Gusli. History of the ancient instrument

Gusli - ancient musical instrument. Thousands of years of human history have hidden from us both the age and place of their birth. AT different countries and different peoples called this instrument differently. Among the Slavs, the name of this instrument, I think, is associated with the sound of a bowstring. The same string that was pulled over the bow.

In ancient times, the elastic bow string was called differently - "gusla". Here is one of the hypotheses for the origin of the name of the instrument. And by attaching a hollow vessel to a string, we get a primitive musical instrument. So: strings and a resonator that amplifies their sound is the main principle of this plucked instrument.

Back in the 9th century, the Slavs surprised the kings of Byzantium with the harp. In those distant times, the psaltery was made from dugout dry boards of spruce or maple. Maple "Yavor" is especially loved by music masters. This is where the name of the gusli comes from - "Yarovchatye". And as soon as the strings began to be pulled from metal, the psaltery rang and began to be called "voiced".

The fate of this instrument has long been associated with the folk song and epic tradition. For centuries, craftsmen have passed on the secrets of making gusli. Goose tunes, songs of singers, were loved by both the people and the kings.

Today, every orchestra of folk instruments has a harp in its composition. The sound of these instruments gives the orchestra a unique flavor of ancient goose chimes.

Currently, interest in the harp has grown markedly. Modern guslars appeared - storytellers who set themselves the goal of recreating ancient tradition both playing the harp and singing to the harp.

Unfortunately, if you want to buy an instrument, you have to talk about small workshops in Russia, where the harp is very rarely made by individual copies. In the whole world, it seems to me, there is not a single factory where this unique instrument would be produced.

Varieties of gusli

1. Helmet-shaped gusli, or "psalter"

... The bowstring rang,
An arrow flew...

For many centuries, the sonorous harp, the oldest musical instrument of Russians, has been a symbol of the musical culture of Russia. Thousands of years of human history have hidden from us both the age and place of their birth. In different countries and among different peoples, this instrument was called differently. Among the Slavs, the name of this instrument, I think, is associated with the sound of a bowstring. The same string that was pulled over the bow.
One day, our ancient ancestors discovered that if you pull the string properly, it will emit a very harmonious tune. According to this principle, the harp was created, as well as the flute and balalaika, which are a hollow wooden case with stretched strings. We can say that the harp is a horizontally lying harp.

In ancient times, the elastic bow string was called differently - "gusla". Here is one of the hypotheses for the origin of the name of the instrument. And by attaching a hollow vessel to a string, we get a primitive musical instrument. So: strings and a resonator that amplifies their sound is the main principle of this plucked instrument.
The word "gusli" is characteristic of Slavic dialects. There are several versions of the origin of the word. According to one of them, the word "gusli" expresses the totality of strings. "Gusl" (harp) in the sense of "string" obviously comes from the Old Slavonic "gYctu" ("to buzz"). Buzz, buzz in the old days was called the sound of the strings.
In the most ancient Slavic monuments, the word "gusli" is sometimes mentioned to refer to instruments in general. In other cases, perhaps, the name of the gusli refers to string instruments, in contrast to wind and percussion instruments.

The first reliable references to their use are found in Byzantine sources of the 5th century. Heroes of the Russian epic played the harp: Sadko, Dobrynya Nikitich, Boyan. In the great monument ancient Russian literature"The Tale of Igor's Campaign" (XI - XII centuries) poetically sang the image of a gusliar-narrator:

"Boyan, brethren, not 10 falcons
more than a flock of swans,
but my own things and fingers
on live strings loose;
they themselves are the prince of the glory of the roar.

In the ancient Russian manuscript, "The Tale of a Belarusian Man and Monasticism", the miniaturist depicted in the letter "D" the figure of the king (possibly the psalmist David) playing the harp. Their form corresponds to the instrument that existed in those days in Russia. These are the so-called "helmet-like" harps. The shape of their body really resembles a helmet. Subsequently, the shape of the flat resonator box changed. Trapezoidal gusli appeared. The number of strings on the instrument has decreased, and the shape of the body has also changed. So the winged gusli appeared.

