form of this elegant ancient instrument.
Video: listen to the lyre
Lute
Basic information
Lute- an ancient stringed musical instrument. The word lute probably comes from the Arabic word al'ud (tree), although recent research by Eckhard Neubauer proves that 'ud is simply an Arabized version of the Persian word rud meaning string, stringed instrument, or lute. At the same time, Gianfranco Lotti believes that in early Islam "tree" was a term with a derogatory connotation, due to the ban on any instrumental music that existed in it. A lute player is called a lute player, and a master maker is called a lute.
Manufacturing
Lutes are made almost entirely of wood. A soundboard made from a thin sheet of wood (usually spruce) has an oval shape.
Rota, Celtic stringed instrument
In all lute types, the soundboard contains a single or sometimes triple rosette instead of the sound hole. Sockets are usually richly decorated.
The body of the lute is assembled from individual ribs of hardwood (maple, cherry, ebony, rosewood, etc.). Unlike most modern stringed instruments, the lute neck is mounted flush with the soundboard and does not hang over it. The lute neck is usually made of light wood with an ebony finish.
History, origin
The origin of the lute is not known for certain. Various versions of the instrument have been used since ancient times in the cultures of Egypt, the Hittite kingdom, Greece, Rome, Bulgaria, Turkey, China, and Cilicia. At the beginning of the 7th century, lute variants similar in shape appeared in Persia, Armenia, Byzantium and the Arab Caliphate. In the 6th century, thanks to the Bulgarians, the short-necked lute spread throughout the Balkan Peninsula, and in the 8th century it was introduced by the Moors into the cultures of Spain and Catalonia, thus displacing the long-necked lutes, pandura and zither that had dominated the Mediterranean until then. The history of the latter, however, did not end there: on their basis, the Italian guitar, kolashon and chitarrone arose.
At the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, many Spanish, Catalan and Portuguese lutenists, along with the lute, began to use the vihuela de mano (“hand vihuela”), an instrument that is close in shape to the viola da gamba and whose tuning corresponds to that of the lute. Vihuela under the name "viola da mano" further spread to the regions of Italy under the rule of Spain, especially in Sicily, the Kingdom of Naples and the papal state under Pope Alexander VI.
Perhaps the most important "transit point" between the Muslim and European Christian cultures in this case should be considered precisely Sicily, where the lute was brought by Byzantine or, later, Saracen musicians. Due to the fact that these lute singers served as court musicians in the period following the revival of Christianity on the island, the lute is depicted more often than any other musical instruments on the ceiling paintings of the Cappella Palatina church (Palermo, Italy) built in 1140 founded by the Norman king Roger II. By the 14th century, the lute had already spread throughout Italy and was able to penetrate the German-speaking countries from Palermo, probably due to the influence exerted on the cultures of neighboring states by the Hohenstaufen dynasty.
Medieval lutes had four or five paired strings. Sound extraction was carried out using a plectrum. The size of the lutes varied: there is documentary evidence that by the end of the Renaissance there were up to seven sizes (including the bass lute). Apparently, in the Middle Ages, the lute was mainly used for accompaniment. The number of scores of music written before the beginning of the 16th century that have survived to this day, which can be attributed with a high degree of certainty to those composed specifically for the lute, is extremely small. Most likely, this is due to the fact that in the Middle Ages and at the beginning of the Renaissance, lute accompaniment was of an improvisational nature that did not require musical notation.
In the last decades of the 15th century, lutenists gradually abandoned the use of the plectrum in favor of a finger-playing method more suitable for playing polyphonic music. The number of paired strings has increased to six or more. In the 16th century, the lute became the main solo instrument of its time, but continued to be used to accompany singers.
By the end of the Renaissance, the number of paired strings had grown to ten, and in the Baroque era it reached fourteen (sometimes reaching nineteen). Instruments, numbering up to 26-35 strings, required a change in the very structure of the lute. At the time of its completion, the archlute, theorbo and torban were equipped with extensions built into the main peg head, which created an additional resonating length of the bass strings. The human palm is incapable of spanning fourteen strings to clamp, and so the bass strings were hung off the fretboard and never clamped with the left hand.
