Musical instrument: Zaleyka
At one time, the wonderful comedy of Grigory Alexandrov “Merry guys” about the funny adventures of the talented and cheerful shepherd Konstantin Potekhin was very popular in our country. There are such comic episodes in the film that caused the audience to laugh uncontrollably.
Pets Kostya: cows, sheep and pigs, having heard the familiar sounds of the instrument of their shepherd, who during a dinner party were asked to play a little, broke into the main hall and staged a grandiose pogrom there. Animals, even those that belong to livestock, are smart enough creatures that distinguish well and always go for a familiar sound, so many shepherds used to skillfully play folk wind instruments, as this greatly helped them in their work. Especially the shepherds enjoyed the flute, horn, and zaleika - an old Russian folk instrument, originally used in Russia in memorial ceremonies. Its interesting name, whether it comes from the word pity, or from the word pity.
You can read the story of the song and many interesting facts about this musical instrument on our page.
Sound
The sound of the junkie can be described with such words as loud, shrill, pushy and even blatant. It is almost devoid of overtones and dynamic shades are almost beyond its control. The timbre of the instrument has a pitiful and slightly nasal shade.
The sound of the instrument is the result of the vibration of the cane, which occurs under the influence of air blown by the performer.
The zaleika, mainly having a diatonic scale, is also chromatic.
The range of instrument, depending on the number of sound holes, is very small and includes only one octave.
It is not very easy to play the boardwalk, as the exact intonation on the instrument requires great skill from the performer.
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Interesting Facts
- Zaleyka is probably the only instrument that has so many names in one country. They call it a tune, flat, pickle, keychain, gravel, pitfish, picker, ladus or just a horn.
- The sound is so loud that it can be heard at a distance of six kilometers.
- In Russia, a shepherd in the village was considered a very important person whom everyone respected. He got up before everyone else with the first rays of the sun and played the wake-up signal on his instrument. Passing by any house, the shepherd played a certain tune; the owner, having heard him, knew that it was time for her to expel the cow.
- The best performers on the village in Russia were not professional musicians, but shepherds.
- The shepherd, playing on his instrument, could easily collect animals. Even a lost cow, by the sound of a familiar instrument, found its way into the herd.
- A whole generation of Soviet pop lovers well remember the name of the wonderful singer Valentina Tolkunova. In the very diverse repertoire of the artist there were two very popular songs, in which the old Russian instrument zaleyka was displayed very poeticly.
Design
The rather simple construction of the plate includes a tube, mouth, and mouthpiece.
- The tube, whose length varies from 10 to 20 cm, has a cylindrical shape. If earlier shepherds used mainly reed cane, willow, maple and elderberry for its production, today the material used is very diverse. This is wood of apple, mahogany, as well as ebonite and aluminum. On the trunk tube are usually located from 3 to 7 sound holes.
- The bell, acting as a resonator, is attached to the lower end of the tube. For the most part it is made from the horns of a cow or bark. The junction of the tube and the horn is usually decorated with a ring, which, as a rule, is made of brass.
- The mouthpiece, called the food item, is located at the top of the instrument. It is a small tube of a certain size and shape, made of wood, ebonite, metal or plastic. A single cane (tongue) made from reed or thin plastic is attached to the food with the help of two so-called cambric.
Varieties
The family of the companion is very diverse and includes instruments that vary in size, pitch, build and construction.
Zaleyki different in size and pitch: Piccolo, soprano, alto and bass.
Tools that differ in design - it is a charm and a double bollard.
The trinket, unlike the broomstick, has a softer sound, since the bell is made not of bovine horn, but of bark, and instead of a single tongue, a double one is used.
Double baler - a tool whose design consists of two tools connected together. On the double zaleike, it is possible to play two-part melodies.
Story
From the very beginning of its occurrence we, unfortunately, cannot trace the history of the zaleyka. Wind instruments on Russian soil existed since time immemorial. In the epoch of Kievan Rus, they were used without fail in military affairs: they announced danger, making so-called coastal sounds, and also appeased the princes at parties and enjoyed the common people at holiday celebrations. Unfortunately, no one gives us a precise description of the instruments our ancestors played on, and even in ancient chronicles sources they are hardly mentioned.
We also know very little about the zaleyka, we only received information that she was an indispensable participant in the commemoration rites, called "grievances." Perhaps because of this everyday custom, the tool has such a strange name. Also, the potter was very loved by the shepherds, who used it not only in their direct work, but also to amuse people at various holidays. In addition, the instrument was in demand among amusing people, buffoons, whose notions were loved by the common people, popular in Russia in the 15th and 17th centuries. However, the performances of these wandering artists often contained caustic attacks on the secular and ecclesiastical authorities, causing their serious discontent. As a result, clowns in the middle of the 17th century during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov were subjected to disgrace and persecution, and their tools were ruthlessly destroyed, as a result of demonic forces. A strong blow was struck at the Russian national musical culture then, and it suffered great losses. But, nevertheless, the shepherd's bastard continued to sound and traditionally greeted with its sound the first rays of the rising sun.
The era of the revival of interest in national culture came at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. Thanks to real patriots, among them V. Andreev, N. Privalov, O. Smolensky, G. Lyubimov and other enthusiasts, many Russian folk instruments received a second life. They were not only restored, but significantly improved, and then introduced into the first orchestra of Russian folk instruments under the direction of V. Andreev. Zhaleyka, and to be perfectly accurate, its variety - the charm also underwent some changes and also found a worthy place in the orchestra. The trinket, unlike the paillette, had a softer sound, since it was made entirely from bredin, a type of willow tree, hence the name of the instrument. The improvement of the zaleki continued, in the workshops of musical instruments created in Moscow by G. P. Lyubimov, an ethnographer, performer musician and conductor, an attempt was made to create an instrument with a chromatic system. In the future, the soloist of the Great Russian Orchestra conducted by V. Andreev O. U. Smolensky, a guslar and a pitcher, designed instruments of various sizes: piccolo, soprano, alto, and bass, which were subsequently used in the quartet of pitcher, and then in the famous "choir choir". To date, zaleika as a solo instrument is used very rarely, mainly its sound is used in orchestras of Russian folk instruments, as well as ensembles performing folk music.
In recent years, attention to the ancient Russian folk wind instruments, including the zaleike, is constantly increasing. Many musicians enthusiastically try to master the art of performing on them. This trend suggests that there is a growing interest in the national culture, and with it the musical instruments that our ancestors played. Ancient folk wind instruments and not only will not be forgotten, but also the performing arts on them will be preserved.
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