Tamburica
Tamburica [ ˈtamburitsa ] (German also Tamburizza ) is the generic term for South Slavic and Hungarian plucked instruments , which can be found in Croatia, Serbia and Hungary in particular. Some tamburicas are similar in instrument type to the Bulgarian-Macedonian tambura .
"Tamburica" is from grammatical perspective, the diminutive ( diminutive ) of "Tambura" but evolved likely over time to a pet name for these instruments and is now commonly used as a general term. Tamburica music has always been viewed as a means of cultural identification and a commitment to Croatianism.
The tamburica is a lute instrument related to the Russian balalaika , the Ukrainian bandura , the Italian mandolin and the Spanish guitar . All these instruments originally come from the area of the former Persia (today Iran), where the ancient Assyrians owned a very similar instrument 5000 years ago (see also Tanbur ).
History of the tamburica
So far it is unknown when the tambura, which is related to the tamburica, came from its original homeland to the Hungarians and the South Slavic peoples. Some suspect that the southern Slavs came to today's parts of Europe with the tambura more than 1300 years ago. Others assume that the Turks first brought the tambura to today's areas around 500 years ago.
Bosnia is said to be the ancient area of origin from where this folk instrument spread to Slavonia (Eastern Croatia) and the area of Batschka (today Vojvodina ). It was there that the first tamburica groups were founded more than 100 years ago, which made this instrument known throughout the territory of Southeast Europe over the next 70 to 80 years .
Today the tamburica is played mainly in Bosnia , Croatia , Serbia (especially in Syrmia in Vojvodina ), Hungary and Slovenia . This instrument has also been played in Austria since the 19th century , particularly by the Burgenland Croats in Burgenland , and also in Southern Carinthia and Vienna .
Types of tamburica
"Tambura instruments" is only used as an umbrella term for all the different types of plucked instruments . Usually one speaks of the individual instrument types themselves.
In a tambura ensemble there are instruments of various sizes: The smallest is the Bisernica or Prim, followed by the Brač or Bassprim, Čelo, Bugarija or Kontra and Berde or Bass. There are two fundamentally different systems of tuning: The Srijemski-Štim or Slavonske tambure, commonly used in Eastern Croatia, Vojvodina, Banat, Backa and Srijem, on A (Brač / Bassprim, Čelo, Berda / Bass) / E (Bisernica / Prim, Bugarija / Kontra), and the system used in western Croatia, which is based on G / D. The name always comes from the highest, finest string. Nowadays both are practiced equally throughout Croatia.
Bisernica or Prim
The smallest tamburica is called Prim or Bisernica , two names for the same instrument. The finest notes are played with this instrument. Scores for tambura ensembles usually have two or even three Bisernica parts (I., II. And III. Bisernica). The second bisernica used to be called kontrašica , but this word is no longer used very often. The " Srijem " Tambura musicians call the I. Bisernica also with the foreign word prim or prima and the II. Bisernica they call Terzprim or Terzprima . An instrument that is related in size, but more traditional and less used, is the samica .
Brač
So-called Bračevi (= plural) are used for medium pitches , of which there are 2 or even 3 in the orchestra (I., II. And III. Brač). The musicians from the Srijem area also call the I. Brač Bass Prime and the II Brač Terzbassprim or Bassprimterz . The Brač looks very similar to the Macedonian-Bulgarian tambura .
Čelo and Čelović
For the “fat”, long tone sequences there is the Čelo . Other names for the same instrument are Čelović , Čelo-Brač or Čelo . Usually there is only one of these instruments in the orchestra, more rarely two and only in orchestras with a larger number of instruments all three "éelo tambura instruments".
Bugarija or contra
The Bugarija is used to accompany a tamburica orchestra . There are again three types of it: I., II. And III. Bugarija. Usually one uses either only the II. Bugarija (for two-part tambura instruments) or only the III. Bugarija (after "Srijemer" style). The I. Bugarija is used less and less. The Srijemer musicians, in turn, also call this instrument Kontra (because of their "counter-strike style").
Berda
The lowest notes are played by a berda (the double bass ). (is very similar to the bass of a classical orchestra).
Melodic instruments and accompanying instruments
All of these types of tambura instruments come in both "pear" and guitar shapes. In the " Srijemer system", the viol form of the berda (bass) was also introduced, the so-called berdeta.
Bisernica (Prim), Brač (Bassprim), Čelo, Čelo-Brač and Čelović are so-called melodic instruments because melodies are played on them. Berda (bass) and the bugarija (contra), on the other hand, are accompanying instruments. They only appear in a tamburica ensemble, since these are rhythm instruments. The Berda gives the basic beat and the Bugarija accompanies the melodic instruments with chords and rhythmic beats. That is why the techniques of making music with melodic instruments are also different than with accompanying instruments.
Systems
Basically, the tambura instruments can be distinguished by how many different tones their open strings are tuned to.
