Plucked String Instruments | Fricative String Instruments | Percussive String Instruments
Wind Instruments | Percussive Instruments | Recently Introduced Foreign Instruments
Ensemble Music | Instrumental Folk Music | Bibliography
The hammer dulcimer is an instrument that is well known in many countries. It's origins can be traced to the Middle East where it was known as the santur and it is thought that the instrument was first brought to Ukraine during the Crusades. It spread to Ukraine through Hungary and Rumania, where it is known as a cymbalom and was probably introduced into Ukraine by wandering Gypsy and Jewish musicians. The earliest mention of the Ukrainian term tsymbaly dates back only to the 17th century. In Moldova earlier mentions dating to 1546 can be found. The hammer dulcimer is similar in construction to the husli, consisting of a large wooden box with a soundboard on which strings are strung across in courses of three to five strings. Two bridges are placed on the soundboard over which the strings are stretched. These divide the strings so that each course of strings can produce two different notes. The strings are struck with wooden hammers. Usually the instrument is played in a seated position - placed on the knees of the performer - or in a standing position, with the aid of a long belt that goes around the neck of the performer.
In the 1950's the Ukrainian tsymbaly was chromaticised, and had legs and a damper pedal added. The Chernihiv factory began to manufacture these instruments in three different sizes: prima, alto and bass. In recent times however, the concert cymbalom developed in Hungary is becoming more popular. This instrument contains a full chromatic range of four and a half octaves. Such instruments are made at the Melnytso-Podilsk musical instrument factory.
The small tsymbaly are still played and known as "Hutsulski tsymbaly," to differentiate them from the concert version. Similar instruments can be found in Greece, Rumania, Lithuania, Poland, Byelorus', Bohemia, Latvia and Hungary. The tsymbaly are extremely popular in Western Canada where annual contests are held. Various regional tunings exist and a tradition that has diverged from those which exist in Ukraine. Instrument construction has developed independently.
Illustration from Ukraintsi. No 19 photo (p.21) From Tovarystvo Ukraina