In the Baroque era, the functions of the lute were largely reduced to the accompaniment of basso continuo, and gradually it was supplanted in this form by keyboard instruments. Since the 19th century, the lute has practically fallen into disuse, but several of its varieties continued to exist in Germany, Sweden and Ukraine.
Most Outstanding Composers
The most prominent composers who composed for the lute in different eras:
Renaissance composers:
Italy: Vincenzo Capirola, Francesco Canova da Milano;
Central Europe: Balint Backfark, Diomed Kato, Wojciech Dlugaray, Krzysztof Klabon, Melchior Neusiedler, Jakub Polak;
England: John Dowland, John Johnson, Philip Rosseter, Thomas Campion;
Baroque composers:
Italy: Alessandro Piccinini, Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Jerome Kapsberger;
France: Robert de Wiese, Denis Gauthier;
Germany: Johann Sebastian Bach, Silvius Leopold Weiss, Wolf Jakob Lauffensteiner, Bernhard Joachim Hagen, Adam Falkenhagen, Karl Kohout;
Modern composers:
Johann Nepomuk David (Germany), Vladimir Vavilov (Russia), Sandor Kallos (Hungary and Russia), Stefan Lundgren (Germany and Sweden), Toyohiko Sato (Japan and Holland), Ronn McFarlane (USA), Paulo Galvao (Portugal), Rob MacKillop (Scotland), Josef van Wissems (Holland), Alexander Danilevsky (France and Russia), Roman Turovsky-Savchuk (USA and Ukraine), Maxim Zvonarev (Ukraine).
Video: Lute on video + sound
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Lyra
Basic information
Lyra- a yoke-shaped plucked stringed musical instrument with two curved posts protruding from the resonator body and connected closer to the upper end by a crossbar, to which five or more core strings are extended from the body.
Origin, historical notes
Originating in prehistoric times in the Middle East, the lyre was one of the main instruments of the Jews, and later the Greeks and Romans. The instrument served to accompany singing, in which case it was played with a large plectrum.
With the decline of the Greco-Roman civilization, the distribution area of the lyre moved to Northern Europe. The northern lyre, as a rule, differed in design from the ancient one: the posts, the crossbar and the resonator body were often carved from one piece of wood.
After 1000 AD e. not plucked, but bowed lyres became widespread, especially among the Welsh and Finns. Nowadays, only the Finns, as well as their Siberian relatives Khanty and Mansi, use the lira.
In ancient Greece, recitation was accompanied by playing the lyre. The lyre of classical antiquity was usually played by plucking the strings with a plectrum, like playing a guitar or zither, rather than by plucking the strings, like playing a harp. The fingers of the free hand muted the strings that were unnecessary for a given chord.
According to Greek myth, the baby Hermes invented the first lyre. He took an empty tortoise shell, fitted cow horns and a crossbar on both sides, and strung three strings. The adventurous continuation of this myth tells how Hermes kidnapped the herd that Apollo was herding, and then exchanged this herd for his invention, the lyre, to which Apollo added the fourth string. This myth is even retold in Leopold Mozart's Violin School published in 1756!
Later, the lyre usually had seven strings.
In Crete, the lyre was already known around 1400 BC, but the instrument itself, apparently, is even older. According to legend, the legendary Greek musicians of divine or semi-divine origin played the lyre: Orpheus (who allegedly was given the lyre by Apollo himself) and Amphion, who built the walls of Thebes to the sounds of the lyre.
Celtic stringed musical instrument derived from the lyre
The same legends, echoed in ancient musical treatises, even brought to us the structure of the so-called Orpheus lyre in modern terms, these are the notes mi, si, la, mi, taken from the first octave down.
Although the lyre was used by many prominent musicians, who increased the number of strings on it to 9 (Theophrastus of Pieria) and even up to 12 (Melanippides), in the classical and Hellenistic era it was mainly a domestic instrument, since its sound was not very loud. It taught beginners.
