Estonian folk music instruments. Taive Särg
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Estonian folk music instruments. Taive SärgIn earlier times all music instruments (incl. fiddles, accordions) were made at home. Musical instruments had many functions in folk culture. Musical instruments
The international classification of music instruments was in 1914 prepared by Austrian scientists Curt Sachs and Eduard Hornbostel in order to provide a system for the instruments of the peoples of the world according to their sound creating principle.
Aerophones is the largest group. Wind instruments were made of natural material available (bark, timber, reed, clay, bird bones, animal horns, straw, stalks, tree leaves, etc.). A number of them were instrumental in animal herding and their use was restricted only to the period of active outdoor grazing. Very popular were different whistles, made of natural materials, e.g. willow bark, straw, clay etc. The most basic ones produced only a few tones and were mainly made as toys for children. The ones with several finger holes already allowed to perform the melody. Reed pipe developed into the most popular Estonian wind instrument - the bagpipe.
Bagpipes played at festivities, but also at other gatherings. Herdsman's horns and trumpets (karjsasarv, karjapasun) were sounded in taking the cattle grazing in the morning and returning home in the evening. The large herdsman's trumpet (up to 2 metres in length) was his tool and boys were not allowed to touch it. The first diatonic accordion (lõõtspill ‘bellow instrumnt’) was constructed in Berlin in 1822 (Germ Handharmonika, Ziehharmonika.). Accordion is played on the knees, it had melody keys on one end and base on the other. A relatively small instrument could play wide range melodies. Accordion became quickly very popular and spread all over the world. There are some local types of diatonic accordion in Estonia, most popular is Teppo lõõts or Estonian lõõts, called by a famous accordion master. Cordophones Kannel is the oldest known instrument in Estonia. It is believed to have been around for about 2000 years. Such an instrument is common to cultures of the Baltic Finns, the Balts and the northwestern Russians. Kannel falls into three types:
Põispill (‘bladder instrument’ ~ bumbass), an instrument with one string has been used as a joke at festivities. Violin (viiul) reached Estonian towns in the 17th century, in the 18th century spread among peasants. In the 19th century fiddle began to replace bagpipe playing, because it was more suitable to accompany the more recent dances (quadrille, polka, schottische, gallop, polka mazurka, waltz, etc.). It was not an easy instrument to master and needed continuous practice. The general level was kept up by school and choir singing, as in the 19th and early 20th centuries singing was mainly taught with the help of violin. Schoolteachers got instruction also in violin playing. Folk fiddle players usually made their own instruments, and applied a popular performance style with improvisation and the use of open strings. The spread of fiddle music developed also playing in groups: two fiddles, fiddle and kannel, etc. Musicians could also sing by resting their instrument on the chest (instead of the more recent position under the chin). Bowed harp (hiiu kannel, Sw talharpa) reached Estonia probably through the Swedes who settled in the islands and coastal areas. This instrument is rectangular or has a fiddle-like body, with a rectangular frame on top that hold 3 to 4 strings made of horsehair or sheep intestines. The instrument is placed on or between the knees and played with an arrow-shaped bow. Psalmodikon (in Estonian moldpill ‘trough instrument') is a relatively new instrument, dating from 1829 in Sweden, constructed on the basis of monochord and hummel. It has the shape of an overturned small trough, there is only one string with fingerboard and note marks underneath, and it is played with a bow. The instrument spread widely in Lutheran regions to accompany spiritual music, including also Estonian peasants. It was easy to make and was used to teach and accompany choral singing at home, and in smaller schools and church congregations who could not afford other instruments.. In the early 20th century also guitars and mandolins were spread. Idiophones and membranophones are mainly rhythm instruments, the most popular are jews harp and bench (or ash) instrument. Many instruments (bagpipe, small kannel, bowed harp) have been successfully revived and one can learn to play instruction camps, at various schools and in college. Download 11.71 Kb. Share with your friends:
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