Cimbalom
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String instrument | |
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Classification |
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Various (see § The concert cimbalom below) | |
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The cimbalom, cimbal (
Today the instrument is mainly played in Hungary, Slovakia, Moravia, Belarus, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine.[1]
The cimbalom is typically played by striking two sticks, often with cotton-wound tips, against the strings which are on the top of the instrument. The steel treble strings are arranged in groups of 4 and are tuned in unison. The bass strings which are over-spun with copper, are arranged in groups of 3 and are also tuned in unison. The Hornbostel–Sachs musical instrument classification system registers the cimbalom with the number 314.122-4,5.[2]
The name “cimbalom” is also sometimes used to describe other types of dulcimers, which may have different tuning systems and which may lack the dampers and heavy construction of the concert instrument. In other languages, the words for those other instruments and the concert cimbalom may be similar as well (such as țambal in Romanian or цимбали [tsymbaly] in Ukrainian).
History
The modern Hungarian concert cimbalom was designed and created by V. Josef Schunda in 1874 in Budapest based on his modifications to existing folk dulcimers.[1] He demonstrated an early prototype with some improvements at the 1873 Vienna World's Fair, gaining praise from audiences and drawing the attention of highly-placed Hungarian politicians such as József Zichy, Gyula Andrássy, and King Franz Joseph.[3] He then continued to work to modify and improve his design. He extended the length of the strings and redesigned the position of the bridges to improve the tone and musical range.[4] He added heavy dampers which would allow a greater degree of control over the ringing of the strings, and a metal brace inside the instrument which would increase its stability.[1] Four detachable legs were added to support this much larger instrument; its folkloric predecessors had usually been played on a barrel or table.[1]
Schunda began serial production of his concert cimbalom in 1874, manufacturing them in a piano shop located on
Characteristics
Concert instruments from Schunda onward are fully chromatic. The Schunda tuning system established a standard pitch range of four octaves plus a major 3rd; extending from C to e′′′[7] (Helmholtz pitch notation). The cimbalom has continued its development and modern concert instruments are often further expanded and have numerous refinements beyond Schunda's design. These instruments can now have a pitch range that extends five fully chromatic octaves from AA to a′′′.
Contemporary cimbalom makers also create smaller instruments. These run the gamut from less weighty versions of Schunda's original concert layout to truly portable fully chromatic cimbaloms (which use Schunda's signature tuning pattern and note layout but with reduced range in the bass). Modern makers also continue to craft new and traditional folk style instruments.
A smaller more portable version of the concert cimbalom was produced in Ukraine from the 1950s to the 1980s that came with detachable legs and dampers, but could be carried more easily than the larger concert instrument. These instruments were produced by the Chernihiv factory and the Melnytso-Podilsk folk instruments workshop which also produced many types of other folk instruments.
Compositions for cimbalom
Classical and contemporary music
Many composers have written for the cimbalom.
More recently, other composers including
Film and television
The cimbalom has occasionally been used in film scores, especially to introduce a "foreign" feel. The cimbalom appears in Christmas in Connecticut (1945) in a scene in Felix's (S. Z. Sakall) Hungarian restaurant in Manhattan. It was also featured in the films Captain Blood (1935), The Divorce of Lady X (1938), and Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1943).
The cimbalom was used in the film score for the movie In the Heat of the Night (1967). Composer Carmine Coppola made heavy use of the cimbalom in his soundtrack for The Black Stallion (1979) to accentuate the Arabian heritage of the majestic horse. Miklós Rózsa used the cimbalom in the main theme and throughout the score for the science-fiction thriller The Power (1968). John Barry used it in the title theme for the film The Ipcress File (1965), as well as in the main theme of the ITC TV series The Persuaders! (1971); in both examples the performer was John Leach.[11] James Horner made use of the instrument in his "Stealing the Enterprise" cue from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984). In addition, John Williams has made less prominent use of the instrument in scores such as Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Howard Shore used the cimbalom as well to express Gollum's sneaky nature in Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002). The cimbalom is also featured prominently in Hans Zimmer's scoring of Sherlock Holmes (2009). Alexandre Desplat uses cimbalom in works such as The Golden Compass (2007), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014).
In television, composer Lalo Schifrin made use of the cimbalom in several scores he wrote for the original Mission: Impossible television series, from which several cues were regularly recycled throughout the series' run.
Composer Debbie Wiseman used the cimbalom, played by Greg Knowles, in her score for the BBC television series 'Dickensian' (2015–16).