The lyre was also played by women, since it was not as heavy as the cithara and did not require great physical strength. Moreover, unlike the wind instrument of the aulos, or aulus, playing the lyre was not considered an obscene occupation for a decent woman, since some Muses were also depicted with a lyre.
In Ukraine and Belarus, the lyre is an ancient stringed folk instrument (XVII centuries) with a large elongated body, otherwise called "ryle". Three strings of various tunings are stretched over the body, placed in a special box. A small keyboard with 8-11 keys is attached to the side of the drawer. The player with his left hand presses the keys, and with his right hand he turns the handle, which sets in motion a special wheel, covered with hair, leather and rubbed with rosin. The wheel rubs against the strings and makes them sound. The middle string changes its height by pressing the keys and serves to play melodies. The extreme strings do not change their pitch during playing. The sound of the lyre is strong, sharp, somewhat nasal in tone.
Video: Lyra on video + sound
Thanks to these videos, you can get acquainted with the instrument, watch the real game on it, listen to its sound, feel the specifics of the technique:
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Like a gramophone or a copier, the word "ionics" came from a trademark, which gradually spread not only to its products, but to all similar things. And at the end of the last century, small-sized synthesizers, which could often be seen at concerts, were called ionics. musical groups. Such devices are also called "electric organs", but the word "synthesizer" is more familiar to most listeners.
What is ionics
In principle, real ionics were rather primitive devices. But it so happened that this musical instrument became a whole era in youth music. Imported equipment from the capitalist countries was not only inaccessible to us, but, for the most part, completely unknown. But it was possible to import from socialist countries. And so the German synthesizer (more precisely, "Gedheer", as they said then), became a "star".
Ionica was the name given to a synthesizer manufactured by the German Democratic Republic, first released in 1959. It was named so for 2 reasons. First, because of the design of the device. Initially, in addition to electronic radio tubes, it also used ion lamps - neon, or the so-called thyratrons. Second, there is such a rare German female name- Ionica. Together we have an interesting brand name.
Ion lamps did not justify themselves, they were not reliable enough. Therefore, they were replaced by electronic ones both during repairs and with the release of new synthesizer models. Under the name "Ionica", several semiconductor models were even released. And in the Soviet Union, all small synthesizers gradually began to call this word, including those that had nothing to do with the GDR. Now, however, the manner of calling synthesizers ionics has gradually become a thing of the past, but in the new century they sometimes say so. As a rule, people who made the times of popularity of real "ionics".
What is ionics
For our times, the ionic synthesizer is something outdated to such an extent that it is difficult to find even a photo of products with this particular brand on the Internet. As a rule, other synthesizers come across, similar in appearance. But once upon a time, almost no small VIA, aka a vocal and instrumental ensemble, could do without this small and convenient “electric organ”. He entered the history of music so firmly that he still lives in it through the song "Chizh" about the school ensemble ...
What were these synthesizers good for? Let's remember the Soviet times. Others were simply not available. Therefore, almost any tool that you could get at that time was considered good. In addition, the ionics were relatively compact, which is a huge plus for small groups without their own transport. If the musicians got to the venue on foot, of course, it was more convenient for them to carry a neat, small-sized synthesizer in their hands than to drag something larger, albeit of high quality. And two guitars and ionics - it's almost VIA, although with drums, of course, it's more interesting.
Such a synthesizer was relatively easy to play, precisely because of its primitiveness and simplicity. For beginner musicians, this was also a noticeable plus. You can find photos of girls with ionics, for such artists, of course, the light weight of the instrument was also very important. Something more weighty, it's more for guys. It turned out fun, simple and incendiary, and the fans of those VIA did not need more.
What is ionics
In addition, Ionic is also called the Ionic architectural style.
Musical instruments
Of course, if you come across an expression like "ionic column", it is immediately clear that this combination of words has nothing to do with music. Ancient Greek ionics appeared before our era, in the fourth or fifth centuries. However, this, as they say, is a completely different story.