According to legend, the ancient Russian harp had a horizontal position, they are usually compared with a recumbent harp. Finns (kantele), Estonians (kannel), Lithuanians (kankles), Latvians (kokles, kokle) have instruments similar in shape.

Back in the 9th century, the Slavs surprised the kings of Byzantium with the harp. In those distant times, the psaltery was made from dugout dry boards of spruce or maple. Maple "Yavor" is especially loved by music masters. This is where the name of the harp comes from - "Yarovchatye". / And as soon as the strings began to be pulled from metal, the harp rang and began to be called "voiced".

Not so long ago, a harp dating back to the 11th-14th centuries was found at archaeological excavations in Novgorod. Among them were 4, 5, 6, 9-stringed psaltery. The harps differed in size. The largest had a length of 85 cm, the smallest 35.5 cm.
Judging by the ancient legends, the strings were played exclusively with fingers. “But the prophetic boyar, if he wanted to sing a song to someone ... he laid his prophetic fingers on living strings, and they themselves rumbled glory to the princes” (“The Tale of Igor's Campaign”).

The fate of this instrument has long been associated with the folk song and epic tradition. The gusli was used as a solo, ensemble instrument, to accompany singing in all areas. cultural life Russian people: everyday, ritual, spiritual, secular, festive, military music. and one princely feast could not do without a harpist. The heroes Dobrynya Nikitich and Nightingale Budimirovich, the boyar Stavr Godionovich and the Novgorod guest Sadko play the harp. For centuries, craftsmen have passed on the secrets of making gusli. Goose tunes, songs of singers, were loved by both the people and the kings. But often folk singers sang unflatteringly about the authorities.
... About the will, about the share, the epic will sing,
And the heart will call to the free will, will call.
Grandees and kings reared with great malice,
So that in Russia vagabonds guslyars will appear.
But the sonorous harp sang, and their harmony was harsh,
And there were violent riots from the songs of the guslars.

These persecutions of the harpists (this word sounds so correct), or, as the harpists began to call them disparagingly, did an unkind service to the fate of the instrument. Interest in his improvement was not the same as he was in the fate of the violin. But time has changed this ancient tool. Its design, body shape, wood processing technology, varnishes, decorative trim- all this has long removed the harp from the category of an archaic, purely folk instrument, turning it into a stage professional instrument with a rich unique sound.

The next stage in the development of the harp is the psalter, which is closely related to musical culture Russian clergy. Their images in the hands of King David are on a miniature in the Slavic psalter, dating back to the 13th - 14th centuries. These are the so-called "helmet-like" harps.
For many centuries, this kind of harp was in circulation not only among the clergy, but also among buffoons. After the persecution of buffoons in the XVII century. the harp - a psalter from the people's environment almost disappears and persists until the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries. in the form of improved table-shaped gusli only among the clergy and secular musicians.
There were no fundamental differences in the device and methods of playing on all types of harp. The strings are plucked either with the fingers of both hands, or with the fingers only. right hand; the left hand in this case lies to muffle the strings. Later, the sound began to be extracted with a plectrum or mediator.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the ancient harp was significantly improved by the ethnographer Nikolai Privalov. Experienced craftsmen under his leadership, ensemble varieties (piccolo, prima, viola and bass) with 13-15 strings were created. For the resulting "choir of guslars" a repertoire and a "Tutorial for playing the ringing harp" were written. In the 70s, by order of the gusli performer Dmitry Lokshin, a harp was made in Moscow with an extended range and, accordingly, a large number of strings. The process of constructive and performing development of the instrument continues to this day. Modern harps are equipped with a tuning mechanism that allows you to change the instrument's structure during performance.

Improved table-shaped harp (or rectangular, plucked) turned out to be much more complicated than voiced ones. The number of strings they have ranges from 55 to 66. Initially, the scale of such instruments was diatonic, later they began to make chromatic psaltery. For chromatic harps, the strings corresponding to the black keys of the piano are lowered somewhat lower. Complex polyphonic works are available for this kind of gusli.
In 1914, N. P. Fomin designed the so-called "keyboard" harp, which is distinguished by its original and at the same time simple and convenient design. They are equipped with a one-octave piano-style keyboard. When you press the keys, the strings of the same name in all octaves are released from the dampers and become ready for sounding. With one hand, any chord is typed on the keyboard, and with the other, a plectrum made of hard leather is played along the strings.

