Kokles

Kokles

A Latgale kokles stamp issued in 2014 by the Latvian Post (artist Lilija Dinere).
String instrument
Other names	Kokle, kūkles and kūkle (Latgale)
Classification	Plucked string instrument, chordophone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	314.122 (Diatonic lute-type stringed instrument)
Inventor(s)	Folk instrument
Related instruments
Kanklės, kannel, kantele, gusli
Musicians
Mārtiņš Baumanis, Nikolajs Heņķis (1864–1934), Pēteris Korāts (1871–1957), Māris Muktupāvels, Valdis Muktupāvels, Biruta Ozoliņa, Latvīte Podiņa, Laima Jansone, Jānis Poriķis (1909–1992), Aloizijs Jūsmiņš (1915–1979; concert kokles)
Builders
Nikolajs Heņķis (1864–1934), Pēteris Korāts (1871–1957), Gunārs Igaunis, Māris Jansons, Eduards Klints, Ģirts Laube, Krists Lazdiņš, Kārlis Lipors, Imants Robežnieks (concert kokles),Jānis Poriķis (1909–1992), Andris Roze, Jānis Rozenbergs, Rihards Valters, Donāts Vucins (1934–1999)

Kokles (Latvian pronunciation: ['kʊ͡ɔk.les]; Latgalian: kūkles) or kokle(kūkle) is a Latvian plucked string instrument (chordophone) belonging to the south east Baltic box zither family known as the Baltic psaltery along with Lithuanian kanklės, Estonian kannel, Finnish kantele, and Russian gusli. The first possible kokles related archeological findings in the territory of modern Latvia are from the 13th century, while the first reliable written information about kokles playing comes from the beginning of the 17th century. The first known kokles tune was notated in 1891, but the first kokles recordings into gramophone records and movies were made in 1930s. Both kokles and kokles playing are included in the Latvian Cultural Canon.

According to Finnish linguist Eino Nieminen, the name of the instrument, along with most of its neighbouring counterparts (Lithuanian kanklės, Finnish kantele, Estonian kannel and Livonian kāndla), possibly comes from a proto-Baltic form *kantlīs/*kantlēs originally meaning 'the singing tree'.

Kokles have a hollow trapezoidal body usually carved out of a single piece of wood that's topped with a thin ornated wooden soundboard. A distinct feature that sets kokles apart from most of the other string instruments is that the strings don't rest on a bridge, making the sound quieter, but richer in timbre. Wooden (or sometimes metal) tuning pegs are set into the wide tip of the body, while at the narrow tip is a metal rod upon which the strings are secured, giving the strings a slightly fan-shaped arrangement. The strings may be of brass or steel. Traditionally, there were 6–9 strings which later increased to 10 and more.