Arabic musical instruments
You may, of course, ask why we should study arabic musical instruments, if we are not musicians, but dancers, but it's better not to ask :) Because music has the most direct relation to us - we dance to the music, and it is this that we must feel and express with our dance. Theoretical knowledge about the instruments that are used in oriental melodies will help us to perceive what we hear even more deeply, and to beat it with movements more competently and interestingly.
Perhaps the main instrument of Egypt, and the "queen" of all oriental compositions is TABLA
- a drum, very reminiscent of the Central Asian darbuku or dumbek.
Egyptian tabla
most often ceramic with mother-of-pearl inlay or painting on ceramics. Sizes can be different: 30-40 cm high and 20-35 cm in diameter. The more expensive drums are covered with fish skins, while the cheaper ones are covered with goats. In addition to natural ceramic tablets, metal darbukas with a plastic membrane are also very popular in Egypt. The main heavy blows "dum" are made in the center, and the secondary "tek" - at the rim.
Virtually no song belly dance not without sound tablets.
And also dancers often perform tabla solo, that is Oriental dance only with drums. The drum can set not only a rhythmic pattern, but also fill the sound with interesting long fractions, either increasing or decreasing, and interesting accents.
Audio "Tabla"
Egypt also has frame drums RIC (tambourine) and DEF.
RIC
- a small frame drum that looks like a tambourine. It can be heard in classical, pop and dance oriental music.
Lyre (musical instrument)
It is also used as an accessory for belly dancing. As a rule, the rik is 17 cm in diameter, and the depth of the rim is 5 cm. The outer side of the rim is inlaid with mother-of-pearl, just like in the classical Egyptian tabla. Five pairs of copper plates are installed in the rim, creating an additional ringing. Therefore, ricks are often quite heavy in weight.
Audio "Rick"
DEF
– a large-diameter frame drum without metal cymbals on the rim, used for bass rhythmic accompaniment.
Audio "Def"
There is also a big drum DOHOL
- a percussion musical instrument consisting of a hollow cylindrical body, about 1 m in diameter and 25-30 cm high. Both ends of the cylinder are covered with highly stretched skin. On dohol
they extract the sound either with their hands or with two sticks, one of which looks like a cane, and the other looks like a thin rod.
Audio "Dohol"
Sometimes you can see how belly dancer during the performance, she accompanies herself with small metal cymbals, dressed on her fingers - this SAGATS.
These are two pairs of plates, usually made of brass, worn on the middle and thumb of each hand, for dancers - small, for musicians - more.
Sagata
- this is a very ancient musical instrument that has analogues in many countries (Russia - spoons, Spain - castanets). IN Arabic dances they have very often been part of the musical accompaniment of the dancer since the days of the Gavezi. Now in oriental dances sagats
used in folklore and classical performance (rax sharki, beledi).
Audio "Sagata"
SISTR
- a musical instrument from the category of percussion (castanets); Ancient Egyptian temple rattle. It consists of a metal plate in the form of an oblong horseshoe or bracket, to the narrower part of which a handle is attached. Through small holes made on the sides of this horseshoe, metal rods of various sizes were threaded, the ends of which were bent with a hook. Plates or bells put on hooks of metal rods tinkled or rattled when shaken.
Audio "Systr"
Well, now after such loud and percussive instruments, let's move on to more melodic ones :)
EVE
- This harp-like stringed musical instrument. It is placed horizontally and played with the help of metal tips put on the fingers. It's pretty hard to play. And oriental dancers, when they hear eve in the composition, and it usually sounds in a certain part on its own, solo, use various combinations of shaking in their improvisation.
Audio "Eve"
UDD
It is a fretless plucked lute with a short neck, shaped like half a pear. Super popular in Egyptian and Turkish music for hundreds of years, the oud is also found in North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and the Sahara.
Audio "Udd"
MISMAR
- wind musical instrument. It has two reeds and two pipes of the same length. Mizmar belongs to the world of folk music and is most often heard in Eastern folklore, especially in Saidi.