Two-part system
There are tambura instruments with 4 strings arranged in pairs, i.e. H. 2 double strings a fifth gd apart (only a few cg). This system used to include unison bisernicas and the 1st brač, in which all 4 strings were tuned to the same note (d 1 –d 1 –d 1 –d 1 ). These are so-called Farkaš instruments, named after Milutin Farkaš (1865–1923), who introduced a corresponding order. Even today there are tambura groups with such monophonic Farkaš instruments, although these are mostly tuned for two voices.
Three-part system
These are tambura instruments with 6 strings, which are arranged in pairs (3 double strings) at a distance of a fifth gda (some also cgd)
Four-part system
There are also tambura instruments that are tuned to 4 tones a fourth apart . This type of mood is also called "sremski" or "srijemski štim" (see Syrmia ). They usually have 5 strings, of which only the two thinnest strings are paired, the others simple. (3 single strings, one double string)
Tuning of the instruments
All two-part tambura instruments are tuned in the same way (gd), only that some (in general) play higher notes and the other play lower notes. The only exceptions are the Čelović and III. Bisernica, which are tuned differently. The open strings are tuned to cg, but notated and played as if they were tuned to gd (like the other instruments). These are also called "transposed instruments" because the notation is different from their sound. For example, the note c actually sounds as f on both instruments. At the III. Bisernica is a fourth higher and Čelović is a fifth lower. The musicians play both instruments in the same way - like any other two or three-part instrument.
The technology
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The strings of a tambura can be plucked with your fingers (usually with your thumb), but this is usually only the case if you want to play something really quiet. Usually, however, the instruments are played with the help of a plucked reed, the plectrum (called “trzalica” in Croatian). Today this pick is made of plastic (celluloid). It used to be made of horn or bark. The Berda is made of leather.
There are 2 types of techniques: the simple plucking of the strings or the so-called "trzanje".
Pluck
Plucking means that the corresponding string is plucked once for each note (from top to bottom) - either with the finger or the pick. This is how you play all short notes (eighth notes, sixteenth notes, etc.) and those that are notated as staccato (point above the note).
tremolo
"Trzanje" (seldom also called "titranje") is the name of the technique in which the string (s) are vibrated as quickly as possible by means of the plectrum by means of rapid up and down movements of the hand, with a permanent, uninterrupted tone arises. This technique is used to play longer notes (quarters, halves, whole) and those marked as legato (connected). A good musician is characterized by a "trzanje" that is as fast as possible, as lush as possible, as fine as possible. With this technique, special emphasis must be placed on the fact that only the fist (from the wrist) and never the whole hand (from the elbow) is moved.
The "Bugarists" also strike by moving the fist (from the wrist) over all strings (from top to bottom). So you get a triad in one fell swoop , i. H. Chord . In addition to striking over the open strings, the "Bugarist" has to grab the other chords with fingerings. (Major, minor, seventh chords, ...). Now and then all the strings on the Bugarija have to be struck at once: this is called a tremolo .
On the berda (bass) all notes are plucked, unless a tremolo is required. In this case, the sound is repeated as quickly and lushly as possible with the help of the pick. The Srijem musicians usually only pluck the eighth and sixteenth notes, they always play the quarter, half and whole notes using the “trzanje”. (However, it is more correct to pluck all notes and only make those marked as tremolo sound continuously with the pick.)
Tamburica ensemble
In the past, a tamburica musician played his instrument all by himself. You can still find this in many small towns in Croatia today . It's nice when a musician plays, but it's even nicer when two, three or more of them play together.
Usually a small Croatian tamburica group consists of 5 to 10 musicians. If there are more, this is a somewhat larger group. From around 20 musicians, the group can also be called an orchestra.
A typical tamburica ensemble usually consists of one or two Bisernica instruments, two to three Brač instruments, one or two Bugarija instruments and a Berda. The tamburica instruments Čelo and Čelović are less common in tamburica ensembles.
There are many ways to form such a group. The most common composition is a group of 8 musicians: I. and II. Bisernica, I., II. And III. Brač, Čelo-Brač (or Čelović), II. Bugarija and a Berda. Most compositions are printed for such compositions.
While Bisernica and Brač play the melody, the Berda plays the basic beat and the guitar-like Bugarija the counter-beat. Bisernica and Brač are identical in structure and appearance to the Macedonian-Bulgarian tambura and are also played like the Macedonian-Bulgarian tambura. It rarely happens that Bisernica and Brač do not have an oval but a guitar-shaped body. The Bugarija, on the other hand, looks very similar to a guitar , also in terms of the stringing, and is the only tamburica played according to chords . The berda is the largest tamburica instrument, namely a fretted double bass , it is plucked with a plectrum .
Tamburica ensembles can be found primarily in Croatia , but also in Serbia , Hungary and Slovenia , and for example also in Austrian Burgenland and Carinthia , where Croatian and Slovenian minorities live.
Individual evidence
- ↑ ORF.at, Ö1, more than 100 tamburizzen ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
literature
- Josip Andrić: Škola za Tambure . 1953 ("School of Tambura Instruments")
- Rudolf A. Hrandek: The tamburizza, a Croatian folk instrument. In: Burgenland homeland sheets . Volume 10, 1948, pp. 31–36, PDF on ZOBODAT