Today, every orchestra of folk instruments includes plucked harps - table-shaped and keyboard harps. The sound of these instruments gives the orchestra a unique flavor of ancient goose chimes.

Currently, interest in the harp has grown markedly. Modern harp players appeared - storytellers who set out to recreate the ancient tradition of both playing the harp and singing to the harp. Along with three types of plucked harps, the main technique of playing which is plucking and rattling, keyboard harps also appeared. The mechanics installed on them, when you press the keys, open the strings, and makes it possible to select the desired chord. This greatly simplifies playing the harp as an accompanying instrument.

Unfortunately, if you want to buy an instrument, you have to talk about small workshops in Russia where the harp is very rarely made as separate copies. In the whole world, it seems to me, there is not a single factory where this unique instrument would be produced. The money goes to anything: to wild entertainment, wars, pleasures ... The diversion of funds for the manufacture of at least one ground-to-air combat missile would be more than enough to build a small music factory.... But ... the psaltery sounds and will sound forever!

Gorky and the Wanderer (with harp)

Gusli is a stringed musical instrument, common in Russia. It is the most ancient Russian string plucked musical instrument.

Gusli is a musical instrument, a variety of which is a harp, cithara, lyre, psaltery, zhetygen. Also, the ancient Greek cithara is similar to the harp (there is a hypothesis that it is she who is the ancestor of the harp), the Armenian canon and the Iranian santur; these include: the Chuvash harp, the Cheremis harp, the clavier-shaped harp and the harp, resembling the Finnish kantele, the Latvian kokle and the Lithuanian kankles.

Nikolai Fomin Karelian kantele sounds sad

Heroes of the Russian play the harp epic epic: Sadko, Dobrynya Nikitich, Nightingale Budimirovich. In the Tale of Igor's Campaign, the 11th-century guslar-narrator Boyan is mentioned:

Boyan, brethren, not 10 falcons
more than a flock of swans,
but my own things and fingers
on live strings loose;
they themselves are the prince of the glory of the roar.

Guslars, painting Viktor Vasnetsov , 1899

Researchers of the early 20th century noted the striking similarity of the contemporary Chuvash and Cheremis gusli with images of this instrument in medieval Russian manuscripts (for example, in the 14th-century Missal, where a person playing the harp is represented in the capital letter D, and in Makarievskaya Chetye-Mineya of 1542) . In these images, the performers hold the harp on their knees and hook the strings with their fingers. In exactly the same way, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Chuvash and Cheremis played the harp. The strings of their harp were intestinal; their number was not always the same. The psalter-like harp is believed to have been brought to Russia by the Greeks, and the Chuvash and Cheremis borrowed this instrument from the Russians.

Victor Vasnetsov Bayan 1910

The clavier-shaped harp, which was also found at the beginning of the 20th century mainly among the Russian clergy, was an improved type of psalter-shaped harp. This instrument consisted of a rectangular resonant box with a lid, which rested on a table. Several round cutouts (voices) were made on the resonance board, and two concave wooden bars were attached to it. Iron pegs were screwed into one of them, on which metal strings; the other beam played the role of a keeper, that is, it served to attach the strings. The clavier-shaped harp had a piano system, and the strings corresponding to the black keys were placed below those corresponding to the white keys.

Andrey Ryabushkin Guslyar singing 1882

For clavier-shaped harp, there were notes and a school composed in early XIX century Fyodor Kushenov-Dmitrevsky.

In addition to the psalter-shaped gusli, there were kantele similar to the Finnish instrument. Probably, this type of gusli was borrowed by the Russians from the Finns. By the beginning of the 20th century, it had almost completely disappeared.

The harp is made from an already processed board, sometimes from a wooden deck, which is split to the desired size. The manufacturing technology is quite simple. First, the master selects wood. It can be pine, spruce, sometimes cedar. Previously, they also used, and sometimes now, apple and maple sycamore.