Audio "Mizmar"
NEY
It is a flute that is open on both sides. It comes in different sizes and is traditionally made from cane or bamboo. However, nowadays plastic or even metal is used instead of traditional materials. The structure and use of this tool deceives with its simplicity: most often nay
has one finger hole at the bottom and six at the top, and the musician simply blows into the tube. Thanks to a special technique, a musician can play within more than three octaves. Basic tone nay
depends on the length of the tube.
Audio "Nay"
RABABA - a stringed bowed instrument of Arabic origin, with an almost round body and a small round hole for resonance on the soundboard. It usually has one or two strings. Often used in Gulf music.
"RABABA"
Delving into the world of musical instruments of the Persian Gulf countries, it is also impossible not to talk about TAR - the most important instrument of the classical musical tradition of Iran. Tar - a stringed instrument played with a metal plectrum, a mezrab, inserted into a ball of wax. In past Iranian tar had five strings, but six strings are currently made. Most often a resonator (deck) container carved from seasoned mulberry wood. The older and drier the wood gets, the better the instrument will sound. The frets are usually made from some type of sheep intestine, and the neck and head container - walnut. The shape of the resonator of the instrument is like two hearts put together, on the reverse side it looks like a seated person. The stand for strings, called "donkey", is made from the horn of a mountain goat. Camel bone is used on both sides of the front of the neck.
"TAR"
DUTAR (translated from Persian as "two strings") is an Iranian stringed plucked instrument which, as its name suggests, has two strings. When playing this instrument, they usually use not a plectrum, but a fingernail. Dutar It has a pear-shaped body and a rather long neck (about 60 cm). The pear-shaped part of the dutar is made of black mulberry wood, and its neck is made of apricot wood or walnut wood.
"DUTAR"
Similar to the previous tool, SETAR (from Persian “three strings”) is an Iranian stringed plucked instrument, which is usually played not with a plectrum, but with a fingernail. In past setar had three strings, now it has four (the third and fourth strings are close to each other, they are touched simultaneously when playing, as a result of which they are usually “combined”, called the bass string).
"SETAR"
Having named quite a few arabic musical instruments, I want to say that this is not all :) East large, and in almost every country, every region has its own characteristic national instruments. But with the main ones, with whom we often meet, dancing our favorite Eastern dance, we may have introduced you. Also, in addition to truly oriental instruments, in songs for belly dance we can often hear sounds that are more familiar to us accordion, synthesizer, violin, trumpet, saxophone, guitar and even organ.
Each musical instrument has its own character, its own personality and its own charm. We wish you a pleasant listening and acquaintance with them, and further fruitful creative collaboration in belly dancing :)
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS OF INDIA
The most important place among the musical instruments of ancient India belonged to percussion and strings. Masters created metal cymbals, gongs, drums. The drums were covered with leather or parchment, which were previously treated with special decoctions of rice and herbs. Thanks to this dressing, a soft and rich sound was achieved.
tabla
Most expressive in tone steam drum tabla, shaped like modern timpani; the sound from it is extracted by blows of the hands (brush and fingers). There is a legend about the birth of tabla. During the time of Akbar, there were two professional Pakhawaj players. They were bitter rivals and constantly competed with each other. Once, in a heated drumming match, one of the rivals - Sudhar Khan - was defeated and, unable to bear his bitterness, threw his pakhawaj to the ground. The drum broke into two pieces, which became tabla and dagga.
Ghatam
Another type of drum ghatam. This is an instrument in the form of a clay pot covered with leather; it is played with the palm, fingers and even nails. This technique allows you to extract very diverse sounds from simple instruments.