The cimbalom, played by John Leach, features prominently in the score of the BBC television drama serial from 1988, 'Babylon Bypassed' by Gareth Glyn.
Rock
The cimbalom was used by Alan Parsons on his "I Robot"[12] and Tales of Mystery and Imagination[13] albums and is included in the guest musician acknowledgments. The experimental rock group Mr. Bungle made use of the cimbalom on the Disco Volante[14] and California[15] albums. It is included in the guest musician acknowledgments. The experimental performance organization Blue Man Group has used a cimbalom in its productions.[16] American progressive chamber group, cordis, uses electric and acoustic cimbalom as a centerpiece in their music.[17] Romanian rock group Spitalul de Urgență has frequently used cimbalom, including a full-time player in some line-ups of the band. New York multi-instrumentalist Rob Burger used a cimbalom on the album L'Entredeux (2008) by Tucson chanteuse Marianne Dissard. Alternative rock band Garbage incorporated cimbalom into their track "The Trick Is to Keep Breathing" from their 1998 album Version 2.0.[18] Portishead have long been successful pioneers of the cimbalom or hammered dulcimer in their groundbreaking work since formation in 1991.
Schools of performance
Belarus
In Belarus a cymbaly school was established in 1948 by J. Zynovych. The Belarusian cymbaly differs from the concert cimbalom in timbre and size—it is smaller and produces a sweeter, more mellow tone. Also, pedal dampers are not typically used. Instead, hands and fingers are used to damp the strings.
Croatia
The cimbal (or cimbule) today is a rare instrument found in folk groups (Međimurje, Zagorje and Podravina regions - parts of northern Croatia near Hungarian border).
Moravia
The instrument is used foremost in the
France
Luigi Gaggero teaches since 2004 at the Conservatoire de Strasbourg and at the Académie Supérieure de Musique de Strasbourg. His teaching focuses on classical and on contemporary repertoire for cimbalom.[20]
Greece
In Athens, a cimbalom school was established in 2004 by M. Papadeas. The Greek musicians play on small portable folk style instruments.
Hungary
Besides the main cimbalom centre in Budapest, there is a very strong school of performance in Debrecen in Hungary.
Moldova
In 1952, cimbalom classes were opened at the
Romania
A strong performance school was established in Bucharest. Toni Iordache, a Romani-Romanian lăutar, was the most famous Romanian cimbalom player.
Slovakia
The cimbal is a very popular instrument found in all Slovak regions, as well as in the ethnically Slovak/Hungarian mixed southern regions and among Romani folk ensembles.[19]
Ukraine
In Ukraine, the concert Cimbalom was first formally used in the
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4616-7290-6.
- ISBN 5-7773-0425-7.
- ^ Schunda, V. József (1906). A czimbalom: Története (in Hungarian). Budapest: Buschmann. pp. 18–9.
- ^ Schunda, V. József (1906). A czimbalom: Története (in Hungarian). Budapest: Buschmann. p. 17.
- ISBN 5-7773-0425-7.
- ^ Schunda, V. József (1906). A czimbalom: Története (in Hungarian). Budapest: Buschmann. pp. 21–2.
- ^ Tóth, Ida Tarjáni; Falka, Jószef. Cimbalomiskola 1. Editio Musica Budapest, Z. 2528, 1958, p. 101 (chart)
- ^ "Igor Stravinsky". Retrieved 2009-09-05.
- ^ Alex Ross (June 18, 2012). "John Adams's The Other Mary "Sacred Dissonance"". The New Yorker.
- ^ Anthony Tommasini (March 27, 2015). "Review: John Adams Unveils "Scheherazade.2", an Answer to Male Brutality". The New York Times.
- ^ Jon Burlingame "John Leach, English Cimbalom Player, Dead at 82", Film Music Society, 14 July 2014
- ^ Arista records ARCD 8040
- ^ PolyGram records 832 820-2
- ^ Warner Brothers 9 45963-2
- ^ Warner Brothers 9 47447-2
- ^ "Blue Man Group: Blue Man Instruments". Archived from the original on March 30, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
- ^ Landspeed Records 9 47447-2
- ^ Massey, Howard (1998-10-01). Talking Tech and Trash. Musician (magazine).
- ^ hdl:2027.42/87955.
- ^ Examen d’entrée 2021 / Cymbalum (in French) hear.fr 2021