Then, at a properly split and dried board, a shape is indicated, an opener and a threshold for pegs are cut down, if they are wooden. After the master, usually by hand, selects the wood from the back, front or end (rare way), creating a resonant void. Then the master cuts through the voice box (resonator hole), or burns several small holes. In the place from which the master began to choose an instrument, a voice board (deck) is installed. Sometimes it is sunk into the body, and sometimes it is placed on top. It can be fixed with both nails and glue.

Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky Young musician

Here the master, if necessary, covers the instrument with stain or varnish. The master adjusts the string holder to the heel. It can also be ducks holding a rod with strings, or a metal bracket driven into the body. Less often you can find carnations driven in from the end. In this case, the strings are passed through the nut. After the master puts the pegs and pulls the strings (usually their lengths are calculated in advance). You can also find a later method of assembling a tool on a frame. Sometimes there are also two-chamber harps, where the opening is a continuation of the body, divided by a wirbelbank.

A report on music about the harp will briefly help you prepare for the lesson, and you will learn a lot useful information about this ancient instrument. The report about the harp can be supplemented with interesting facts.

A short message about the harp

What is gusli?

Gusli is the oldest plucked stringed musical instrument. In Russia, they mean a kind of recumbent harp. They existed on the territory of Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, Russia, Latvia, Poland, Estonia, Finland and other European countries (where they had their original name). And in each country they had their own characteristics. Between themselves, they were similar to a fan of strings, a string holder, a peg row and a resonator under the strings along the entire length.

Gusli: a story for children

It is impossible to say exactly who invented the harp, and when it happened. In the history of the Finnish kantele, Slavic gusli, Latvian kokle, Estonian kannel, Lithuanian kankles, there are only guesses and assumptions. There are opinions that this stringed instrument came to us from China, where the string instrument guqin was known long before the birth of Christ. According to another version, lyre-like instruments were brought to their colonies by the Romans.

The Finns claim that the first kantele gusli were made by Weimemeinen, in Russia and Belarus, that the harp is a modernized "musical bow". Therefore, the confusion with assumptions is incredible.

In the Old Russian manuscript “The Tale of a Belarusian Man and Monasticism”, the author depicted in the letter “D” the figure of a king who played the harp. The shape of the body resembles a helmet. Subsequently, the shape of the resonator flat box changed: a trapezoidal shape appeared. With a decrease in the number of strings, wing-shaped harps also developed.

Back in the 9th century, they were made from dugout dry boards of maple or spruce. With the advent of metallic strings, the harp rang. Craftsmen have passed down the secret of tool making to their apprentices for centuries. Goose tunes and songs were loved to listen not only to ordinary residents, peasants, but also kings. However, the harp often spoke unflatteringly about the rulers in their songs. Therefore, there were persecutions of the harpists. Over time this plucked instrument turned from an archaic into a stage professional instrument with a unique sound.

To date, every orchestra of folk instruments has plucked harp in its composition: keyboards and table-shaped ones. Their sound gives the orchestra the flavor of ancient chimes.

Gusli: types of instruments

There are such types of gusli:

• voiced. These are the simplest and most ancient harps. A trapezoidal or triangular box was placed on the knees when playing. The number of strings varied from 7 to 13. When the sonorous harp became part of symphony orchestra, then the flocks immediately see their shortcomings: a small range. Then it was decided to build a harp of different sizes.
• Plucked. Equipped with 60 strings that cover 5 full octaves. The musician plays the harp with both hands, simultaneously leading the melody on thin and bass strings. They can reproduce complex polyphonic works.
• Keyboards. This is the youngest type of harp that appeared in the twentieth century. They are created in 4 sizes: piccolo, prima, alto, bass. They produce a full, rich, pleasant sound.

How do harps sound?

This original instrument can produce a melodious and gentle voice, can convey the murmur of a stream and bird singing, portray a bell chime. Sound source are flexible stretched strings. Each of them is tuned to the desired sound pitch. It is removed with a mediator or fingertips. Different harps use their own sound extraction techniques: arpeggio, rattling, pizzicato, glissando, tremolo.

