- Tamburica
The Tamburitza [IPA|ˈtamburitsa] (Croatian: Tamburica, meaning "Little
Tambura "), is astring instrument popular in the traditional folk music ofCroatia (especiallySlavonia ), northernSerbia (Vojvodina ) andHungary . It is also known in parts of southernmostSlovenia .It similar to the
mandolin , in that its strings are plucked and often paired.trings and tuning
The number of strings on tamburica varies, and it can have single or double strings. Double strings are tuned
unison ically.The basic forms of tamburitza are "
samica " (three double strings), "bisernica" (two double strings and two single strings; four tones), "prim" (one double string and three single strings; four tones), "bas-prim" or "brač" (two double strings and two single strings; four tones), "čelović" (two double strings and two single strings; four tones), "čelo" (four strings), "bas" or "berda" (four strings), and the "bugarija" or "kontra" (one double string and three single strings; four tones ). The names and method of playing can depend on thetuning of the strings.Composers and ensembles
Tamburitza
orchestra can have various formats, from a tercet to a large orchestra. A basic tercet consists of a "prim", a "kontra" and a "čelo". Larger orchestras also have "bas-prims" and "bass-prim-terc" tamburas.The first major composer for the tamburitza was
Pajo Kolarić , who formed the first amateur tamburitza orchestra inOsijek in 1847.Fact|date=August 2008. Kolarić's student,Mijo Majer , formed the first tamburitzan choir led by a conductor, the "Hrvatska Lira" in 1882.There is a view that the first tambura orchestra was formed in
Hungary in the 19th century.Volly István: Bajai tamburások - A bajai tamburazenekar története (1964.)] The instruments' names came from the Hungarian names of the musical instruments of the symphony orchestra - originally from the Hungarian Gipsy bands ("bőgős" - begeš, "prím", "kontra"). [Magyar Néprajzi Lexikon, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1977-1982] These orchestras soon spread to what is now Bosnia,Austria ,Slovenia , theCzech Republic andSlovakia .Croatian composers for the tamburitza include
Siniša Leopold andJulije Njikoš . The instrument has long been a symbol of the Croatian identity, and is associated withnationalism . The first Croat to study his people's folk music wasFranjo Ksaver Kuhač . He was followed byVinko Žganec , an associate ofBéla Bartók 's, who collected more than 19,000 Croatian folk songs.Serbia andMontenegro , most notablyVojvodina , also have a long-standing tradition of tamburitza. The famous Grand tamburitza orchestra ofRadio Novi Sad was founded in 1951 under the leadership ofSava Vukosavljev , who composed and arranged many pieces for tamburica orchestra, and published a comprehensive book “Vojvođanska tambura” (Tambura of Vojvodina). There are also orchestras ofRadio Belgrade and RadioPodgorica , RadioKikinda etc.Janika Balázs , who was also the member of the Radio Novi Sad orchestra, also had his famous 8-men band and was the most popular performer of the 20th century and his name became a synonym for tamburitza music.Famous Tamburitza orchestra from Serbia include: Orchestras of
Maksa Popov , Orchestra ofAleksandar Aranicki and others.In
United States there is long tradition of tamburitza. Famous orchestras includePopovich Brothers , andThe Marty Kapugi Orchestra ofMel Dokich ,Martin Kapugi ,Horace "Uros" Mamala , and others.Types of Tamburitza
Bisernica
Bisernica (cro. "biser" meaning "pearl", also called "Prima") is the smallest tamburitza. It has 5 strings; E, A, D and 2 G strings. The sound reminds of that of
mandolin orbalalaika . It is mostly used as alead instrument or harmonising instrument. It is very loud and it is about 50 cm long.Brač
Brač (pronounced "Brach", also called "Basprima") is a slightly bigger instrument than the bisernica but is played in a similar fashion. Because of its bigger size, it sounds lower then the bisernica.
Čelo
Čelo (pronounced "Chelo") is similar in size to bugarija, and used for dynamics.
Bugarija
Bugarija (pronounced "Bugariah", also called "Kontra") is similar to a
guitar , but has only 3 or 4 strings. It is mostly used for rhythmic contrast of the bajs. A D bugarija has five strings, the bottom pair are D, the middle string is A and the top two are tuned F# and F# booster.Bas
Bas (also called "berda" or "bajs") is the largest tamburitza. It can only be played standing used for playing bass lines.
Film
*"Ziveli! Medicine for the Heart" (1987), filmed and directed by
Les Blank . Produced byFlower Films in association with the Center for Visual Anthropology,University of Southern California . Based on ethnography byAndre Simic .El Cerrito, California : Flower Films & Video. ISBN 0-933621-38-8.External links
* [http://www.tambura.com.hr Tambura.com.hr]
* [http://www.tamburaland.com Tamburaland.com]
* [http://tamburica.net/ Tamburica.net]
* [http://www.tamburitza.org/ Tamburitza Association of America]
* [http://www.tresnjevka.net/engtamb.htm About tamburitza - short history]
*http://www.croatianhistory.net/etf/folk.html
*http://www.slavonicweb.org/events/tamfest_hist.html
*http://larkinthemorning.com/article.asp?AI=31&bhcd2=1168794929Gallery
References
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