Since time immemorial the Ukrainian people were distinguished for musical talent and love for singing. The melodious character of the Ukrainian song and Language gave birth to advanced original musical instruments. Making musical instruments and playing them have always been considered a noble occupation. It is not without reason that our people call a good musical instrument-maker or a musician a sorcerer. People believed musical instruments as well as music could protect them from evil or malicious spirits. Music for this purpose was performed on such instruments as: violin, hudok, sopilka, volynka (bagpipe) and others.

Trumpet, horn, trembita and others were the means of communication between shepherds and hunters, and helped to find the way home in bad weather. Some of these functions are still found today, particularly in the life of the Carpathian dwellers  where art has been preserved intact so far.

In Kyivan Rus musical instruments were widely used in the life of Kyivan princes, voivodes and common people. The gusli, horn, tambourines, surmas, and trumpets have been known since those times. The power of an army used to be defined by not only the quantity of soldiers but also by the quantity of trumpets and bubons.

The violin, kolysna lyre, dulcimer, drum, tambourine, reed-pipe, and other instruments were an integral part of various rituals, religion, secular and calendar holidays and ceremonies.

As it is known musical instruments were not used at Orthodox divine services.  At the same time, people used kobza, bandura, kolysna lyre, husla, turban to accompany prays outside of church, at home.

Music incessantly accompanied the Ukrainian Cossack’s life. A special place was given to kettle-drums, the sacred symbols of Zaporozhian Sich. Their thunderous blows gathered the Cossacks for meetings; the orders were transmitted to soldiers with the help of conventional signals.

The violins, dulcimers, bagpipes, basolias, pipes, military trumpets, kettle-drums and drums were the basic instruments of Zaporozhian Army orchestra.

The kobza and bandura, the symbols of the national heroic and patriotic epos, have no analogues in world musical culture. They were the instruments of the legendary kobza-players. Maintaining human honour, dignity, and the right to their own art, kobza-players united in kobza-player’s brotherhoods, had a democratic form of government, their own judicial procedure, and even their own language for communicating between themselves. Every kobza-player had his region to serve, and had no right to go to a neighbouring village.

Folk musical instruments developed in close connection with different kinds of art: folk choral, vocal, dancing, and theatrical arts.

Every statum of society had their favourite instruments. Thus, the nobles preffered the table-like gusli and torban; among the Cossack’s chiefs it was considered prestigiouis to play the turban and to accompany on it kobza-player’s repertoire. The famous Cossack’s hetmans Ivan Mazepa and Petro Doroshnko could play the torban.

In the times of Kyivan Rus the collective instrumental performance became widely spread. As of today this tradition has been better preserved in Western Ukrainian regions. The so-called troisti muzyky (orchestra of three musical instruments) are rather popular in Hutsul instrumental ensembles. According to a legend three young musicians fell in love with a beautiful girl who arranged for them a public competition: each of the fellows had to play his own tune. They played so well that it was impossible to select the winner. So she suggested that they should play by turn the same melody. Finally they played together, and their music was so wonderful that neither the girl, nor the public wanted to separate the musicians. The beauty remained alone, and the ensemble of three musicians became the most favourite in Hutsulia. The troisti muzyky, which make different combinations of the violine, sopilka, dulcimer, basolia, tambourine, and some other instruments, is an important factor in creating Hutsul instrumental musical culture.

Ukrainian musicians were often invited to play at Polish royal, and Russian imperial courts. Thus, the names of Ukrainian minstrels were on the list of musicians of the Polish royal choir beginning from 1500. Starting in the early 18th century Ukrainian guslars and bandura players played at Russian imperial court, and at palaces of the nobles. Under the Imperial Ukase of 1838 a musical school was set up in the city of Hlukhov for replenishing the court choir and orchestra.