Gusli interesting facts

• The performer on the harp is called the harpist.
• Tsar Ivan the Terrible had an ensemble of guslists at court, which amused him.
• Patriarch of All Russia Nikon ordered in 1654 to burn all the psaltery in the state.
• The first song that was recorded with notes for the gusli was Ukrainian folk song"Oh pid cherry." It was recorded in St. Petersburg by the French composer F. Boilde in 1803.
• In May 1945, the Guslist Ensemble performed on the steps of the defeated Reichstag in Berlin with a concert in honor of the victory.

... The bowstring rang,

Arrow shot...

Gusli. History of the ancient instrument

Gusli is an ancient musical instrument. Thousands of years of human history have hidden from us both the age and place of their birth. In different countries and among different peoples, this instrument was called differently. Among the Slavs, the name of this instrument, I think, is associated with the sound of a bowstring. The same string that was pulled over the bow.

In ancient times, the elastic bow string was called differently - "gusla". Here is one of the hypotheses for the origin of the name of the instrument. And by attaching a hollow vessel to a string, we get a primitive musical instrument. So: strings and a resonator that amplifies their sound is the main principle of this plucked instrument.

In the Old Russian manuscript, “The Tale of a Belarusian Man and Monasticism”, the miniaturist depicted in the letter “D” the figure of the king (possibly the psalmist David) playing the harp. Their form corresponds to the instrument that existed in those days in Russia. These are the so-called "helmet-like" harps. The shape of their body really resembles a helmet. Subsequently, the shape of the flat resonator box changed. Trapezoidal gusli appeared. The number of strings on the instrument has decreased, and the shape of the body has also changed. So the winged gusli appeared.

Back in the 9th century, the Slavs surprised the kings of Byzantium with the harp. In those distant times, the psaltery was made from dugout dry boards of spruce or maple. Maple "Yavor" is especially loved by musical craftsmen. This is where the name of the harp comes from - “Yarovchatye”. / And as soon as the strings began to be pulled from metal, the harp rang and began to be called “voiced”.

The fate of this instrument has long been associated with the folk song and epic tradition. For centuries, craftsmen have passed on the secrets of making gusli. Goose tunes, songs of singers, were loved by both the people and the kings. But often folk singers sang unflatteringly about the authorities.

... About the will, about the share, the epic will sing,
And the heart will call to the free will, will call.
Grandees and kings reared with great malice,
So that in Russia vagabonds guslyars will appear.
But the sonorous harp sang, and their harmony was harsh,
And there were violent riots from the songs of the guslars.
I. Kobzev
These persecutions of the harpists (this is how the word sounds correctly), or, as the harpists began to be called disparagingly, did an unkind service to the fate of the instrument. Interest in his improvement was not the same as he was in the fate of the violin. But time has changed this ancient instrument. Its design, body shape, wood processing technology, varnishes, decorative finishes - all this has long removed the harp from the category of an archaic, purely folk instrument, turning it into a stage professional instrument with a rich and unique sound.

Today, every orchestra of folk instruments includes a plucked harp - a table-shaped harp and a keyboard harp. The sound of these instruments gives the orchestra a unique flavor of ancient goose chimes.

Currently, interest in the harp has grown markedly. Modern harp players appeared - storytellers who set out to recreate the ancient tradition of both playing the harp and singing to the harp. Along with three types of plucked harps, the main technique of playing which is plucking and rattling, keyboard harps also appeared. The mechanics installed on them, when you press the keys, open the strings, and makes it possible to select the desired chord. This greatly simplifies playing the harp as an accompanying instrument.

Unfortunately, if you want to buy an instrument, you have to talk about small workshops in Russia where the harp is very rarely made as separate copies. In the whole world, it seems to me, there is not a single factory where this unique instrument would be produced. The money is used for anything: wild entertainment, wars, pleasures... Diversion of funds for the manufacture of at least one ground-to-air combat missile would be more than enough to build a small music factory. How sad and painful it is to realize today. But ... the harp sounds and will sound forever!