Lyra - an ancient musical instrument
It may seem to some that this is an ordinary clay pot. However, this is not so, although initially, of course, pots were used for the game. Today Ghatam is a full-fledged Indian musical instrument. The ghatam should differ from the pot in musicality - the walls should be of the same thickness, otherwise the sound will be uneven. Ghatam is a very ancient instrument, it was mentioned in the Ramayana (written, they say, several thousand years before our era). It is used, as a rule, as a rhythmic accompaniment to other Indian instruments. Sometimes - along with the tablet.
mridangam
mridangam is a South Indian variant of the pakhawaj drum. It bears a strong physical resemblance to the pakhawaj, but there are significant differences both in construction and in the way it is played. The tone of this instrument is also different - due to the design features. The structure of the mridangam is interesting. It has a dense annular membrane around the circumference right side; between the annular and main membranes there are several bundles of straw. On the right side there is a special blotch called soru or karanai. On the left side of the mridangam, to obtain the main deep tone, another blotch is made from a mixture of flour and water, which is removed after each performance. The lacing and drum bases sit on top of a cylindrical wood frame. Jackwood is used for the frame. Mridangam is an indispensable participant in South Indian classical performances. At these performances, performers play the most difficult passages, accompanying vocalists, as well as performers playing the vina, violin or gottuvadyama. It is a very complex art, requiring many years of practice to achieve mastery.
Manjira
Manjira known by many names. They are also called "janj", "tala" or a number of other words. In fact, this is a set of two small cymbals. It is an essential component for performing dance music and bhajans. This is a very ancient instrument - its images can be seen on the walls of temples from ancient times. Manjira are used in the performance of dance music, bhajans.
Guilt
Guilt- an ancient Indian plucked (plector) musical instrument. It has the shape of a lute. For a gentle and rich timbre, wine is called the queen of strings. It is considered a difficult instrument to learn and requires years of practice. The Indian goddess Saraswati, considered the patroness of the arts, is often depicted with wine in her hand.
Sitar on the device resembles guilt. The name probably comes from the Persian "setar" - the progenitor of many stringed instruments of the East. The sitar appeared in India in the 13th century during the period of increasing Muslim influence and initially looked something like its close relative, the Tajik setor, which, however, is three-stringed (ce means three). However, in India, the instrument changed: a medium-sized wooden resonator was replaced with a huge gourd, but they did not stop there and added another gourd resonator, attaching it to the top of a hollow fretboard, the soundboard was richly decorated with rosewood and ivory, and the imposed vein frets were replaced with metal arched ones. .
In addition to ship strings, bowed strings also existed in India.
Sarangi
First of all, this sarangi- a rectangular instrument, the upper part of which is covered with leather. Sarangi is rather complicated. In addition to the three four main playing strings, it also has additional, resonating strings (twenty-five - thirty), located under the playing ones. The bow does not touch the resonating strings, but during playing music they also vibrate, which gives the sound a specific color. Indian musicians even compare the sounds made by the sarangi with the human voice. The instrument is carved from a single piece of wood - very light, Khiro. In India, traditionally different parts of musical instruments are named by analogy with the human body parts. So, the Indian Sarangi (sarangi) has a head (peg box), a neck (neck), the ears are tuning pegs, and the chest is the body of the Sarangi itself. In Nepal, musicians name the strings of the 4-string Sarangi after family members: father, son, daughter and mother.
Shankha
Shankha- a ritual object in Hinduism, a large sea shell. This is the shell of a large marine mollusk that lives in the Indian Ocean. In the West, this type of shell is called the "sacred shell." In Hindu art, the shankha is most often depicted as an attribute of Vishnu. Shankha is also included in the list of eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism, ashtamangala. The shankha is trumpeted during Hindu temple rituals, and in the past it was also used on the battlefield to call troops, announce an attack or start a battle. As a water symbol, shankha is associated with glory, longevity, prosperity, cleansing from sins, as well as with the eternal abode of Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and wife of Vishnu.
Music occupied one of the most important places in the system of arts of ancient India. Its origins go back to folk and religious rites. Cosmological ideas of ancient India touched the spheres of vocal and instrumental music. It is interesting that almost all ancient instruments have survived to this day, and modern Indian musicians play them exactly following the traditions.
2010 Music blog "Gusli"
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