While researching Russian musical culture of the mid-18th century, the German musicologist Schtelin compared Ukraine with French Province, and noted an exceptional musical talent of the Ukrainians. In the 18th century count and wealthy landlord’s estates had instrumental ensembles and orchestras, which serviced balls and accompanied singers, as well as performed music as such. The nobles such as Polubotko, Potocki, Shyray, and Troschynsky had similar orchestras. Big orchestras belonged to prince Cyril Rozumovsky, and others. In 1789 prince Grigoriy Potiomkin opened musical academy in Yekaterinoslav (today Dnipreoetrovsk), and attached to it an orchestra of 47 musicians. In the latter half of the 18th century municipal orchestras were organized in different cities of Ukraine, which serviced various holidays, celebrations, and ceremonies. The creation of such orchestras was accompanied by the delimitation of professional and amateur music. After abolishing serfdom in Russia in 1861, serf orchestras began to break up, many musicians returned to their native villages, and continued to play folk ensembles in their spare time.

In the 18th-19th century musical guilds, which united musicians and instrument-makers, were created all over the Ukraine. They adopted their own regulations, which protected the interests of their members, regulated service charges, divided the spheres of service, etc.

In the 20th century the growth of musical educational institutions, was accompanied by an intensive process of evolution of folk musical instruments. However paradoxical it is, but the improvement of folk instruments began to threaten with the disappearance of authentic instruments.

In modern Ukraine measures are being taken to revive and preserve the original instruments as a source of national art. In particular, in kobza player’s schools which are being created in Ukraine, young performers study playing the instruments and singing, along with kobza player’s traditions, rites, philosophy, and ethics of their life. The National union of kobza players of Ukraine arranges concerts, competitions, festivals of kobza-players art, jubilee evenings of outstanding kobza players and instrument makers. Ukrainian museums gather and popularize collections of original folk instruments. The biggest one is found at Museum of theatrical, musical, and cinema art of Ukraine in Kyiv.

Today a folk musical instrument is not just an instrument for playing music; it is a memorial of national culture, an object for collecting, which indicates the level of intellect and spirituality of its owner.

Buhay

Let us start the acquaintance with this instrument with a pun: to play this instrument is not serious for serious musician. The point is that everything is ridiculous and unusual in it: its construction, its name, and the way of playing. The buhay, in literal translation “pedigree bull,” has timber, which sounds somewhat like a bull’s roar, hence the name of the instrument.

There is no exact data about the time or place of its origin. It is only known that in the 19th century the buhay, as a ritual instrument, was episodically used as an accompanying ensemble instrument in Hitsulia, where it has a number of synonymous names, depending on the dimension of a barrel of which it is made.

The buhay belongs to cord-friction musical instruments the sound of which is produced by rubbing fingers against a bun of horsehair tied to the center of a leather membrane. The barrel is half a meter or meter high. When playing a big instrument, it is placed on the floor, when a small one – one of the performers holds it, and the other plays, tugging at the horsehair with his hands wetted in kvass, which provides better friction. This instrument became popular in many regions of Ukraine for its exotic kind.

There was a professional band which used to have such a performance when a musician appeared on the stage, holding a small barrel underarm and all of a sudden the other actor came running up to him to tug at the horsehair hanging from the barrel. The first musician continued walking, pretending he didn’t notice that his barrel was playing. The other one, after a masterly performance, to the applause of the audience, disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.

The buhay is used in many professional bands, filling their performances with folk colouring , humour and jokes.

Kozobas

Many folk instruments are deeply rooted in the hoary past. The kozobas, in contrast, appeared in the late 1960s. The first model of it was made in Hryhoriy Veriovka National Ukrainian Folk Choir. Almost at the same time a similar chimera was contrived in Kyiv orchestra of folk instruments.

The word “kozobas” consists of two words – “goat and “bass”.

There was such a custom in Ivano-frnkivsk province: after musicians left a wedding party, but the guests still wanted to dance, they took a bucket, put a shoulder-yoke in it, fastened a piece of wire to the handle of the bucket and the other end of the yoke, and played it with a stick as a bow. They played such an “instrument” on the 5th-7th day after the wedding party; with this “instrument” they went caroling from door to door on Christmas tide, and led a young bachelor disguised as a dancing goat from house to house on New Year’s Eve. Singing carols was always accompanied with vivid theatrical shows and witty humour. That is how an idea emerged on the Hutsul folklore-ethnographic basis to make an accompanying instrument. The musician plays the kozobas with a short straight bow, or by plucking the strings with the fingers, and striking the plate with a small steel rod.

