Tsymbaly
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| Classification | |
|---|---|
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 314.122-4 |
| Playing range | |
| various | |
| Related instruments | |
The tsymbaly (Ukrainian: цимбали) is the Ukrainian version of the hammer dulcimer. It is a chordophone made up of a trapezoidal box with metal (steel or bronze) strings strung across it. The tsymbaly is played by striking two beaters against the strings.
The strings are strung in groups of 3-5, which are tuned in unison. The bass strings may have 1 or 2 wrapped strings tuned in union. The beaters were quite short in comparison to those used by the Cymbalom although not as short as those of the Belarus variety. Traditionally they had leather wrappings rather than the cotton wrap used by Hungarian and Romanian players.
Under the Hornbostel-Sachs system of classification of musical instruments, it has the catalog number 314.122-4,5.
A small multi-stringed chordophone was first was depicted on Assyrian frescoes dating back to 3500 B.C. It is thought to have developed from the Persian santur, which entered Europe in the Middle Ages during the Crusades.
With the rise of piano manufacturing Vienna in the 19th century, access to metal tuning pins and strings became much easier. The hammered dulcimer became popular throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where it was quickly spread by itinerant Jewish and Romani (Gypsy) musicians. It spread to Romania, Moldavia, Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine and Belarus, where a variety of regional folk versions and concert instruments were developed. These instruments differed in size, tuning, number of strings and method of holding and playing the hammers.
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