The kozovas became popular among professional and amateur folk ensembles. The musical workshop in Ternopil region began the production of this instrument, so we became witnesses of the birth of a new kind of folk contrabass.

Ocarina

The name of this instrument is derived from the Italian “ocarina,” which means “gosling”. The Italians, perhaps, saw a similarity in the outward appearance between the ocarina and gosling, or maybe they associated the sound of the ocarina with the cheep of gosling. Anyhow, but the ocarina is known to the whole world under this name. In Ukraine the ocarina also has another, more poetic name – zozulka (young cuckoo), which is obviously called forth by the timber of this instrument – fairy, at times fantastic, which imitates the howl of wild animals and the song of birds so well. By its construction and character of music the ocarina is allied with whistlers.  In contrast to whistlers, which are not only musical instruments, but also works of decorative art, the ocarina is a purely musical instrument.

Traditionally ocarinas were made of terra cotta. Technology of making an ocarina is the same as that of whistler. It is shaped like a sweet potato, with finger holes (from 7 to 10) and a mouthpiece.

In the 19th century the ocarina was widely spread throughout the whole Western Europe. In Ukraine it could be acquired at the music shop, together with a manual and note repertoire. These instruments were made of porcelain, decorated with different pictures and floral ornaments, sometimes the finger holes were provided with a system of valves.

Volynka (bagpipe)

The exotic instrument – volynka- was in existence in ancient Greece and Rome; it is rooted in the culture of Ancient China and India, and in the Middle Ages it accompanied folk holidays all over Europe. In Italy the volynka was considered a rural instrument, in Poland it had a derogatory name of koziol (goat). A different attitude to the bagpipe was in Lithuania, where it was a very popular instrument in the early 19th century. The bagpipe is a traditional instrument of Scotland, where big bagpipe ensembles take part in State celebrations. In Britain the bagpipe acquired the image of an original court ceremonial instrument.

It is considered that in Ukraine the volynka appeared in the 16th century in the territory of Volyn (Volhynia), hence the name of the instrument. Later it spread throughout the territory of the former Russian empire. The volynka was used by the Cossacks, and was included in the musical regiment of Zaporoshian Army.

In the 19th – 20th century the volynka was a traditional folk instrument in the Carpathian area.

The volynka is distinguished for its original timber, and ability to combine playing with singing.

Horn and Trembita

The horn and trembita are colourful national versions of trumpets, which preserve old traditions. The horn is one of the oldest instruments of mankind. Since the times of Old Testament, made of mountain goat or buffalo horns, it was an indispensable utensil of shepherd and hunter, and only later it turned into a truly musical instrument. In the 14th century wooden, and later copper, instruments often imitated the form of a horn.

The trembita is an old mouthpiece signal instrument of the mountaineers. It looks like a long cone-shaped trumpet. It is from 3 to 4 m long, and its signal can be heard at a distance of 10 km. The trembita performs important functions linked with the everlasting practice of the mountain dwellers, their life and customs.

In old times sentries posted on the Alps could warn the mountain dwellers of an approaching enemy by transmitting conventional signals. By trembita signals the senior shepherd reports shepherd’s boys of the time of milking and watering, in the evening he gathers flocks of sheep scattered in the mountains, helps to find one’s bearings in bad weather. Trembitas announce the spring holiday of the Hutsuls – going out to the mountain meadows. Sometimes trembitas bring bad news, reporting of somebody’s death.

The trembita is made of fir. First the tree is chopped off up to a needed dimension, then it is chopped lengthwise in two, the core being removed, after which both halves are stuck together with resin, pressurized with birch bark, and a wooden mouthpiece is put in the upper opening. The pitch of trembita sound depends on the force of blowing. In Polissia a traditional trembita is shorter; 1 to 2m long, and called lihava.

Now and then the trembita is used in orchestra music. Collapsible metal trembitas participate in modern wedding orchestras.

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